Pegasus Caving Club
aka Pegasus Club Nottingham
The Aspley Boys Club, Nottingham
Past Members Recollections
Historical Notes:
Aspley Estate
Situated 3 miles West of Nottingham city centre and incorporating three areas of land (Aspley, Broxtoe and Bells Lane), construction of the new `Aspley Council Estate` began in the 1920´s as a major part of Nottingham Councils inner-city ´Slum Clearance and re-housing’ programme. Although interrupted by the second World War (1939-1945) building work promptly resumed post-war and by the early 1950´s the estate was completed.
William Crane School
Among the amenities provided within the new estate were a number of schools catering for all ages one of which was the William Crane School situated on Minver Crescent. It was built in 1930 to the highest standards of architectural design and internal fitments and went on to serve the educational needs of the Aspley community for 73 years until its forced closure in 2003 and subsequent demolition following a very damming report on the school´s poor infrastructure, low morale of staff and dreadful overall educational standards.
Aspley Boys Club
It was at the William Crane School that at some stage (? Post 1945) that the Aspley Boys Club was formed. The club offered both evening and weekend extra mural activities not only for learning practical craft skills, but also for the more outdoor and adventurous, the opportunity to participate in sports pastimes amongst which was cycling, rambling, climbing and the relatively new and blossoming activity of caving.
Pegasus Club Development
As far as it can be ascertained from documented personal accounts given and recorded to date, (November 2024), it is deduced that a small group from the Aspley Boys Club, some of whom were probably members of the ‘Pegasus Ramblers Nottingham’ who's interests now included cycling, rambling, climbing and caving, restructured the 'Pegasus Ramblers' into the 'Pegasus Club' later called the 'Pegasus Club Nottingham’ and contributed to its growth and in particular the activities of climbing, mountaineering and caving.
Bari Logan November 2024
1950's
Late 1950's
Early 1960's
Recollections
I joined the group late fifties, I was living in daybrook at the time and cycled to the boys club which was at William Crane Secondary School for boys, Aspley. The guy in charge was a chap by the name of Gordon Clay "Skip", I was introduced to the group by Ray Russell as he used to live in Aspley. We used to meet mid week in the evening. We would meet in the assembly hall with a stage at the end, one 25 foot length of rope and wood ladder was attached to some of the stage gantry(used for lighting). People had been invited to come and see us climbing the ladder and were shown how to climb. It was not very practical to climb as you would on an electron ladder as the wooden rungs were quite thick and square. You had to climb up the face of the ladder. The wooden rungs were free to move a bit and were not always equal only being held by a knot underneath and when hanging free would swing around a lot.
Eldon Hole
When we went to Eldon Hole the first time all the lads assembled at Ray Russell's on Friday night (now in Matlock) after getting the X2 bus to Matlock Bath, Ray kept all the ladders in his storage shed. We all bivvied out under the stars in a paddock and the next day was another bus trip via the Buxton Bus, we got off before there and had to walk what seemed like miles to Peak Forest and Eldon carrying all our own gear. We also carried 25ft of ladder each or more, other boys carried the ropes, from time to time we would swap over. Those on that trip from memory Ashley Fletcher, Tony Marshall, Graham Voss, Ray Russell, myself, Tiger! not sure of others.
Camped on the farm track leading up to Eldon Hole
Top Row, ?, ?, Tony Marshall, Ashley Fletcher, Alice Russell & Brenda ?
Bottom left, head in hands is Peter Nicholson
Note the size of one ladder at bottom right
We struck camp on the unformed road and proceeded with all the gear to ladder Eldon, when all the ladder was assembled, we unrolled it down into the hole (some 10 ladders) and as they were lowered down, they went clack, clack, clack off into the distance.
We did not have sufficient length of rope to go to the bottom, so we put a belay point in on the first ledge, roughly in the same spot that Ray Russell fell from, then we had just enough rope as a safety line to descend. You had to be very careful of some of the rungs that were not equally spaced as your foot would slide right to the edge. We only needed the carbide lamps at the bottom. We basically spent the rest of the day down there fossicking around and exploring the cavern, and then ascended and got back to camp. We had to de-ladder it and on the next day (sunday) got the bus back, I and some of the other lads went straight back to Nottingham.
Peter Nicholson January 2021
My long term memory is OK, I think, so here we go.
Ray Russell, of Eldon Hole fame, lived close to the school where the 'Aspley Boys Club' met and Ray would take any interested boys into Derbyshire for a hike or caving trip.
As Ray Russell was a founder member of The Pegasus he used his position to recruit new blood. Our first trip was to Gaping Gill and I never looked back.
Tony Marshall February 2021
Observations
Tony Marshall, Peter Nicholson and Ray Russell all became full members of the 'Pegasus Club Nottingham'
Tony Marshall confirms above that Ray Russell was one of the founder member of the Pegasus Club back when it was the 'Pegasus Ramblers Nottingham'.
Other Pegasus members known to have associated with the Aspley Boys Club were Peter Watkinson and Johnny Musson.
Distance walked from the Buxton bus to Eldon Hole would be 7 miles minimum.
Cheg Chester