Horsham St Faith, Back Street c1960

childhood memories of Horsford

During the period 1943-44 my family moved to Horsford, I cannot tell you the address as I was only about 5 years old at the time. All I can remember is that the house was opposite the infant school, which I attended together with my cousin Russell. It was situated almost at the end of a small road, and at the top of the road if you turned right was a small shop come post office. My memories of Horsford are all happy ones, but we were only there for a very short time, possibly just over a year. I think the farmhouse we lived in was rented, as our home in Great Yarmouth was destroyed by German bombs. I would love to find out where the farmhouse we lived in and the school was located.

A bungalow called Lynwood, at Costessey

My father bought this bungalow around 1926 - it was the place I was born. He was forced to sell it in 1929 when the place he worked at -J arrolds Publishing - went on strike and he lost his job. With my mother and two other children we had to leave and return to Kidderminster, to the home of my mother's parents. I do not know the address of the bugalow except it was next to a house owned by a Mr Arnold - who had something to do with the vegetable trade. I remember there were fields at the back of the house and I think we were somewhere near a park or woods. The bungalow had no water and we were subsequently buying water from a barrel at 6 pence a time. Our return to Kidderminster was a last desperate act . My father was out of work  during the great depression of the 1930s for most of the time until the start of the Second World War. Our stay in Costessey was about 3 years 9 months. During 1944, at the time I was in the army and stationed at Cromer, I tried to locate where I had once lived  at Costessey, but in the limited time I had no success. I would be obliged if anyone who still remembers where this bungalow was situated would contact me.

Yours faithfully,

F Collins

Early Years

Too much to say, so in brief: lived on Wolfe Road, played on Mousehold, fireworks night great and sledged on cardboard in the summer and sledge in the snow; watched the soldiers in Brittania Barracks and them lowering the flag just outside the main gates in a railed enclosure long gone; horses at Nelson Barracks at the bottom of Ketts Hill; collected old newspapers which I stacked on old pram wheels which I took to Warmingers by the river to get pocket money; stood on Carrow railway bridge to watch the steam trains, and Derek Warman's father was a signalman so sometimes we went to the signal box, that box has now gone; was photographed by the EDP with Dennis Mathews; watching the old knife sharpener on Brittania Road - still have the photo; used to swim in the rivers around Norwich, no Health & Safety then, we had to use our own common sense; the Heartsease was an open field, saw the first house and at the end of Valley Rise there was a wood yard, now bungalows; stood on Whitlingham station footbridge while the steam train went under and got told off for getting dirty; used to help or hinder at Tookes Roses at Brundall; on Ketts Hill there was a milk depot and they had a horse and cart, I helped there; in winter the buses had a job on Ketts Hill; Gas Hill I have cycled up a few times and in winter sledged down it, past the gas works; waited for mother outside Reads flour mills where she worked as a typist then walked home by Riverside Road; I believe it was Hector Read who used to let me into the wooden office by the road when it was wet, he was a great man. We lived at 14 Wolfe Road, 2 doors away was Mrs Fiddy who had a small shop in the front room, now gone, next to us were the Aldens and Mrs Miller.
On the corner of Brittania Road lived the Scotts.