You are here:
Calne
Calne maps
Historic maps of Calne and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Calne maps
Calne area books
Displaying 1 of 12 books about Calne and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Calne
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Calne.
There are 14 shared memories to read.
Add your memory of Calne
or of a photo of Calne.
Doctors Pond
I walked across this bridge four times every day, on my way to and from school (I used to go home for lunch). Home was Abberd Way, and the school was on the Green. I used to stop there to watch trout, and I can still recall the smell of flour from the mill. The 'pond' was actually the millrace, and a second stream joined the river at this bridge, from where it flowed south towards the Harris factory and pass under the Strand, to emerge finally next to the Town Hall.
First School
I was six when this photo was taken. We lived in a tiny flat in Curzon Street, basically one room, and I went to school at Fintragh, a tiny private school in two rooms part way down the high street, opposite the Post Office. This traffic island was very important. I had to cross that busy road in two trips, with the island being my haven and resting place between them. The zebra crossing came later: in 1950 it was every man for himself.
White Hart Hotel
George and Jo were my uncle and aunt and I spent days with them when I was young, I am 58 now but would love to get in touch with anyone who knew them. I remember the parrots well! I can be found on Facebook if anyone wants to get in touch. I would especially like to here from anyone who worked for them.
Dr Joseph Priestley
Having been a resident of Calne from 1944 to 1962, I often walked across this little bridge, mainly on the way to the recreation ground. There used to be (and possibly still is) a plaque commemorating Dr Priestley's discovery of Oxygen in this place. I believe the pond was situated just behind Harris' factory but when I last visited the town there was a supermarket there.
Station Road
I have very fond memories of walking up this road in order to catch the old steam train to Chippenham, but alighting at Black Dog so that we could visit my grandparents who lived in Stanley. In younger days, I would paddle in the canal which partially ran alongside this road and catch tiddlers in a jam jar. Later I would visit my schoolfriend (also called Judy) who lived in a wooden bungalow on the left hand side of the road. She had a wonderful dressing up box and we would spend hours together "pretending". I then met my future husband who had been on a course at RAF Yatesbury - he and his mates would use the train to get into the "great metropolis of Chippenham". Much more exciting life there than in Calne in those days!! He now jokes that the only good thing to come out of Calne was the train and Beeching axed that. I, too, remember the gas... Read more
Wiltshires
At the back of this photograph is Calne Free Church and just in front is "Wiltshires" the grocery shop. My father William John Cook worked there for many years. I can see him now neatly wrapping parcels in brown paper and tying them up with string. Amongst the many items sold here were large tins of broken biscuits and I have many happy memories of choosing my favourite types whenever he brought a tin home.
Come forward a little and the shop on the right was a stationers, whilst opposite that was Harris' shop. Bacon, hams, pies, if it contained pig it was sold here!
The White Horse, Cherhill
At one time a favourite place for picnics. Can anyone remember when the RAF lads tipped tins of paint over the white horse turning it red, white and blue?
My Memories of Calne as A Small Boy
Please visit www.moonrakers.com/memories.pdf where you can download my humorous account of my rather mischievous childhood in Calne in the 50's and 60's, called MEMORIES OF CALNE.
A copy of this book is lodged with the town library.
