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Esh

Esh maps

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

Esh photos

We have no photos of Esh, although we do have photos of these nearby places:

Langley Park| Ushaw Moor| Witton Gilbert| Lanchester| Langley Moor| Brancepeth| Durham| Annfield Plain| Willington| Catchgate| Crook| Finchale Priory| Chester Le Street| Leadgate| Lumley Park| Consett

Esh area books

Displaying 1 of 3 books about Esh and the local area.   View all books for this area

Memories of Esh

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County Durham memories

War Memorial

My family originates from Witton Gilbert and Langley Park. we left Witton about 1935 to live in Surrey. Langley Park war memorial has the name of my uncle John Robert Swinbank who died on the Somme in the first world war and my cousin William Heppell who was lost on H.M.S Barham in the second world war.
The Swinbank family lived at Hill Top, Esh. My maternal grandparents were Elizabeth and Thomas Greenwell of 12{?} Park View. , Witton Gilbert.
I have many happy memories of holidays spent visiting the l family.arge Swinbank

Visiting Langley Park

Every summer I would go to stay with my mother's friend Clementine Burrell. Clemmie and her husband owned a small shop. I think it was on Front Street but not sure. I would be allowed to weigh the sugar and put it into blue bags. My grandparents were George and Elizabeth Johnson. They owned a newsagents shop which I think was on Quebec Street. My grandfather was a member of the Lanchester Rural Council for 26 years.

Good Old Boys

I see when I read other peoples memories they often mention friends' names, so to try to provoke some response to my memories, Malcolm Riley, Paddy to most of his friends, and Peter Bunn, and the times we had together are imprinted in my mind, they enhanced my life.

Ma Petrie's Ice Cream Shop.

When I left school in 1956 all of the people of my sort of age congregated in Ma Petrie's ice cream shop. It was great, there was a juke box, with Jerry Lee Lewis, Pat Boone ,Elvis, Fats Domino, Lonnie Donnigan, Nancy Whisky.. I could name all the people that were in there at that time but they may not want me to do that. I can honestly say that all the lads were real uns, and all the girls were beautiful. Where are you all now? I hope you are all well, and some of you read this. There was a street of wooden houses straight opposite Petrie's shop and Paddy and me and a few others (I dare not name them yet, but would love to) had a great fight one night, just like the ones the cowboys have on the TV , where no one gets hurt and everyone enjoyed it. There are half a dozen of the lads who must remember this, and perhaps some of... Read more

Dimambro Ice Cream Shop

My great grandfather Vincenzo Dimambro and his brother Salvatore, had an ice cream shop and confectioners at Front Street, Langley Park c.1912/14. I visited recently, the shop is still there but not a confectioners/ice cream shop anymore. Does anyone out there reading this remember their shop and/or their ice cream? I would like to find a photo of it - it was number 31, I believe. They also had shops in Durham City and several of the surrounding villages from around 1900 onwards. Particularly, I am interested in their shop in Station Road, Ushaw Moor c.1914, if anyone has any recollections - or hopefully a photo of this shop?

Esh Winning

I left Esh Winning with my family in 1963 when I was 5 or 6 for a new life in Staffordshire. We initially lived at North Terrace, which is no longer there and later 4 South Terrace. Like Ruth Hill, my father worked at Esh Winning Colliery and had to leave for greener pastures when it closed. I clearly remember the pit ponies and wondered at the time why they were made to work. They did look sad. I remember a pond with a wall around it next to the pit which we used to play in and even then knew we really shouldnt have. My father's brother (Uncle Jim) used to work as a draughtsman in the building on the right as you turned towards the road leading to North Terrace (By the Beck) and once we were let into his inner sanctum to see where he worked. Sometimes my brother and I used to call into the chip shop in the High Street next to Ellas and ask if... Read more

Old Time's Sake

My name is Ken Chapman. I was born in Esh Winning in 1954 and moved away in 1972. I have not been back very much, but do miss people I knew who I worked and went to school with. I went to school at Cornsay colliery and Waterhouses. I didn't have too bad a childhood, although my brother and sister were quite older than me so I was like an only child. I lived on the Hamsteels estate, had mates like the Rewburys, Cricks, McCorts, and out of Esh there was Jewitts, who lived on a farm up at Old Cornsay. I oftern think of all those school mates and think to myself, do they do the same? So if any of them or anyone knows of them and would like to get in touch for old time's sake you can email me at:-  kennethcken@aol.com

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