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Houghton Le Spring
Houghton Le Spring photos
Displaying the first of 4 old photos of Houghton Le Spring. View all Houghton Le Spring photos
Houghton Le Spring maps
Historic maps of Houghton Le Spring and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Houghton Le Spring maps
Houghton Le Spring area books
Displaying 1 of 1 books about Houghton Le Spring and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Houghton Le Spring
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Houghton Le Spring.
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Newbottle Village
I remember Newbottle when there were four farms in the village, Hunters, Wheatmans, Coulsons, and Tindales. My grandparents Herbert and Rachael Flintoff worked for Hunters, many happy times were spent milking the cows, tattie picking, and snagging turnips. I remember camping out on the swing banks, me, Eddie Brown, Barry Cummings, Bekkie and a few other lads, roaming the woods around the witch's cave, playing in the coal washer at success getting chased by the watchie, getting soaked in the yard pond, and swimming in the reservoirs on the hill. Roasting the farmer's tatties in camp fires, mouths coal black off the burned spuds but they tasted great. School holidays spent roaming the roads for hours on en,d parents never worrying where you were, mind they would have messed their pants if they knew half of what we were up to.
Newbottle
I have looked up on the 1911 census and my mam Cicely Fallon lived in 4 Gaweswell Terrace, Newbottle. My granda was a miner, a hewer, can anyone tell me what a hewer did? His name was Matthew Fallon. My gran was Julie, she was born in Newbottle. Other siblings were Matthew jr , Honor and Annie. I don't have my gran's maiden name. Also my mam had a son from a previous marriage, my late half brother, who was born in that area, his name was James Edward Lowery. I am 74 so I don't think I will see the area if it is still there, only on streetview.
I Remember
I was born in Bowlby Street in 1953 and have seen all the changes made since then, I still live in Houghton now. One of my fond memories was going to the ice-cream parlour which is now the old Woolworth's site to buy an ice-cream cone for my older brother, but the weather was very warm and before I got home, well the ice was melting. I couldn't let it go to waste now could I? He just laughed and said it was for me anyway. I also remember going to Houghton Feast in October when it was at the lake and market place, cutting through the old meat market from Newbottle Street to Sunderland Sstreet and calling at Mrs Magee's shop for sweets. Oh, and I can't forget the two mirrors at Doggats, they faced each other and you could see yourself reflected hundreds of times, well when you're young you have a vivid imagination. I have very fond memories of those days which I may share with you... Read more
Cambria Street
James O. Clazey and his wife, Charlotte lived at 4 Cambria Street from 1881 to the 1900s. James had been a schoolmaster and does not appear in the 1901 Census so somewhere before that time...he died. Charlotte had a grocer/confectionary business there. At one point, all the children worked in it. Children were: George Oswald Clazey; Ellen Craig Clazey; Oswald Clazey; Maggie Clazey and Charlotte Isabelle Clazey. I do not know how long she remained there. Charlotte remarried in 1915 to Alfred Swaine.
Sharon
Childhood Memories
My mother was born in Houghton le Spring and I came here many times with her and my brother.We always had great fun with her relatives, aunts, brothers etc. I've been back several times as a grown up and brought my own children. I will be returning soon.
Tyne and Wear memories
Newbottle Village
I remember coming from school and running up to the hillside fields helping Wheightman to load the hay onto his tractors and building the haystacks on North Pasture, off down to the yard pond looking for frogs and newts with Eddie Brown, Barry Cummings, Killer Francis and a few others. I remember jumping the steam trains from Houghton Pit down to the coke works, one or two lads lost a toe or two when they slipped, into Lambton Baths run by Mr Morter then catching the train back to Sunniside, we would pinch a few apples from Bunker Hill orchard then run like hell with Robinson the village policeman on our tails, in for tea and "No ma, we haven't done anything wrong".
My Back Street
Some of the best times of my life was in my back street. I live in Ewehill Terrace and have got some lovely friends in the street too. My name is Sarah Emery and I have lived in Fence Houses all my life. When I was a child we all used to play in and around Ewe Hill. My friends Lisa and Mandy also live in the street and the have been life-long friends. We used to play nocky nine doors follow the arrow. I work in the post office at Fence Houses now.
