We used to go in there and play as children, and I don't know if anybody knows,
but it used to house the mill workers, but now it's owned by the Council, and
it's for flats. And we used to go in the lift and up and down and we used to
run along the floors--,
3.42
Q: Landings.
3.43
A: Like lads do. And there was always--, there was one man and he used to live
on the top floor, and he was known to us as Tall Fred. Now, whenever we used
to see him on Oldham Road he used to carry this shopping, and he looked a bit
like Freddy Kruger really, and he used to have this hat on and this little--,
A: The hat was like a Stetson type--, is that the right--, correct word, Stetson?
A: Like a Trilby not a Stetson, a Trilby. And he used to have this little brown
bag and he used to--, his pants were always half mast, and he must have been
over six foot, but very, very slim. And he was a very fast runner; he was a
very, very fast runner, because he must have--, he must have been in his 60s.
So, we used to let him get to the corner and then we used shout, "Tall
Fred." And he used to turn round--, oh, and he came chasing after you.
We was only probably about six or seven, oh, and we used to have to run down
and he was chasing us. Well, in Anita Street at that particular time there was
one doorway in, a long corridor with this door, and then there was two houses
downstairs, and then there was an upstairs with two houses above. And we used
to run in, oh, and when you used to hear the door fly back, and the bang, this
echo in the hallway and you used to think, oh, no, he's here; he's here. And
we used to hide terrified behind this wall so he couldn't see you, and hopefully
he didn't come in. So, that was one thing where we used to shout, "Tall
Fred", but he was a very fast runner.