When I was a girl one of the most exciting things at this time of year was collecting conkers! My route home from school was through a park with big, old, Horse Chestnut trees, and the big boys always got the first go. They would throw sticks high up into the branches, in the hope of knocking down some of the prickly cases. Boys being boys they were often just too impatient, and instead of waiting until they were ripe, succeeded in felling pale soft conkers that would’nt do the job. I would wait around until they were bored, and hunt in the rustling leaves until a found my shiny brown treasure.
Do you remember the game? If you grew up in England before the 1980’s you probably do. Conkers were more effective if you kept them to harden a little. Then you would make a hole with a meat skewer – do they still exist? Shove a piece of string through, knot it and then fight!
It’s the fighting that eventually called a halt to the free fun that had gone on for centuries. Apparently, when you aimed your conker weapon at your friends, there was a high chance you would do some serious damage, eyes would be knocked from their sockets, someone might choke, and there would be severe bruises causing agony all over your body. So health and safety required that conkers be banned from schools, and a whole generation has grown up barely noticing the September bounty.
Conkers were never really a weapon for me, I couldn’t hit my opponents to save my life, I was much more likely to hit myself. Strange though, I have no memory of any pain from those injuries, just lots of giggles and fun. Fact is I just loved the feel of them, their polished shine and rubbing my thumb over the pale bit. I still do and had to stop myself from bundling dozens into my pockets today. Let me know if lost an eye or bear the scars.
Lucid Gypsy 
We used to collect conkers on our walk to/from school, however being a boy I used to end up using a corkscrew, screwdriver or some other wholly inapropriate item to drill a hole through them. I think my generation is the last to enjoy playing conkers and marbles at school. Such a shame that the health and safety fun-haters ruined everything.
And which decade was that Steve?
Both my girls collected conkers when they were little. I’m not sure they were much good at fighting with them, but they certainly liked the ‘shiny brown treasure’ – so much so, that they’d hoard conkers in boxes in their rooms until autumn was long past….They are in their twenties and have left home now – one of the things I DON’T miss is finding the (less than shiny and often mouldy) treasure hidden away in a secret corner!
Hahaha you’ve reminded me of some of the strange mouldy and unrecognisable things (probably just as well) I used to find under my kids beds. Thank for visiting Toni 🙂
Funny. I was cycling home today and saw a beautiful shiny conker on the ground. I nearly stopped to pick it up, but decided to wait until I am on foot.
I was never much good at conkers, but they rea supposed to discourage spiders, so I put them on my boat. 🙂
Oh thanks I’d forgotten that as well!
I was dying to know what you meant ! Chestnuts we call them! Here they roast them and sell them on street corners and the smell is delightfully distinctive!
We have those too, but no these are different from Sweet Chestnuts, bigger and you definitely can’t eat them!
Really? I did not know. Cool !
I have heard of conkers but had no idea what they were, thanks for the great conker post Gilly … we just don’t have them here!
I never played the game, but my brother did. There was a massive tree near a school where I taught and we would collect armfuls and the kids used them for crafts, or just explored them with magnifying glasses. They would look at them for hours! What a fun post. Thanks for reminding me of a simple pleasure 🙂
“I still do and had to stop myself from bundling dozens into my pockets today…” – I still have the feeling, I found coins, really money, now rich as Rockefeller…
I didn’t grow up in England but my parents did. I remember them introducing my sister and I to the game when we were little. Thanks for bringing that memory back for me!!
I cannot speak for anyone else on my side of the pond but I have no knowledge of this game, however, I’m pleased I learned something new again today. 😀
When I was a child in Pennsylvania we called them “buckeyes”. That’s buck as in a male deer – it was easy to see a resemblance to animal eyes in those lovely big brown shiny balls. But as far as I know, nobody ever fought with them 😉
Lovely photo, Gilly – just look how shiny they are!
If I remember correctly, didn’t some boys pickle them in vinegar to make them harder?
I hadn’t heard of them, but will keep an eye out for one. When i was a kid we had trees along our street that grew these weird berries. I don’t know the name. We used to collect them for weeks and then have a war. Not I wouldn’t encourage kids to do that, but I will admit, we had fun. No serious injuries.
You certainly took me back with this stroll down memory lane. As a head teacher I always wished the children would take care & that the parents wouldn’t complain but as neither of these things happened conkers were banned 😦
This is new to me.
In several of the English novels I read, the school children all collect conkers in the fall.
Insanely awful game, but you seem to have had lots of fun with it. I wouldn’t join either. I don’t even join in a paint gun arena nor any inflicting games.
I had no idea what a conker was. Now, I have a new thing to talk about. They still have meat skewers. I use them for kabobs. I can see these causing some injury but as kids we never worried about those things. We never wore helmets when we rode bicycles yet now-a-days kids can’t go out riding unless they have a helmet. Thanks for another interesting post.
Health and safety has put a damper on playing outside – I love those conkers though never called them that here in Canada. I too would gather them but just throw them about, as you Gilly hitting myself in the head. Today I saw two young boys walking with handmade bows and arrows and ended up sighing at the reminder of how much things have changed and just how much nature provides.