Goldthorpe memories
Here are memories of Goldthorpe and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Goldthorpe or a Goldthorpe photo.
Goldthorpe
Pauline's memories of the market stalls reminded me as well.... swinging on the cross bars especially. I also went to the Saturday matinees. We got a little card stamped each week. Our main amusement was to get cardboard boxes from the shop (usually Vaughans? at the end of Kelly St.) to flatten out and slide down the railway bankings. These were, of course, disused and a great place to play. Often, 'dens' were to be found and you wondered who had been on your 'patch' to make a den, if it had been left empty. Also the lanes and allotments beyond King Street leading towards Hickleton pit were a vast area to explore and play. My dad had some allotment land down there, near Oscrofts with their lovely flowers, so much of my playtime was there as well. I'm not old enough to remember the knocker-up, but remember being on Dad's shoulders above a crowd of people at Highgate pit. Dad says it must have been the opening of the... Read more
Childhood Memories
I came upon the website by accident and although I don't live far away now I started to remember my childhood days there. Born and brought up in Goldthorpe by my parents who both went to the Salvation Army I have many happy memories of playing on the market stalls. They could be anything in our imaginations, house, bus, pirate ship, whatever we wanted tham to be. We never thought of damaging them or destroying them, for after the war we didn't have many toys and made our own amusement. Another special place was the Empire picture house on a saturday where we used to pay 1d (one old penny) to go to the matinee. The local policeman was always on hand to keep an eye on us (I think we called him bobby Dick? if my memory serves me right). Most weeks it would be Roy Rodgers with Trigger his horse and I remember it always used to get to the most exciting bit before saying "to be continued... Read more
What Happened
To be fair, from what I hear, Thurscoe was a nice place back in the day, but now there's fighting everywhere and Thurscoe is filled with a bunch of hard nuts. Cave woods is a good laugh though, it is the only place that is nice and peaceful, my great nanan's ashes are there.
The Police Station & Cinema Advertisements
The memory from 1948 reminded me of my first and ALMOST ONLY experience of a cell. My parents were friends of Cliff Hayward of Bolton on Dearne and his family. Cliff was a Police constable on the Goldthorpe strength and when for some reason my father took me to meet up with Cliff at the Goldthorpe Police Station I, being aged 12 or 13 at the time, naturally wanted to see "the prison". This resulted in my being put in a cell for a few minutes, an experience never forgotten. When, years later, I was regularly Guard Commander on night duty at Tidworth barracks in Wiltshire it was the practice, unapproved of course, for the sergeant to catch a few minutes sleep by lying on a bunk in one of the cells and I always remembered my Goldthorpe experience and found it difficult to relax. The moral is beware of the memories you give your children I think.
Cliff Hayward's... Read more
Good Old Days
My memories were of the club trips, they would have been a lot of people's holidays. Our dad would have been a member of at least four clubs so that meant we got a trip to the seaside, a bottle of pop and a packet of crisps, and the sick bucket if you couldn't travel well. I remember the pit sports days, coming from a big family it was like Christmas in July because I won a lot of races. I remember the matinee club at the cinema, I sang every Saturday and won the competions, I loved it. I remember Walker's fish and chips, Pete's fish and chips, tin can alley, big yard bonfires, Miss Grose at Dearnside, collecting wood for Bonfire Night and the big lads keeping watch so nobody pinched it, scragging Grundie's ( betting shop man's) apples, giving his bulldog sweets while we nicked them, pea picking, and sitting on the wagon at 6 am singing on the way to the pea fields, Horner's shoe shop, my... Read more
Goldthorpe The Miners Welfare Hall
Ooh, I remember going to the Goldthopre Welfare Hall to see musicals staged there by the South Yorkshire Musical Comedy Society in the 1960s when they moved from their former home, the Mexborough Empire Cinema, in 1963, I think it was. I certainly remember seeing 'The Vagabond King', 'White Horse Inn','Chu Chin Chow', 'Rose Marie', 'Naughty Marietta' 'The New Moon' and 'South Pacific' there when Doreen Ward usually took the female lead. Happy memories.
Panto's at The Welfare Hall 1960's
I have just found this site and was amazed at the photo of the Welfare Hall circa 1960. My dad, Henry Dilkes, and his great friend Sid Robinson were the mainstays of the pantos in the early 1960s, with Henry mainly being the comic/Dame with Sid being the straight man, but with a fab singing voice. I have a few photos of the casts if anyone wants to see them. Does anyone also remember them? Emily Bradley was usually Prince Charming and the work/rehearsals were a delight to watch as a youngster from the wings. I attended Dearneside, after Bolton Primary Junior school, and had great memories of our young football team, Bolton Dynamoes, which played at Wath Sports Ground (The Pavilion, where we later lived in the mid 1960s. We also played a TV Allstars team for charity, which included Freddie Garrity, Albert Quixall, Bob Stokoe, Harry Gregg in goal, and Charlie Mitten. Good old days! Does anyone else remember them?
Another Goldthrope Lad.
I have just read the above comments and would like to hear from any Goldthorpers.
Contact me on: wryhipuk@yahoo.co.uk
Goldthorpe in The Fifties.
I was born in 1946 and lived in Manor Avenue. Cricket with dustbin lids propped up with a house brick in the "backins" were our stumps and we played from dawn to dusk during the summer holidays...except during Wimbledon when we played tennis without a net.
Bagnall's field on the corner of Straight Lane opposite the shops, and the old farm next to the fire station. Being in the chippy opposite Travis's corner shop and watching the guy frying suddenly hare off down the road carrying his fireman's gear as he ran.
Barnburgh Colliery sports day at the Welfare ground.
Goldthorpe Infants School...headmistress was Miss Anderton I think. Junior School next door and the thugs who were our teachers.
Dearnside when JKL Davies was headmaster...we called him Jekyll behind his back.
Dondo, the eccentric art teacher with his french beret but no strings of garlic.
The weekly matinee every Saturday morning when Reg Jackson was manager. I used to produce a sort of variety show before the films started for... Read more
Memories of South Yorkshire
Early 1950 Before I Left For Australia
Thurnscoe was where I was born, back in 1941, and I attended the Hill secondary school, these are some of my fondest memories.
Vincent Terrace
I was born at Vincent Terrace in my grandmother's house in 1949, opposite the pit. Have some happy memories of Thurnscoe, my grandad always went to the {Corrie} for a drink on Sunday afternoon, I still have his membership card as a keepsake.
Found lots of old pics of neighbours who were friends, Kath and Nick and Mrs Mellor, I would love to send them the pics, if you know them let me know.
We lived with my grandparents until my parents got a house in Highgate. I went to Highgate School then to Goldthorpe until my last year, then we moved to Wigan.
I remember the pit lane and going to the baths and going to the skating rink at Goldthorpe{roller skating}, and going to the matinee on a Saturday afternoon, watching the Lone Ranger and Tonto {can you guess my age?}, playing in the backs behind Vincent Terrace, all happy memories, it used to be such a friendly place.
Does anyone know if Vincent Terrace still stands?
Regards... Read more
John Eaton
John Eaton (1832-1914), my great great grandfather, is buried in St. Helen's churchyard along with his wife Jane (Siddall). The memorial stone was originally near the gate and surrounded by iron railings, which were most likely removed during WW II as part of the 'war effort', and is now located near the right hand boundry of the church yard.
There is a stained glass window in the church dedicated to John & Jane Eaton.
John Eaton was a renowned Mining Engineer responsible for the 'sinking' of many mines throughout the country and particularly in Derbyshire and Yorkshire. He was a churchwarden and vice-chairman of the Parish Council.
Anne Giles (nee Eaton).
Memories of A Thurnscoe Lad
1948 was the year I was born and lived at 39 Taylor Street, ajacent to Thornley Crescent, School Street, Garden Street and John Street. In 1953 I attended the Thurnscoe Infants School on Houghton Road straight across from Stone Brothers garage I remember that some of the teachers were called Miss Davidson, Miss James and Miss Rose and the Headmistress Mrs Brown. 1955 came around and I moved up the road to the junior school remembering again the teachers, Miss Gregory. Cook, Mr Sammy Carr, Allsop, Fletcher, Hargreaves, Ellis
and Head Mr W E Hill.
1959 saw me moving up to the Thurnscoe Hill School at the top of Tudor Street, this was the time you started to grow up because you met with the kids who went to the Hill juniors. I remember playing football up on the school field or cross country which you ran to the vicarage at Clayton, down the hill then across the fields, by Stotfold Farm, back to the playing field, then run... Read more
Another Thurnscoe Lad
Born 24th February 1947 at 66 Church Street Thurnscoe, one of the worst winters or so I was told. I went to Houghton Road Infants and Junior School. I remember Mrs Cook she was a little woman, her favourite weapon was the spindle from a chair, Mr Carr was a good bloke, he never hit me. I went to the Thurnscoe Hill in 1958 and left in 1962. Mr Buck had a bat with "Ouch" on one side and "Wow" on the other, Young Mr Haigh used the slipper or the knuckle on the head, Old Mr Haigh the Headmaster was very adept with the cane, he got you on the upward stroke and on the downward stroke, so when you went for 6 you got 12, aah the good old days, but they were respected.
I left school at 15 and worked as a pony driver at Dearne Valley Colliery until I was 17 and a half, when I joined the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. I served for... Read more
Memorybank total
We're very pleased and excited by your response so far to our "Share your Memories" community.
You've shared 26,185 memories of 5,732 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:
- Bibury, Gloucestershire
- Gratwich, Staffordshire
- Manchester, Lancashire
- Borth, Dyfed
- Hindhead, Surrey
- Loughor, West Glamorgan
- Stroud, Gloucestershire
- Burghfield, Berkshire
- Streatham, Greater London
- South Shields, Tyne and Wear
- Reigate, Surrey
- Wishaw, Lanarkshire
- Seaton Carew, Cleveland
- Barking, Essex
- Shoreham, Kent
- Long Bredy, Dorset
- Eastleigh, Hampshire
- Corby, Northamptonshire
- Milborne Port, Dorset
- Twechar, Lanarkshire
- ... 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.
