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Blackwater

Blackwater maps

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

Blackwater area books

Displaying 1 of 4 books about Blackwater and the local area.   View all books for this area

Memories of Blackwater

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Isle of Wight memories

An Arreton Childhood

I lived in Arreton from birth until my marriage.  My family consisted of Dad and Mum, my sister Gill, my paternal grandparents and a retired infant teacher Miss Muskett. She taught me at home before I began school at the village CE school where I remained from 1936-1942.  Headmaster was Mr White known to us all as Skipper White. At school in wartime meant carrying our gas masks everywhere, getting to the air raid shelter if a raid occurred while we were at school. During the Battle of Britain we had no time to get to the shelter and had to get under our desks for cover as the planes fought in  the sky above us. Sometimes we were machine-gunned as we were out in the fields and had to dive for a ditch or hedge.
Living in the village meant joining in the various organisations. I was a member of the Methodist Church, a Brownie in the village Brownie Pack and later a Guide.  We entered in the annual... Read more

Grandad's War Days And Our Family Hols

My grandfather was stationed on the island "During the War"and was very friendly with a family from Arreton called Hendy. The mother's name was Lil and the father was affectionally called"Tit" (because he was quite small). After the war, my gramps and all the family visited Aunt Lil and Uncle Tit quite frequently. Tit grew his own veg in a back garden, I remember picking pea swads for him when I visited. They had a daughter called Ena (can't remember her husband's name) and a grandson called Ralph. Ralph, my mum said, worked for a garage somewhere in Sandown when he got older. The last address I have for Ena is at Arreton, near Newport, I.O.W. They were always very friendly and welcoming and were more like family than friends. Ena wrote to my gran in 1983 to say her father had passed away on March 8th, he was 91.
I am thinking of revisiting the Island sometime this year (2008) and would like to contact anyone who can remember... Read more

Husband

My ex husband lives in Fort Mews, Sandown, Thomas Aexander Burgoyne. I have 2 children with him and went to visit 4 times, it is a lovely place, does anyone know him?

Sandown, Isle of Wight

Not Arreton, Sandown, my ex husband who lives there I visited 4 times, lovely place. Does anyone know of him - Tommy Burgoyne?

Life in Newport

I lived in Newport with my Mom Gladys, Father Jock and sisters Tina, Trisha and Jacky. We lived in Prospect Road for many years. My fondest memories are of meeting the gang in The Town Square outside "Mary Lambs" wearing our "Teddy Suits" and showing off to the girls and people staring at us from the buses waiting for passengers. We thought we were just the "bees knees". Some of the guys names I remember (I am now 70 so age does effect the memory a bit) are Duke Carden, Tony Woolcock, Nicky Price (I think from Prices Taxis) George Hall (joined the Guards Regiment for awhile).
We used to go most Saturdays to The Winter Gardens Ventnor by coach from Newport but depending "how lucky we were" the return trip might be on another coach entirely. Well I remember trying to convince the driver going to lets say Ryde I had lost my ticket and prompting my new found girl friend to support my story.
Toms Cafe at the... Read more

Fletchers Pond

Newport School c1955
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I first used to cycle to this school - which was split between Newport Priory Boys' Secondary Modern School and Carisbrooke Grammar School - in 1961. The long, low building to the left of the picture was the Priory Boys' School, the taller building to the right was the Grammar.
Every day I cycled from my home in Clatterford Road, round the back of St Mary's Church, past Fletcher's Pond, and then down the track you can see in the photo to the school. The track crossed the old railway line from Newport to Freshwater just about where the first hedge line is, and Carisbrooke Station was to the right, out of shot. I only remember it as rubble, because the line was closed before I went to the school, and I think there was a fire at the station, but I may be wrong. Anyway, there was nothing much left.
I remember the school was set on several levels with a gymnasium at one end, and the canteen at... Read more

Our Cottage in Carisbrooke

Main Street c1955
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Lived there for just one year.  Linda Crossley

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