Nostalgic memories of Basingstoke's local history

Share your own memories of Basingstoke and read what others have said

For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our web site to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was when the photographs in our archive were taken. From brief one-liners explaining a little bit more about the image depicted, to great, in-depth accounts of a childhood when things were rather different than today (and everything inbetween!). We've had many contributors recognising themselves or loved ones in our photographs.

Why not add your memory today and become part of our Memories Community to help others in the future delve back into their past.

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Displaying Memories 11 - 15 of 15 in total

To the right of the Town Hall is Wote Street and my father Ronald was one of the sons that worked in Tyrrells fishmongers all of his life, he can remember delivering fish from a horse and cart, the fish shop has now gone, that was a sad day
I was married there in 1964, long before it was swamped by the town centre. My daughter was christened there. I then went to work at Van Moppes, can anyone remember it? I was living at Viables Farm, a working farm then, I believe it's a craft centre now. They were good days.
I went to Fairfields in 1956 until 1961 and it was a Secondary Modern school then, and the infants were at the bottom end. I believe it was turned into a junior/infants school after that as most went to Charles Chute School which was brand new.
I suspect either caption "Basingstoke Boarding School" or "Fairfields School" is correct, depending on your time period. I attended this school in the 1960s & 70s when it was aan ordinary (non-boarding) Infants & Junior school called Fairfields, and yes I remember Mr. Thomas, the headmaster, as an authority to be feared. But the building was much older than that, and I remember seeing a keystone with "1898" written on it. Quite likely it was a boarding school in its early days.
Is this caption right? 42064 seems right - this is the Board School established under Act of Parliament. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Leducation70.htm. I believe that John Arlott went there, and Ruth Ellis. My children went there, both as Infants (nearest building) and Juniors (up to age 11) between 1973 and 1981. This was the last of the "old schools" in the town, where children were expected to learn, ...see more