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Highworth
Highworth maps
Historic maps of Highworth and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Highworth maps
Highworth area books
Displaying 1 of 12 books about Highworth and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Highworth
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Highworth.
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or of a photo of Highworth.
I Miss Home
I live in America now. I have a family here, but I would like to return to Highworth one day. I was born there and Christened in St Michael's Church in 1954.
Historical Connections
I am a New Zealander, as my more recent ancestors have been for more than one and a half centuries. My ancestors had emigrated from Highworth twice during the 1800's - firstly to Australia for 9 years with the new Australian Agricultural Company in the early 1820's ...and, then back to Highworth. In 1841 they again emmigrated, but this time permanently to NZ. Descendant families have been in NZ ever since.
Ancestral research discovered that my pre-1820s ancestors had had at least a century's association with St. Michael's Church. Church records exist of ancestral marriages and christenings from 1714 (commencing with the marriage of Henry Stokes to Deborah Watkins) through to 1815.
It is exciting for me now to see the images of the historical buildings of Highworth, which are literally half a world and now a different culture away ...and, to discover and 'feel' some tangible connection with my roots. (This Frith Collection is a great resource!)
Highworth
I was only two when I moved here from south London but I remember going to school there just through an alley way off the market square, and headmaster's office was a hut in the playground. Lived in Queens Avenue which were the new council houses built as my dad worked for Vickers Armstrong at the time. Wonderful happy memories, never been back since we moved when I was around 10 years old back to London. Rember crying as I didnt want to go, I am sure my parents didn't either but then it was all work-related to our parents and we had no choice. My garden was huge (as I remember it then) with just chicken wire fences and fields beyond with cows and bluebell woods. I remember my brother being born there at home in 1955. Very happy time, hope it hasn't changed too much the pictures on here have the old world charm I remember as a kid. Thank you for bringing back these memories.
Wiltshire memories
Ducks
I remember when I was little going to Coate water, feeding the ducks and having picnics with my family. Those were the days! :)
Farewell Rail Tour
The picture is taken from the footbridge and show the rail tour on about 3/9/61. There were two. This one is the one I travelled on hauled by GWR 2-6-0 5306. I rode on the footplate of the engine from here to Cirencester. The other one was hauled by 7808 Cookham Manor.
Mother.
My mother worked in the cafeteria at lunch time, collecting the money from the students. She seemed to know everybody in the college and when she passed away at the young age of 48, it seemed that the whole of Swindon mourned with us. Swindon is a place that I hold dear to my heart. Every picture that I have looked at today brings back wounderful memories of a town that I still call home even though I live overseas.
Family Tree
I am researching my fam tree. I have found out some of my ancestors came from Swindon. Due to a long story my Grandmothers biological Grandfather worked on the G.W.R AS A Labourer his name was Edwin New. He married Mary Jane Stroud in 1873 then went on to have my Grandmother Real mother Alice Elizabeth New. Alice was born on the 10th March 1884 at Lower stratton.
I wondered if any one out there knows of these name above. My grandmother was born in a mother and baby hospital in Hackney for unmarried mother on the 24th July 1906. I found the details out with the help of the Salvation Army her real mothers name was given as Alice Elizabeth New as i gave above. does any one know of this situation or is any one connected to the families of the above.
Please get in touch be mos t greatfull
