Bedford memories
Here are memories of Bedford and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Bedford or a Bedford photo.
SILVERY OUSE
I was a summer season driver of these boats during my college holidays in the early 1960s. We operated four boats, Silver Foam, Silver Stream, Silver Crest and my own boat, Silver Dawn, which I believe came from the Norfolk Broads.
The mornings were spent at Fenlake cleaning and polishing to the high standards demanded by Mr Smith (`The Guvnor`). We then came up through Bedford Lock for an afternoon of trips. We mostly ran to Newnham Bridge, but occasionally ventured to Queens Park, although the river was shallow here and I once hit a submerged log by the Britannia Ironworks. Some evenings we ran private hire work and I twice drove the regatta boat (mainly supplying crates of beer to the umpires!). My fellow driver, Stan, nicknamed me 'Dexterous Ted' after the well-known cricketer, Ted Dexter, either as a compliment or a joke.
Working Memories.
I was the main weekday driver of the launch photographed during the student holiday periods of 1955-1958. When I drove it, the name was 'Silver Stream'. It was the largest of a set of three electric launches which carried paying passengers for trips of about 40 minutes duration from the steps on the downstream, north side of the town bridge. Typically this launch would carry about 40 passengers maximum. Silver Stream was a magnificent launch to drive, giving a silent drive, almost no water disturbance up to the 6 knots maximum for the river, and had a tubular rudder form which surrounded the propeller. This permitted a very tight turning such that most of us could turn round in places where the river was reduced in width to one and a half times the launches length. The two sister launches were smaller. Silver Spray was a shorter less sleek version of Silver Stream and had a single section canopy (possibly in the background of this photo coming downstream). It would... Read more
Bedford....Happy Childhood Memories.
I am now in the process of establishing Samuel and Florence DAYS, then address with the Records Office at Bedfordshire County Council. Apparently Sandy Lane and Cardington Lane were mentioned many years ago as well as the 'Sandy' area. Was there ever ?......a small isolation Hospital (wooden Barrack Type Huts) in and or in the vicinity of Sandy Lane or Sandy. I believe however that the ' Day Family' then residence was in a long gone Isolation Hospital Clearly Marked on a 194O Map, namely situated north of the now A603 Cardingdon Road, Bedford but seen to be , South of the 'New-Cut', 'about south-east' of Barkers Lane, fairly near the then main Railway Line (Bedford to Cambridge) which appears to fit in with my elderly mothers memory on holiday visits to the 'Days residence'. My mother remembers Milk Churns standing near a Railway 'Crossing Pick-up point?', less... Read more
HAPPY CHILDHOOD MEMORIES.
HAPPY CHILDHOOD MEMORIES. In the summer of 1952 (I was 7 years old) my grandmother took me on a 'Farm Holiday' in Bedford to stay with friends. At this time I lived as a child in 'industrial Newcastle upon Tyne'. We alighted from a steam train at a small station in Bedford, I think it had crossing gates, where I met 'Uncle Sam'. He arrived in a red coloured lorry with 'pig bins' on the back (he used to visit various farms in the area to pick up and drop off pig bins) and I eagerly climbed into the cab with my grandmother. Uncle Sam and family lived in a cottage-type annex of an old diptheria hospital. The hospital was composed of a small number of separate 'Army looking' wooden buildings looking onto open fields and farmland. I remember cornfields in particular. Uncle Sam was a part-time caretaker at this hospital, it was then disused with metal bunk beds inside. There were apple and plum trees at the... Read more
The Granada Cinema
I worked at the Granada cinema from the age of 15 and it was the best time I had, the building was unbelievable with many secret or forgotten doorways... Does anyone have any photos before it was demolished? I can't understand why it was allowed to happen. I visit Bedford occasionally and I still can't believe the building has gone, such a shame. I have the best memories of working there. The new complex just doesn't compare, it's awful. I remember working with Les and Andy the projectionists, and Charlie Fields and Noreen Chand who were the managers... If anyone knows where to get in touch with them or has any photos of the cinema I would be grateful..
I Was A Projectionist at The Picturedrome
I worked there for a few years with Stan Hunt at the Picturedrome, and the Plaza which was nearly opposite across the river was owned by a man called Mr Cheetam. I also worked at the Plaza as a relief projectionist and also another cinema in Ampthill owned by Mr Cheetam.
They were great days and I now live in Leicester but now see that all four cinemas in Bedford are gone, what is left? I thought the Picturedrome and the great cinema The Granada were listed buildings so who had them demolished should be shot. These cinemas have brought great memories to a lot of people and been destroyed by Bedford Council.
Don't you think the Granada would have been great for live shows. What a big waste but thinking about it all, councils like wasting money and never mind listed buildings, demolish them.
I still like to visit Bedford allthough many changes have happened and I have reunited wth Stan Hunt's son Lesley who now works at... Read more
Born in Bedford.
I don't actually remember this event, but according to my birth certificate I was born in No. 3 Kimbolton Road, Bedford in February 1940. I can only presume that my mother was expecting me but was evacuated to Bedford from London. Her address is on my birth certificate as 11 Highfield Crscent, Ridgmont, Bedford. Does anyone know whether the Kimbolton Road address was a hospital at the time? It may be possible that someone remembers my mother - Susannah Geen. I can be contacted at: beth.neilly@btinternet.com
Memories of Bedfordshire
Swimming in The River at Kempston
Great times were had at the river at the bend as we children called it, we would make mud slides down the banks. What fun we had. There was always a good crowd there on a Sunday afternoon, but now its all quiet, no swimmers, the bend has long since gone.
The RAF And Cardington
As RAF children, all three of us were christened in the picturesque church in Cardington, which is the unofficial 'favourite' church for RAF personnel! I obviously don't remember my own christening and wasn't about when my older brother was held over the font, but I do remember my sister's christening because she's nine years younger than I, so the memory is quite vivid. I also remember making much earlier visits to the charming old pub - as far back as when I was only two years old, in fact! - before we were posted to Cyprus. Not allowed into the pub itself, the kids would play outside, rain or shine, but I was awaiting heart surgery and so could only sit and watch, unfortunately! I enjoyed the lemonade and packets of crisps with the ltitle twist of salt in blue paper, but I never ate the pickled cockles that the grown-ups would bring out to us on the jar's lid. Yugh! I've no idea if the area has changed -... Read more
My First Visit to Marston
The first time I went to Marston my boyfriend was taking me to visit his parents. I was 15 and he was 17. We caught a train from Bedford St John's and got off at Milbrook Halt. His family lived in a Brickyard home in "Jubilee Cottages". It wasn't as modern as my parents' council house as it had no hot water and an outside non-flush toilet. He thought that I was posh because we had two flushing toilets, one inside the house and one outside. His house had no bathroom either.
Back then the Brickyards were still working and I remember all of the chimneys in the skyline.
His family moved to Peterborough a few months later and we have only been back a few times since.
Fishing in The Great Ouse
I remember fishing for endless hours just about the spot shown in the photograph. There were many perch there and on one occasion I caught a fair sized pike. Just upstream from this location was a sort of peninsular accessed by climbing down steps set in the wall of Turvey Bridge. This was called Sam's Island for some reason. Brings back many happy memories of over half a century ago!!
The War Years And Just Afterwards
Turvey Abbey was owned in those days by Rupert Allen who owned an engineering factory in Bedford. My father was employed on the estate as gardener/general factotum (and was paid a pittance for the privilege). The Abbey had a few cows, pigs, geese and chickens. It was often my job to go out at dusk to shut up the chickens to stop the foxes getting them. I remember it was quite spooky as it got dark (I was only 10 or 11 at the time) and I used to run as fast as I could to get the job done. When I think back to those times I wonder what the Health and Safety people of today would have said about some of the things I helped Dad do - like operating the big chaff-cutter or the machine that chopped up mangle-wurzels for the cattle. We always had a goose for Christmas and whenever a pig was killed we had the offal (chitterlings etc). My favourite thing was after a... Read more
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