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Bishops Stortford
Bishops Stortford photos
Displaying the first of 108 old photos of Bishops Stortford. View all Bishops Stortford photos
Bishops Stortford maps
Historic maps of Bishops Stortford and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Bishops Stortford maps
Bishops Stortford area books
Displaying 1 of 8 books about Bishops Stortford and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Bishops Stortford
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Bishops Stortford.
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Coopers
I remember this building being Handscombes Ironmongers. And one end of it being a pram shop in the early 80's I think . I bought my parents their 25th wedding anniversary present in Handscombes... a dinner service in a Poppy design. Full service with tureens etc only cost £24.99! This was in 1978. They held their party at the Bell in Stanstead.
Hertfordshire memories
Hassobury
I used to go to Hassobury School, Hazel End from 1960 to 1962. It was a lovely old mansion but sadly it is flats now. It was surounded by countryside and we used to go for walks with Mrs Lyle and she used to sit us down then read from the book 'The Lord of the Rings'.
On a Saturday we used to walk to Stansted with our pocket money to buy sweets, it seemed like two miles, but perhaps it was shorter. One day a week we used to go in a van for swimming, to Saffron Walden, Mr Lodge used to drive, no relation to my sister-in-law, although she did live in Manuden. On a Sunday before breakfast we had to cross the fields to go to church for communion, we had tea and crackers. I used to like the vicar's son, he was quite handsome. The meals were quite good. I was in Miss Piper's class. One day a week we had cooking. We had to cook... Read more
Wartime Evacuation
The small private school I was attending in Westcliff on Sea was evacuated to Manuden in July 1940. We were established in Cleeve Hall,which became my home and centre of learning until around August 1941, when the school closed due to lack of teaching and custodial staff. During that time my parents (who lived in Richmond, Surrey) and grandparents made arrangements to spend weekends staying in the Home Farm at Hazel End, which was the residence of Alf and Hilda Gillman, who managed the estate farm for the Gosling family. They were a lovely couple who had no children of their own and made a great fuss of me when I spent Sundays with my family at the Home Farm. We maintained contact with the Gillmans for many years right up to the time both had passed away. It was my first experience of rural life and probably influenced the later decision of my wife and I to purchase a 25 acre property, a couple of years before retiring from... Read more
A Good Time in Much Hadham
I spent about one year in Much Hadham as German prisoner of war, 1946 till July 1947, working for the Hertfordshire War Agricultural Executice Committee; I specially was engaged in our camp labour office as clerk, under Mr. Wooley and later Mr. Smolenski, two wonderful men. We enjoyed already a lot of liberty, and I really loved this little village, which I visited once again in the late sixties, when I still discovered some remainders of one of our old Nissen huts! These months in Hertfordshire had an immense positive influence on all my further life, especially when I then worked in out of school civic education. Thank you, Much Hadham!
Walter Scharnagl, Dechant-Heimbach-Str. 43, D-53177 Bonn, Germany.
Where we Used to go Some Saturday Nights
In the 50s my mum used to take us to see our Great Uncle Herb and Aunt Nell at Sawbridgeworth. He used to take my sister and I to his allotment, buy us both a toy then listen to the sports report and take us down the Old Bull Pub for a lemonade and crisps. Great Aunt Nell was bedridden and died soon after. Great Uncle Herb was a very nice old man.
5th Birthday Here With my Grandparents
My grandparents Mr & Mrs Edward Turner used to live here and run this pub. I had my 5th birthday here so that would make it July 1958, a couple of years before the photo. I'm not sure when they moved in or out.
Hyde HalL
I lost both my parents, and was sent away to boarding school, which was Hyde Hall. I remember the day I arrived because it was thick snow, and I had to walk all the way from the station with my welfare officer and then up the long drive. I was not in the best of spirits on that day. However, I attended the school until I was eighteen, and have some very good and bad memories. Dorringtons was my favourite shop although we were only allowed to just look!
