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Atherstone

Atherstone photos

Displaying the first of 5 old photos of Atherstone.   View all Atherstone photos

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Atherstone maps

Historic maps of Atherstone and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis.   View all Atherstone maps

Atherstone area books

Displaying 1 of 6 books about Atherstone and the local area.   View all books for this area

Memories of Atherstone

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Warwickshire memories

The White Horse Inn

From 1980/84 I was part owner of the pub, we had a brilliant football team at the time and were an important social centre for the village. The pub no longer exists as it closed soon after I sold my share, however I do still have contact with some of my old regulars. Today I manage a small guest house in Cornwall but still get visitors from Baddesely.

The White Horse

My Gt Gt Aunt Esther Parry and her husband Joseph kept it c1891 and my gt Aunt Annie who lived with them from a young age had it in 1901. She married Thomas Terry.

Little Jims Cottage

Market Square 1958
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Does anyone have any information about John Guy who lived in Little Jims Cottage in the early 1960's? John was my fathers cousin and I understand that he was a musician.

Nursery School 1943-50

I spent some classic country living in Ansley Common during the later war years. Walking home from nursery school I would often be ducking for cover under hedges as low flying fighter planes would scream overhead. The nursery school was a happy place with then large playing fields reaching down to the pit railway line. The coal mine was the focus for most families in the area. Our family focus turned into a tragic loss of a father in 1951 in a massive pit fall. As a family then moved to London and eventually Australia. Some friends of that period George Parks. Christine Atkinson. Beryl Frost Graham Judge Les Warren Eileen Jones. Now living for past 43 years in Barwon Heads a small fishing town on the south coast of Victoria Australia. Playing piano. Swimming. Beach walking. Grandchildren. Now 69 and having a ball. All the best for your site - Brian Riggs

Growing up in Galley Common

Growing up in Galley Common was the best part of my life. Dad was the manager of the bus depot, Bunty Motors I think it was called, at the bottom of Hickman Road, I lived at 66 Hickman Road. In the summer a lot of us kids would go camping down the 'rec as we called it, another name for the recreation park. I made myself ill living on beans. In the winter we always seemed to have heavy snowfalls, gangs of kids, me as well, would wait at the bottom of Hickman Road waiting for the miners in their cars going home, when they tried to get up the hill the back wheels would spin, all the kids would push like mad to get them going and the miners would give us pocket money for our efforts. The mine is now gone, but the memories live on.

Redbricks 1950s

I was born and bred in Tunnel Road, Galley Common in the Pit houses (belonging to Haunchwood Colliery). One of my early memories of which there are many was of the tip which was waste slag from the mine and was always on fire and backed down to the back gardens of the houses. At night you could see fires burning bright red in the tips. As kids one of our games mostly in the winter was to get a empty can, the bigger the better, and put holes in the bottom and slots in the side. We would attach a lengh of wire to the top making a long handle, then fill it with fire from the tip and adding coal to keep it going. Then we would swing it round our heads in a loop or figure of eight (good old health and safety). They used to get red hot that anybody on the road at the bottom of the tip could just see what looked like balls... Read more

Our Yesterdays Relatives

Market Square 1958
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I have found over the past few weeks that nearly all my relatives from my fathers side began in Polesworth. There was James Scarratt Clifford 1780 married Sarah Bullows in 1803, my ggg grandmother was Caroline Clifford who gave birth in Poleswoth to John Ordish Clifford (he saddled me with the second name Ordish, this I am trying to find out why?) who was a policeman (inspector retired) in 1850 in London.
There are so many distant relatives who were baptised and married in the church at Polesworth, that a visit will have to be made to look at all the church records at Warwick where I believe they are held.
So I am looking for anybody who has the name Ordish and can relate back to 1829 when John was born (there is no sign at the moment of a Mr in Caroline's past). She got married 1832 to Edward Bingham.
I would appreceate any help.
Nigel Ordish Clifford
Poynton, Cheshire

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