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Born And Bred in Bigrigg

My twin brother and I were born in 1969 and where brought back to a little terrace house on Springfield road (skid row)just over from Moorhouse building yard, growing up in what was a small village,everyone know everyone else. This was great until we managed to get into trubble. We could not have asked for a better childhood everyone was so friendly and indeed it's still like this today. I remember going to nana and grandad's house in Orepit, they did move to Springfield Road when we were about 7-8 years of age. Grandad used to give us 10p for a 10p mix at the local store owned and run by Bill Williamson (a real gent). As we grew up we would use the garage that was built on the back of their house, to repair cars, I remember going to Bill Jackson boat yard for fibre glass. We also used to run motor bikes on the waste ground at the rar of the terraces, there used to be allotments and other garages down there too (great fun, we never bothered anyone). From here you could see Dent Fell, Cleator and Cleator Moor, what a brilliant view. Bigrigg has changed over the year, it's a lot bigger now. We have a Spar/petrol station, but gone are the local pubs The Ship and the Blacksmiths Arms, there are still the same buildings but one is the Captains House and the other a restaurant. The local store is still there but it's nothing like it used to be. The boat yard is a car body shop (funny that), and where we used to run motor bikes is now a massive estate. Bigrigg is still the best place to live though, we can be walking down the road and still be greated with an "Ar right marra?". I have moved away from the village but I returned and now, I will never move again. My twin brother has just moved to Moor Row, a little village about 5 mins from Bigrigg, he likes walking his dogs through the village and past where we used to play.

Written by Paul Wilson. To send Paul Wilson a private message, click here.

A memory of Bigrigg in Cumbria shared on Friday, 19th August 2011.

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RE: RE: Born And Bred in Bigrigg

My Mum was born and bred in Biggrigg too, Pat Messenger, and my nan and grandad (Jimmy and Edith Messenger) lived in one of the semi's next to the police station, next door to Mrs Mitchell, and Colin (can't remember his surname) was at the other end. Behind was all open marsh land where the prefabs used to be, and me and my friend Estelle from Orebank House used to wander about on it getting stuck in the boggy bits! We would walk up Gunston Road all the way to visit my aunt in St Bees sometimes. That was in the late 60s, early 70s. I spent lots of happy summer holidays there - happy days!

Comment from Sue Clark on Wednesday, 12th October 2011.

RE: RE: Born And Bred in Bigrigg

My mother came from Bigrigg. She lived in St John's Terrace, at the northern end of the village. I spend most of my summer holidays there as a child in the early 1950s. My grandfather, William James Nicholson, was churchwarden of St John's Church. I used to go to the school there whenever I was there with my mother in school term time. I remember my coat hook had a picture of a green steam engine on it. Was the school open when you are small? I used to spend some time with the people who built the garage. They lived in a caravan near Parkhouse farm whilst the garage is being built. Are they still around? Some of my relatives lived at Summerhill Terrace. Whilst trying to find whereabouts that was I came across this site. Do any of you know exactly where that was/is? Another vague memory I'm trying to sort out is that the pit shaft to Parkhouse mine was open when I was a child, and I remember being told a story that a child had gone down there, and they policeman had been killed trying to rescue them. Is there any truth in this memory? Thanks, Norman Lidbury

Comment from Norman Lidbury on Friday, 10th February 2012.

RE: RE: Born And Bred in Bigrigg

My mother was born in Bigrigg too, her name was Margaret Hannah Murdoch and she lived on Springfield Road, her father was James Burrows Murdoch and her mother Maggie Anne. My two great aunts lived in Bigrigg, also Hannah Parkinson and Maggie Murdoch (they lived together) does any of this ring a bell for someone?

Comment from Alyson Jarvis on Friday, 30th March 2012.

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