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Kidderminster
Kidderminster photos
Displaying the first of 98 old photos of Kidderminster. View all Kidderminster photos
Kidderminster maps
Historic maps of Kidderminster and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Kidderminster maps
Kidderminster area books
Displaying 1 of 12 books about Kidderminster and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Kidderminster
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Kidderminster.
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1960's Kidderminster
Dear old Kiddy. My youth and teenage years during the late 1950s and early 1960' spent here. I remember a busy medium sized market town. Full employment was provided by the numerious carpet factories, Adams, Brintons, Carpet Trades, CM Co., Victoria and many more. Dozens and dozens of thriving shops all the way from the railway station, down Station Hill, along Oxford Street and Vicar Street. The High Street, Blackwell Street. Mill Street and Worcester Street. Dozens of great pubs and, in those days, four cinemas to choose from The Central, The Futurist, The Grand and The Empire, the last one with the reputation as the town "flea pit". These provided a wealth of entertainment for Friday and Saturday nights not to mention a large choice of dance venues everywhere from The Baths (during the winter ) to The Florence Ballroom, from Frank Freeman's dance studios to The Black Horse Hotel plus various church halls. Lord, we just didn't know how lucky we were. Does anyone out there remember... Read more
My First Trip to England
My parents were both born in Kidderminster, one in 1937 and the other in 1938. They married in 1957 and came to America in 1958, my first trip was to Kidderminster in 1965. So I have many fond memories as a child being there and meeting my family for the first time. I traveled back many times and have heard numerous stories of Kiddy. My mother was a colour picker and my father a weaver at Brintons. Perhaps you know the last name of Conway, that is my father. The whole family worked at Brintons. Though I did not grow up there the stories of my parents home and growing up there are too numerous to mention. Actually my mom passed in 1998 and I came to England, to Broadwaters Park and scattered her ashes in the dingle. My granddad's favourite pub was the Yew Tree and many a cold pint I had in that pub. My plan is to travel once agan to Kidderminster with my 10... Read more
Then & Now
I remember during my teens to early twenties there always seemed to be gigs on. From The Green Man (where it must be said, I really shouldn't have been, not then being 18), where it was very bluesy music, plus of course the mighty Monty Woodpigs disco. With Joe boogying away behind the bar whilst serving. Obviously the Black Horse was another favourite along with Frank's just up the road, ah heady memories. I cannot leave out the Farmer's Boy, (now a vets; - duh WTF?), where bands were a regular event. Ok most of them were the same guys playing under different hats, Streets Ahead, Liquid Lil & The Lillettes, among others. I think it was probably there that I first met John Combe, a great man who almost single handidly helped make Kidder a great place to be, (and whom I helped out with at the Irish Club along with Mick Vaux (hope I spelled that right man).) I recently returned to Kidder after a long spell... Read more
!960's Kidderminster.
Ah. 1965. I was 23 when this photo was taken. How many times did I walk up this street? MacFisheries on the left, a little further up on the same side was the Futurist Cinema with its long entrance lobby with a number of display cases featuring stills and posters from forthcoming films, does anyone remember them? Many a pleasant evening was spent in the back row of the stalls with various girlfriends. Happy days. Woolworths and (I think) W.H. Smiths a little further up still.
1960''s Kidderminster
My dear old hometown. I was 18 when this picture was taken. The Swan pub is on the left, and the Co-Op is where the blinds are. Just around the corner from The Swan was a broad flight of steps leading up into the market hall. Just past those steps, in the corner, was a narrow alleyway leading into Worcester Street. Just out of shot, on the right are The Town Hall and The Corn Exchange where early pop concerts were staged. I must have seen a few acts there but the only ones I can remember now were: Gene Vincent, Screaming Lord Sutch and Brian Poole and the Tremaloes. Carry on past the Corn Exchance and you came to Brinton's carpet factory. Many a Friday (or was it Saturday?) night was spent at the dances in their large canteen. Happy days and oh, my lost youth ! Does anyone else remember those days?
1960's Kidderminster
My first job after leaving school at 15 was at Lipton's grocers. Their shop was at the top of the High Street on the right, between Marks & Spencer and Timothy Whites. The top of the street was a t-junction, you turned left for Blackwell Street and right for Worcester Street. I think the building at the end with the pillars was The Red Lion pub. I may be wrong but I seem to have a memory of a bank near the pub being robbed by a gang who broke through from an adjacent building over a weekend. Did I dream that one or does anyone else recall it ?
1960's Kidderminster
If you followed this street to the end and turned left it brought you to one of the oldest pubs in Kiddy. I'm pretty sure it was The Seven Stars but my memory is not what it was ( ain't old age a wonderful thing ? NOT ! ) It was one of my favourite watering holes and I worked there as a barman for a while. It was here I had my one and only encounter with a ghost. Going back the other way, (behind camera) up Blackwell Street, on the right was Brooks Bros. fruit and veg merchant. It was here that I got my first driving job delivering produce around Worcestershire and leading me into the haulage industry where I spent most of my working life.
Picnic And Paddling
I can remember going to the park when I was a little girl, I loved to paddle in the pool, and we would take sandwiches. It was my favourite place ever in the summer.
