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Bridgwater
Bridgwater maps
Historic maps of Bridgwater and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Bridgwater maps
Bridgwater area books
Displaying 1 of 11 books about Bridgwater and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Bridgwater
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Bridgwater.
There are 10 shared memories to read.
Add your memory of Bridgwater
or of a photo of Bridgwater.
Good Times
I spent many many good times at the lido every day in the school holidays, the lido was the place to be, meeting up with friends, spending all day there, it was just fab, none of this session swimming, it was one price, around 50-60 pence, and you had all day there, either taking a packed lunch or the staff would let you pop out to the chippy. Then in the afternoon Lucy the ice-cream lady would come in via the side gates. THOSE WERE THE DAYS. The lido was a big part of my generation's history and I look upon Morrisons with great sadness. I try to explane to my children what times we had but it always sounds unreal. Yet in the day when there was talk of the lido's closure, no one did anything, there were no petitions or articles in the papers because I know that if we knew then what we know now our generation would have put a stop to its closure and we'd... Read more
Looking Back
My dad's sister worked in there behine the bar. In 2000 I did some photos, in and outside, below the garden was where the horses were kept. They used to hang the meat on big hooks. We found an old list of Honder members, it is in Black Museum now.
Family
I was born at 52 Wellington Road, Bridgwater, Somerset in 1951. I came to Adelaide in Australia with my hubby and son in 1973.
Langport
Langport holds a special place to me, due mainly to the fact of my grandparents having me visit during school holidays for 4 weeks. My gradnfather was known as William Reeves-Lovesey and my grandmother was Ann Reeves-Lovesey. I don't know if any of your readers will remember the name . Grandma was an avid church goer. I visited Landport some years back to attend a family friend's funeral (Mrs Pimm), I couldn't believe hows it's still the same. I was pleased to see the large shop on the corner still there (was selling furniture I think) where I purchased my toy cars as a boy. As I drove around showing my daughter the various homes of the lovely old ladies who gave me 50p on each visit it brought a smile to my face, such a lovely place. I'm now 40 but Langport will forever hold a special place in my heart. Keep up the good work on these books. Russell Reeves-Lovesey.
Broadway Lido.....My Home
Yes.....the Broadway Lidi was my home. I am Stuart Smith, my father Gordon Smith was the first manager (well, they called it superintendent then) at the Lido. We moved there when I was about 3 years old, and lived in a detached house adjacent to the Lido. I recall doing the "Inaugural Plunge" in front of Princess Alexandra......who presented me with a new pair of trunks, for performing the feat.
The Vauxhall car, which you see in the photo (below Lido sign), belonged to Wilf Pine, my father's deputy. Our house was just out of shot, to the right. We often had rugby balls landing in our garden, from Bridgwater & Albion Rugby Club, who played in the adjoining field. My mother, Joan Smith, would often refuse to give the balls back to even the burliest rugby players!!
Originally there was a Main Pool & Teaching Pool, an Intermediate Pool was added later. In the winter months the pools were drained almost empty, but ice formed readily at... Read more
Ford Dealership
It's not really a memory I have of this picture, but my 1956 Ford Popular was supplied by the Ford Dealership, A & S White of 37 St. Mary Street, seen on the right in this picture. Now apparently a Weatherspoons Pub.
Holidays
We spent many a happy holiday in the Bridgwater area, sometimes staying on a farm just outside Bridgwater and in later years in a flat in the holiday village in nearby Burnham on Sea. Many wonderful memories of my dead parents and dogs!
Shopping Memories.
My father was a greengrocer and his shop appears in this photograph on the left side going into the Rex Cinema arcade, a butchers shop was on the right side. During the war years and into the very early 1950s, he was the largest greengrocer in Bridgwater, having the Eastover shop and one in Taunton Road, my parents looking after one each. They also had a third shop which my sister ran for several years. That section of Eastover, including the Rex arcade, Mr Jeal the ironmonger and several other shops were demolished in the early 1960s to make way for the rather bland row of shops that now occupy the spot.
