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Castle Ashby
Castle Ashby photos
Displaying the first of 10 old photos of Castle Ashby. View all Castle Ashby photos
Castle Ashby maps
Historic maps of Castle Ashby and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Castle Ashby maps
Castle Ashby area books
Displaying 1 of 8 books about Castle Ashby and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Castle Ashby
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Northamptonshire memories
Childhood Memories
I have wonderful memories of many summer holidays and of Christmas time, when the whole family gathered to stay in a house called Cestria with my aunt, Nellie and Marcus Webb. I remember a gardener called George, a driver called Bill Capon and a lady called Miss Donnely who made the most delicious food. The was a very big garden, where we played on green with a summer house either end of the green where we would have afternoon tea. I think that there was a walled vegetable garden, a glass house, a dark shed where mushrooms grew. I remember collecting eggs and carrying the freshly picked fruit and veg from the garden. My Christmas time memories are of people singing carols and being invited in to the house for goodies to eat and drink. I remember picking flowers from the garden and taking them to the church to decorate the alter. Such wonderful memories. We visited Overstone Country House where my god mother lived, her name was Margaret... Read more
The Old Mill
Can anyone remember the old windmill in a field just off Olney Road? It was blown down in a very strong gale in, I think, March 1948. I seem to remeber that 2 sisters by the name of Little, used to live in a house very close by. It was in the area where the original houses in Mill Road were built
The Church Where David Tall Married Susan Ford in 1963
This is a photo of Earls Barton Church in 1965, just two years after Susan Ford of Earls Barton married David Tall of Wellingborough 21 Sept 1963.
Miss Wills - Teacher at Earls Barton Primary School Poss 1965
Attending Primary School in Earls Barton I remember a teacher called Miss Wills very well.
She drew shy pupils out of their shells and plonked them on the stage. The performance she put on included Alice in Wonderland and I remember her encouaging all to participate.
Miss Wills took a small group of pupils from my year and took us, for the very first time, to the Northampton Rep to see Great Expectations. It was our first introduction to the theatre and also to Charles Dickens.
A sort of 60's version of Jean Brodie she chose children who she felt had potential and embedded within them a love of English and a love of the theatre.
A wonderful teacher!
Marian Kelleher
The Best Years of my Life
Happy memories indeed. For an eight year old living in the village in the mid 1950s it was heaven. Long summer evenings and school holidays playing in woods, open fields and on building sites. Or cycling (yes at eight) to Overstone park or down to Castle Ashby station to watch the trains from Northampton and Wellingborough come past. No nanny state in those days, no parents worrying about their children playing out until dusk! Memories of the smell of leather from the shoe factory on North Street come flooding back along with memories of Lyons Maid ice creams and Jublies from Ingrams shop on Victoria Street. The village bobby was called Bosworth who once gave me four lashes of the strap and confiscated my bike for four days just because I nicked a few World War One rifles that I found in an anex next to the church. I tried to sell them for six pence each to my mates. How times have changed for today, social workers,... Read more
Maypole Dancing
I'm Ecton born and bred however now live 500 miles away, on the west coast of Scotland.
A book was written by and about the village a few years ago and I was very surprised when browsing through my copy to find myself in a photograph of the school kids dancing round the Maypole.
The Nag''s Head
One didn't have to travel to London in the past to watch pro bands plying their trade. The Nag's Head public house was a much attended venue during the late 1960s and early 1970s for watching many of the (what was then known as) progressive bands of that era. The pub was run by the a very large man by the name of Bob Knight, Bob was a Godsend to Northamptonshire in attracting many bands from London to play in our county. These were the days of Afghan coats, velvet trousers, large floppy hats and ridiculous stack heeled boots! 'Make love not war' was well and truly in fashion and although the place was full every Friday night I never witnessed any trouble there in the five years that I visited the venue, yes, the 1960s had a lot of good points as long as you didn't look too hard at the shopping malls etc. Some of the better known bands who played 'The Nag's' were (I must make an... Read more
