Houghton Regis memories
Here are memories of Houghton Regis and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Houghton Regis or a Houghton Regis photo.
Tithe Farm Road
We lived half way up the hill, you can just see my dad's motorbike and sidecar parked on our front garden. The council told him he couldn't park on there because he wasn't allowed to remove the privit hedge, so he dug them up and replanted them in old wooden ammunition boxes, so that every time he wanted to put the bike on the garden he just had to pull the boxes out of the way and then put them straight back, nobody ever noticed....
Church School on The Green
My memories start long before there was a Tithe Farm estate. In my time it was a farm and the footpath I used to go to school started there, it meandered al the way over the fields to Carcutt farm, where I lived all through the war years. I didn't leave Houghton Regis till 1963 to travel to Australia where I still live. But Houghton Regis is still in my heart. There was a little shop on the green where kids could go and buy (not sweets, they only came with food coupons but you could get Oxo cubes to suck and sherbert to suck through a straw). I remember the pageants on the green and fairs with lovely rides and stalls, to thow coconuts and rings, The High Street had little shops all the way as far as the top school, I can remember the butcher Mr Pratt who always spoiled me with the best meat we could afford and the green grocer, I believe his name was Mr... Read more
Happy Days
I moved to Houghton Regis with my family in 1969 aged 6. Although my memories are not of Tithe Farm Road, I lived very close in Drury Lane from age 6 to 20, when I left for the Isle of Wight. My childhood there becomes more and more a fond memory, the older I get. What seemed to be nothing special at the time,now is a very special memory. I seem to have spent most of my time on the green playing football, cricket with my friends from next door, the Rogers family. Other names that spring to mind are Karl Devlin from St Andrews Lane, Mark Carter, Leonard Dunn, Colin Mannix, David Bbright, the Osbornes, Anthony Bishop and many more. Since leaving in 1983, I have been back several times, but far too few have I bumped into old friends. Always great to go back there though!. Steve Hemming.
Limbury & Toddington
My grandfather, George, was one of the Seaward Brothers Ltd, Builders, based in Limbury; the other brother was Frank. I used to visit the 'yard' with my dad, Keith who was the only son of George and his wife Lilian (Chandler), they also had three daughters, Molly, Cynthia and Moira. I used to go to Biscot Church with my granny when she 'did' the flowers for the Sunday services and sometimes she would play the organ; she had been a concert pianist before she married. Along with our parents (Keith and Georgina) my sister Lorraine and I lived at Conger House on the Green, Toddington; it was still one big house in those days. Toddington was a lovely village in those days, it was an idyllic place for a child to grow up in. I particularly remember climbing up Conger Hill on Shrove Tuesday with all of the children from the junior school to see if we could hear the the old man who supposedly lived in the hill... Read more
Tithe Farm 1980
Hi, I'm John Fleming, I have very fond memories of living in Tithe Farm Road. Things are somewhat different there now. My school has long gone. I used to love music, and Mr Mark Wyatt has been my mentor for many years. I believe the Harvest Home pub is still there. I remember that since I was ten. Well. that's all, take care.
HAPPY DAYS
I moved with my family from London to Tithe farm Road in Houghton Regis in 1972....aged 6. My dad got the offer of a job at Vauxhalls in Luton where he worked for many years. I have fond memories of Tithe Farm Road, the Rec and St.Vincent's Church Hall, which sadly was burnt down. Our family moved to the new estate ' Parkside' in 1975 and my parents still live there. Houghton has many happy memories for me, and I still live there close to my family.
Tithe Farn Estate 1962
We came to to Tithe Farm estate on Boxing Day in 1961. They sent my brother Neil and I to Ickneld School in Dunstable, then Tithe Farm School, then on to Northfield School in Dunstable. The memories are endless. I am now 58 but feel as if I an 18. Where did the time go! It's all as if it was yesterday. Barry Blythe.
My Childhood in Houghton Regis.
My name is Daniel (Danny) Cronin, the youngest of 5 and the only boy of Harry 'H' and Ann Cronin. My life began on the 27th of November 1970.
My first place of residence was Recreation Road where I have broken memories of childhood play times with my sisters. As a big family we were lucky enough to be allocated a nice big 3 story town house on the new parkside estate, our address being 36 Trident drive. My first real memory of this address would be quite a daunting one, I could have been only 2-3 yrs old I'm unsure. I was playing outside the front driving my little red Mini peddle car with my mother over looking from the kitchen window, there I was trying to impress my mother with my driving skills, making engine and beep beep noises as I drove back and forth at break neck speeds, my dog Blackie was also very impressed as he watched with one eye as he basked in... Read more
I Grew up in Houghton Regis 1962-1980
Hi my name is Sally and I grew up in Houghton Regis. My twin brother and I were born in Luton before the new Luton and Dunstable Hospital opened. We both went to Tithe Farm Infants and Juniors Schools along with our siblings.
My abiding memory was of a lovely school teacher called Miss Black. She was very strict but also very fair, no one ever messed around in her class, she was also my form teacher for a few years and taught me to love writing, which I still do. I was also a choir girl at the local church for a while, but got kicked out for laughing, and it was the vicar who made us laugh, but I still love music.
Houghton Regis was a nice place to grow up and we often went to Chantry Woods to make dens and go to the Woods down Old Bedford Road to find tadpoles, to raise in an old belfast sink in the garden, at 10... Read more
Watching Parkside Grow
When my brother and I were old enough to go to Linmear Middle School,(Kings Houghton now), we would walk via a huge field next to Sundon Road, this was sold and Parkside estate began to grow. One of my old school friends called Shirley moves from Tithe Farm to the new town houses on Parkside, we were all so jealous because her house had 3 floors.
Whist attending Linmear the Upper School was built, which had a small swimming pool in it. This was opened to the public during the breaks and at week-ends so we didn't have to walk all the way to Dunstable, which was a nice change.
Both my brother and I didn't go to the Upper school as our elder brother had gone to Ashton's and then onto Manshead Upper School, which was built next to the Downside Estate. So in the end 3 of my brotherw went to Manshead and 1 brother and my sister went to Northfields instead. ... Read more
My Birth And Life so Far in Houghton Regis
Hi, I was born in Houghton Regis on the second of June 1953 which you all know was Coronation Day. I was delivered at home with the help of Nurse Cox. I was the only girl born on that day, there were 3 boys born but they were born elsewhere. My memories are of the old farm on the green that was used for foxhunting, and where they kept the dogs, my grandfather was in the employ of the local landowner as a horse man. We moved to Whitehouse Barn where I lived till we moved to Drury Lane, my home for 30 years. My mother still lives in the village, she is 83 now. I went to Whitehead School on the green. I can still see the shops, Perry's and Wavy Line, further up there was the old methodist church near to Marmsie where we used to look for apples in the orchard, which is where Cemetery Road is. We used to go for walks down to the... Read more
Memories of Bedfordshire
Family Connections.
The gentleman in the foreground of the Quadrant in the dark suit is my father Albert (Bert) Brandon a local business man. He opened a fruit and flower shop at 12 Albion Street which was previously his mother's shop and sold haberdashery and household linens. Then, before his retirement, he started The Princes School of Motoring. He is waiting for my mother to come out of the bakers and she is possibly the lady carrying her purchase coming out of the shop. Strangely he is standing where he had a garden, a very large area where we played as children, before the Quadrant was built.
Remembering my Aunt And Uncle - Nellie And Nobby Clarke
I have fond memories of Dunstable from when I was 9 years old, going to the market on a Friday with my mum and Aunt Nellie. The market was held to the right of the picture.
My Lovely Family, Bill Joan And Paul Harris
This was the year my son Kevin was born, we all used to go here usually on a Saturday. Paul has just died , he was so special to all his family. While he was in hospital he opened his eyes and said 'I have just been to Dunstable'. He used to work at Waterlows printing factory now long gone so did dad Bill Harris. Remembering them all with much love also Nobby and Nellie clarke, Cyril and Alice Collier.
Living Around The Corner
I used to live in Sundown Ave, just around the corner from these shops. My friend Michelle lived to the right of the bus. My Mum used to work in the sweet shop at the end of the parade to the right. There was a supermarket on the far left with a chemist next door. I remember buying my Mum some rather stinky Yardley perfume there for her birthday one year for about 1/6d I went to school at Downside CP which you could get to by walking down the road to the right of the photo. People I remember living near theses shops are, Michelle Loggie, Steven Johnson, Michael Lithgo, Tim Francis, ELizabeth Graham, Angela Farrow, Janice Read, Bev Simpkins, Cecilia Atkins...and many more I am sure.,..
Orange Rolling
Orange rolling, Good Friday afternoon up the 'orange pit'. There used to be crowds of people all chasing little oranges down the hill. Never quite sure what you did if you caught one, I'm sure it wouldn't have been fit to eat!
Is this peculiar to Dunstable? I know of cheese rolling, where they chase a double gloucester cheese down a hill in Leckhampton (near Cheltenham) but haven't come across anything else similar elsewhere.
Memorybank total
We're very pleased and excited by your response so far to our "Share your Memories" community.
You've shared 26,169 memories of 5,731 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:
- Plumstead, Norfolk
- Sale, Cheshire
- Virginia Water, Surrey
- Gratwich, Staffordshire
- Acomb, Northumberland
- Twechar, Lanarkshire
- Ringwood, Hampshire
- Alton, Hampshire
- Royston, South Yorkshire
- Doncaster, South Yorkshire
- Monk Bretton, South Yorkshire
- Harrow On The Hill, Greater London
- Reigate, Surrey
- Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire
- Bodfari, Clwyd
- Kingsdown, Wiltshire
- West Dean, West Sussex
- Coalville, Leicestershire
- Lewisham, Greater London
- Redhill, Surrey
- ... 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.
