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Alkmonton
Alkmonton maps
Historic maps of Alkmonton and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Alkmonton maps
Alkmonton photos
We have no photos of Alkmonton, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Rocester| Ashbourne| Hatton| Hilton| Denstone| Tutbury| Prestwood| Mappleton| Marchington| Marchington Cliff| Derby Dales
Alkmonton area books
Displaying 1 of 11 books about Alkmonton and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Alkmonton
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Derbyshire memories
An Ashbourne Childhood
My family moved to Ashbourne in 1942 when I was 6. I went to school at what must have been the last of the old "Dame" schools run by an elderly lady called Ethel Hunter. The school was at the top of a big house in Church Street, owned by a dentist: Mr. Bligh. It was a small school, not more than a dozen children and we were all in the one classroom. We used to have Wednesday afternoons off school, Wednesday was half day closing day. This left us free to explore Ashbourne and the surrounding countryside. We walked everywhere and collected wild flowers which we pressed in books. I used to go home for lunch, running up Smith's yard and down again after lunch. One of the charms of Ashbourne - still there, I've been back - are the yards which connected the town with the upper roads - they are quite steep. At the top of Smith's yard... Read more
The 1950s
I was born at the maternity hospital in 1951, we lived at 3 St Oswalds Crescent and my granny and grandad lived close by on Park Road. I attended St Oswalds C of E School - I had a lady head teacher whose name escapes me before moving up to Parkside Juniors - Mr Lawton was Headmaster. We used to play Shrovetide at school but it was banned for beeing too exuberant. Joined the Church Choir - C Daly Atkinson - organist and choimaster. Open air swimming pool, school dinners. Joined the Cubs - was the first cub to get Leaping Wolf at New Scout Hut. We went to Butlins at Skegness in 1958 - first holiday I remember. Shrovetide - with boarded windows, Woolies and Boots next to it, the gingerbread shop, 2 cinemas - the Empire - saw the Incredible Shrinking Man, The Elite. Left in 1963 - going back Saturday with brother Mick to taste the nostalgia.
Wartime
I was evacuated to Hilton with my mother and grandmother at the outbreak of the WW2. My father was drafted into the army and was sent off to India and Burma when Japan entered the war. We lived in a terraced cottage in Eggington Road. The families next door were the Radleys and the Lands. Opposite the row of houses was the American army camp and my friends and I spent time waving and talking to the soldiers who gave us biscuits an chewing gum.
I started at Hilton school when I was five and stayed there until the end of the war in 1945. On both VE day and VJ day there were enormous bonfires lit in the road opposite the Talbot pub. There were so big that they melted the road.
During the time I spent in Hilton I remember going each morning to collect the milk from the farm . We also had to take the battery for the radio to... Read more
Where it All Began!
My great grandfather John Plant (known as Jack) was the grave digger at Mappleton church, St Mary. He married Francoise Chevenia, a coloured lady bought over from Mauritius to work as a maid at the Manor House in Mappleton. They lived at Rose Cottage for about 13 years. Their son, John Frederick (Freddie), was born after the war in 1920. Although Francoise met an early death in 1928 John and Freddie remained at Rose Cottage. Freddie even brought his Yorkshire-born wife to live here. They lived there for several years but were forced to move because the house was to small for their growing family. My mother Patricia was born at Rose Cottage like her father before her, and still to this day feels a sadness at having to leave. One of her earliest memories is of her and her grandfather walking to the Post Office to collect his pension and get some sweets, her weekly treat.
I recently went to stay at the Bed & Breakfast in Mappleton and... Read more
Walks to Mappleton
My family moved to Ashbourne in 1942 when I was 6. My father was the engineer at the Nestle factory in the town and we lived in a big company house on the rising ground to the North of the town. There were two houses - mock Tudor - they are still there though more houses have been built on what were extensive gardens. There were two girls in the other house a little older than me and we went to the same school. We had Wednesday afternoons off school and our passion and delight was country walks. We used to walk regularly to Mappleton, collecting wild flowers along the way and spotting rabbits. I particularly remember the woodlands on the right hand side of the road and the violets in spring and the wood anenomes. I used to think it was a long way to Mappleton - my legs would get tired. One memory I have of our walks is encountering... Read more
Ford Family in Hanbury 1700s on
We travelled from Sydney, Australia in 2006 to Hanbury, looking for traces of our Ford Family who had lived in the area around 1800. Our particular ancestor was a convict, John Ford, "Alias Tonks", b. 1801. He was tried and sentenced to 7 years in the colony of NSW, and was never to return, his crime was that of pig stealing.
Armed with some prior research done for us by the Stafford Office, we were aware that John Ford "Alias" Tonks was born along with his 8 siblings at "Foxholes Farm", they were all christened in the Parish of Hanbury. The marriage of their parents William Tonks Ford and Mary Ward took place in Marchington in 1797. William Tonks Ford was named in the Parish record as "Will Bastard Son of Mary Tonks". We found "Foxholes Farm", an old pig farm, which ceased to operate as such c1944, around the time of the Fauld Explosion. It was in Draycott-in-the-Clay, turning at the old drinking fountain, down Pipe Hay Lane... Read more
Summer Days
It was a happy childhood, I was born in Etwall in 1954 and our council house in Windmill Road is still our family home. Some of my fondest memories are the simple pleasures of life as a young lad in the 1950/60s.
Always keen to get home from Etwall Primary School (though teachers Miss Smith, Mrs Sanders, Mr Tomlin, Miss Cracksford were all so kind and friendly) we would run home in the hope we might be allowed 'up the rec' for a game of footie. At about the age of 10 or 11 (1965) we would be up the rec oggy, Anthony Rowland, Pete Thomas, Phil Gibbins, the twins Pat and Chris Baker were among the regulars. Those of us that had them would bring our younger brothers along to put as goalies. On a balmy summer's evening we could easily get ourselves 11 per side but often without one ball between us. We would knock on the door of Alice and Frank Wickham (school caretaker), and Mr Wickham... Read more
