Chesterfield memories
Here are memories of Chesterfield and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Chesterfield or a Chesterfield photo.
Devonshire Street
I was born at no 10 Devonshire Street and remember the row of terraced houses and tiny cramped back streets, and loads of alleys and gennels where we played hide and seek. I was about 4 when Sheffield was bombed and remember standing in the doorway between my mum and dad and him saying "Don't worry, Twiggy. They are not going to bomb us". He must have been on leave from his regiment at the time but he was also evacuated from Dunkirk after swimming out to the small boats in the English Channel. There were searchlights in the sky and a large brick shelter was built towards the bottom of Devonshire Street and a Mr. Oldfield used to organise us when we filed in during a bomb scare. Looking back we would have had no protection at all if a bomb had been dropped. I couldn't have been very old but I also remember the lamp lighter who used to come and light the gas lamp at the top... Read more
The Spire Fish And Chips.
My memory is not that long ago. I moved to Chesterfield with my wife and small children in 1991. We first lived in Brampton then moved to Wingerworth. We had a fish and chip shop in Cavendish Street just around the corner from Knifesmithgate opposite the Blue Bell Hotel. I am from Sydney in Australia so to live and work in the beautiful town of Chesterfield was a great experience for me. I enjoyed the history of Chesterfield and used to wander the streets and visit many sites to learn about the town. Our shop was near the crooked spire so I used to visit there a lot. There was an old pub in the centre of town named the Royal Oak, located in a place called the Shambles. The pub was built before the 13th century which was a few hundred years before Australia was discovered so to me this was amazing. Having my own business in the town allowed me to get to know many locals and come... Read more
Barry Hammond
Though I have never been to the fair city of Chesterfield, I had a good army mate whom I served with in Corsham in Wiltshire. I have been trying to find him for years, who knows, someone on this site MIGHT just know of him, a stab in the dark, maybe !!
My Christening
I was christend at the crooked spire church in 1955, my gran lived in Barrack Square at the time and my mum wasn't allowed to take me over the threshhold till I was christened as it was thought to be very bad luck at the time. The photo shows you how it looked back then and the clothes they used to wear in 1955, very interesting.
The Queen's Head
As a very young child I lived in Chesterfield for about a year in the early 1960s. I must have been just 5 years old but remember quite a lot. I lived on Knifesmith Gate above The Queen's Head Pub/Restaurant. I just wonder if it still exists. It used to be a pretty big place, and I liked the huge flat where we lived. I also attended Abercrombie Primary School for just one year.
I even slipped into the lake in Queen's Park once ... and could not swim. I remember walking home soaking wet and covered in weeds. I hope somebody can tell me more about the area, my family are not from Chesterfield so any information would be welcome.
Really enjoyed the photos. Thank you, great memory lane!
Fran
Shopping With Mum
I know the picture very well, as I have a copy of this on my wall. My mother purchased this copy about 20 years ago and I brought it back to Australia with me on my father's death. He had been Group Chief Confectioner/Director at Trebor sweet company.
The reason this photo is of so much interest to the family is that my mum, grandma and me are in the picture! I'm the little girl holding a bunch of flowers! I was then aged 10. My mother is beside me facing away from the camera and my grandmother is further back on the right wearing the dark hat.
Interesting that we have become part of Chesterfield's photographic history!
We moved to Leybourne, Kent in about 1962, when my father was transferred to Sharps in Maidstone.
Regards
Julia (nee Weekes)
Saltergate
I lived at no. 37 Saltergate, next door to us was Hawksworths plumbers, and the council yard was nearby, I used to watch the steam roller coming out of the yard. There was a cobblers, paper shop, food shop and Harry Fish was near the bottom of Saltergate near to the Shakespeare Inn. There was also a shop that sold ladies' goods, nylons, scarfs and underwear I think. I used to go and watch the cash machine, it was a polished box which they wrote on, turned a handle and a bell rung. I remember the new food hall of the Co-op being built, the town was wonderful lots of people, pubs, and I used to wander round, no one bothered me. I was only 7/8 years old. We left when they were going to demolish the houses. I was about 12/13, it was a sad affair, and they just filled the space with a ugly car park, what a shame. I also remember going to the off licence at the... Read more
Memories of Derbyshire
Brim Boys School
This school was the eptitome of a 1960s and 1970s style working class English school. If you've ever seen the school scenes in the film 'Kes' in which a young boy rears a baby kestrel then you will have seen life at "Brim boys".
Some teachers didn't want to be there and made sure we knew it, most kids didn't want to be there and made sure the teachers knew it.
There were some good teachers, and some very bad ones ...
The teachers I can remember are: Headmaster Kelly. Teachers Wood (woodwork), Sharpe (Geography), Clarke (dep head - Maths), Bailey (Tech drawing), Croft (Rural studies), Lane (History) and a miriad of student teachers and temp staff over the years.
I eventually bought myself an education to make up for the wasted years I spent there.
BRIMINGTON BOYS
I remember some of the teachers from your time. Mr Clarke was still deputy head with Mr Bates in English, Mr Petit was science and mr Peppit in metalwork.John Moody taught sports and it was a great school to go to if you were into sport. It must have been rotten if not. We became mixed in 1975 wth Hollingwood Girls and the rather rough edged school was calmed to some extent.
The building itself is not missed, it was freezing in winter and boiling hot in summer. Rather like a greenhouse, which is exactly what it was, a giant greenhouse.
Moving to The School
I was twelve years old and a pupil at Brimington Boys School. The school was on Foljambe Road and was an old Victorian building, very frugal and cramped. I was in my first year at this school and I did not like it at all. The discipline was tough and the classrooms cramped. In the spring of 1957 we moved into the new school, which meant all the items in school had to be taken to the new building. All the lads were commandeered to do their bit which involved carrying all the reference books, all the school work books from the old building to the new one. I can recall doing all this yet cannot recall how long it took. What I do remember is most of the teachers' names. Mr Kelly, Headmaster. Very heavy on discipline, and looked more aggressive when smiling than when he was not. Mr Bailey, Technical drawing, Mr Seal, Science, Mr Clarke, Mathematics, Mr Leening, Geography, Mr Crofts, Rural Science, Mr Lewis, English, Mr... Read more
Brimington in my Early Years
I was Christened at Brimington Bethel Chapel in July 1945, for some unknown reason, on a Tuesday. From my early memories I recall attending Bethel every Sunday twice a day and either walking it or catching the bus from Ringwood for we lived in Holligwood. My first Sunday School teacher was Mrs Mayfield and I liked her a lot. Next to the Chapel was Bradleys Garage and Stuart the son was in my class. Across the road was Micheals Barbers, Whettons Wedding and funeral cars, Darkins fish and chips, and a butchers shop as well. Going round the corner as if to the Common was Salmons filling station where the bus stopped in those days and opposite was the sweet shop where we spent part of our collection money before going to chapel. Tempus fugit found me attending Brimington County Secondary Boys School and on Sundays delivering the Sunday papers all over the village from the miners estate to the Heywood Street, John Street, Station Road, Bank Street Newbrdge Lane... Read more
Mixed Schools
The terror of a mixed school met with reality, the future was to be much brighter and happier. Having lost contact with everyone from the day I left, I, like you, never looked back until today.
Memorybank total
We're very pleased and excited by your response so far to our "Share your Memories" community.
You've shared 28,848 memories of 5,947 towns & villages across the UK - keep them coming!
Find Memories
Simply search for your favourite places to read others' memories and share your own.
Tips & Ideas
Not sure what to write?
It's easy - just think of an important place in your life and ask yourself:
How does it feature in your personal history?
What are your best memories of this place?
How has it changed over the years?
How does it feel, seeing these old photos of your favourite place?
Do you remember stories about the local community, its history and people?
Start now!
It's easy to add your own memories and reconnect with your shared local history. Search for your favourite places and look for the orange "Add your Memory" icon to begin.
Places this week
Here are some of the places you've shared memories of this week:
- North Coates, Lincolnshire
- Southampton, Hampshire
- Bowness-On-Solway, Cumbria
- Dartford, Kent
- Figheldean, Wiltshire
- Llansamlet, West Glamorgan
- Severn Beach, Avon
- Hampton Wick, Surrey
- Finchley, Greater London
- Slough, Berkshire
- Pyrford, Surrey
- Kempsey, Worcestershire
- Draycott-In-The-Clay, Derbyshire
- Bath, Avon
- High Halden, Kent
- Barnston, Merseyside
- Greasbrough, South Yorkshire
- Thornton Heath, Surrey
- West Hartlepool, County Durham
- Glasson, Cumbria
- ... and lots more - Browse this week's memories now.
Your memories
To jump straight to the memories you have added already to the Community, click here
I Remember When...
This stunning compilation highlights some of the best stories selected from the thousands contributed here on the
Frith website. The result is an absorbing chronicle of British life from the Second World War to the mid 1960s.
A colourful treasure trove of memories, "I Remember When" is an
irresistible mix of personal stories and recollections that affectionately reveal the detail of everyday life in Britain.
