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Great Houghton memories

Here are memories of Great Houghton and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Great Houghton or a Great Houghton photo.

Great Grandmother

My great grandmother was born in Great Houghton in 1868. She married Charles Neville and moved to Swanscombe in Kent. She had four children at the time of the 1901 census, the eldest of whom was nine.
All I know is that her name was Lizzie! I need to do some research to find her maiden name and to see if any relatives of "Lizzie" live in the area.
I now live 20 miles from Great Houghton, having been born in Dartford, Kent. She and I have crossed paths!

Memories of Northamptonshire

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

Hardingstone School

Junior School c1955
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I went to the old school now the village hall in 1969. I was there for 3 years as an infant before going to the new school on Martins Lane in 1972. The new school was opened in 1971 I believe as my sister was the first intake and I can just about remember it. It was definately not built in 1955 as the photo indicates.

I lived at 4 Ansell Way from 1965 until 1977 and had the most fantastic childhood there. I can remember joining the local Cubs & scouts which was based to the right of the old school down a pathway that now leads to Delepre golf course.

The school buried a time capsule in 1976 in the school grounds which contained objects of the day and letters from us kids. Not sure if it has since been found?

Mr Joe Deer was the Headteacher at the time along with teachers such as David Blake, Mrs Page, Mrs Sue Robjohns, Miss Beech,... Read more

School Holidays at Abington Park

I was born in 1951 in Lutterworth Road, Northampton just a 5 minutes' walk from one of the most beautiful parks in the country - Abington Park. Originally part of the Wantage family estate, it boasted a museum (formerly the Manor House), a church, three lakes, aviaries, and a bandstand. It was a truly magical place for a young boy in the 1950s. During the annual summer school holidays, I would be found with the rest of my Barry Road Primary School gang in the park (apart from the Aanual family holiday to Margate). An average day spent in the park would be something as follows: After breakfast I'd head for Sid Child's, the newsagents, on the corner of Lutterworth Road to buy my 'ammunition' (3 rolls of 1p caps) for my six-shooters and 'rations' (sweets - 1 lucky bag, 4 fruit salads, 4 black jacks). With my supplies I'd head to the 'Monkey House' in the park to meet the rest of the gang, I never quite found out what... Read more

My Mother's Cousin

When I was a child my friend and I used to go and stay with a cousin of my mother's and I'm quite sure this was at Little Billing. The name of the people was Gray and the lady's name was Gladys, (called Glad) and I have a photograph of her wedding. The man's may have been Bill, but I'm not sure.They lived on a farm that was near the Sewage Works and just down the road from a canal. I remember that there were Italian Prisoners of War working at another farm down the road. My surname at that time was Bellamy. If anyone out there remembers the Grays, my mother's name was May Capps from Burton Latimer.

When Young

goint to the Savoy Cinema to see and hear the Compton Organ, the cinema has now been bought by thr Jesus people & restored to its 1930,s decoration.
the name of Alan Ashton rings a bell, was he conected to the Savoy/ABC cinema years ago.
the town has altered quite a lot since those days of the 1940/50,s not as i like it these days.
i am in my late years now (75) but love the past.

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