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Leadgate

Leadgate photos

Displaying the first of 2 old photos of Leadgate.   View all Leadgate photos

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Leadgate maps

Historic maps of Leadgate and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis.   View all Leadgate maps

Leadgate area books

Displaying 1 of 3 books about Leadgate and the local area.   View all books for this area

Memories of Leadgate

Leadgate memories
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Displaying a selection of personal memories of Leadgate. There are 9 shared memories to read.
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Memories of Leadgate And Iveston 1938 - 1943

I came to live at Leadgate when I was 12 years old and attended Leadgate Council School which was a large red brick building for infants and juniors, boys and girls. I was at the school for only 2 years, leaving when I was 14 years old. Those two years were good ones for me as I was fortunate to have a dedicated teacher called David Scott, who lived at Castleside. His influence remained with me through my youthful years, through my 5 years in the Royal Air Force, and on into my married life. There were twin girls in my class, whose names I do not recall,also there were two lads, one was called Tommy Griffiths. He had a lovely singing voice and often sang solos at school, the other was called Alan Bell, he had a talent to paint wild birds on glass. I wonder if Tommy and Alan are still with us today? Just round the corner from the school was the Co-op and the then Manager... Read more

Leadgate

Front Street 1967
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I had lived in Leadgate since birth back in 1982 when we used to live on Dunelm Way. Back then Leadgate was a quiet little friendly village where everybody knew everybody. My Dads (David Parkin) half of the family lived close by and i remember going to my Grandma & Grandad's every saturday for tea on Dunelm Close. The shops where nearby on Front Street and had Happy Shopper with the Pet shop next door. Down the street was the Golden Lion pub which had a statue above the door of a golden lion, a little sweet shop i used to go in every day after school for a little treat of a quarter of sweets, bon-bons usually :-) . Next door was a ladies fashion shop and a butchers on the corner, i think it was called Fosters but i may be wrong...in fact i think its still there! Directly across the street there was a shop on the corner which always seemed to change. I remember it... Read more

Leadgate Memories

Front Street 1967
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Welcome to all.
Most of my life was spent in Leadgate where I enjoyed living. I moved to a beautiful village called Milborne Port near a nice town called Sherborne in Dorset. I am married to a beautiful women called Caroline who came from Farmborough. I have worked for a construction firm in Yeovil for 25 years.

I did make a lot of friends in Leadgate, I was still a member of Leadgate Club until a few years ago, I was a member for over 20 odd years. I used to live at Watling Bungalows. My dad William (Bill) Yallop lived with my brother Trevor at Dunelm Close (both deceased). My grandfather and grandmother also lived at Leadgate, Guy and Ethel Westall. My great grandmother also lived there, we called her Little Nanna, her surname was Ringer. My uncle Brian (Westall) and auntie Maureen (Bayles) lived in Leadgate.

I worked at Hounsgills Plate Mill (British Steel) for 5 years untill it closed down. I used to go drinking... Read more

Leadgate Village

Front Street 1967
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I grew up in Leadgate and have many fond memories of the village. The shops - Les Temple's the newsagent, Oughton's fish and chips (later the bookies), Billy Pledger's 'Modern Hair Fashions' and his aunt's place Crosbie's selling knitting wools etc, Bousteads, Tilney's the post office (selling all kinds of goods from stamps to furniture) and, of course, Di Palma's who made and sold the best ice-cream in the world! There was Pace's chemist shop and Cecil Best the butcher and even a bank on the corner of Front Street and Watling Street.

The village has changed, as it must, but memories live on.

Leadgate in The Early 1970s

Leadgate will always be in my heart. Some of my happiest times spent in Geordie's cafe and playing football on a Sunday afternoon with some of the best lads ever. Silky, Tommy and Malcom Coates, Hat.(Kev Calcutt), Gats (Alan Robertson) tragically killed at the Iveston along with Cogy (Davy Calvert) in the early 1970s. Does anyone remember Little Willy who used to go in the cafe. I remember having my first pint in the Coach on the corner. Billy Nixon, Frankie Bowes, Johny Blacket, loads more I could mention. I wish I could go back in time.

Memories of Leadgate

I remember Leadgate way back in the 1950s. We were lads from Medomsley Edge Homes who went to the pictures there, I think the place was the "Roxy". We went to school with lads from Leadgate. Two of them I remember well - Malcolm Swinburne + Jimmy Gore. I think Jimmy lived opposite the Scout hut(that was). We often went to Scouts and the Salvation Army Citadel - "Sally Army" - on Sunday afternoons because they had cups of tea after the hymns. During the summer we picked rosehips (when they were red) and sold them to a lady who had a shop on road opposite the entrance to the Sally Army Citadel, sorry, I don't remember the street's name. I think us kids from Medomsley Homes spent ages in Leadgate during our early years. "Shanghai" I think we called part of the Bungalows. Good times!!

From Boyhood to Manhood

I was born at Consett in 1926

Woodlands Terrace [now Durham Road, Leadgate].

I was born at Richard Murray Hospital at Shotley Bridge, County Durham on 09/07/1942. My parents Winnie and Jack Kershaw, my mam's maiden name was Burnhope and my dad's family were the Kershaws, lemonade manufacturers of Askew Road, Gateshead, as far as I can recall the Burnhopes had Leadgate addresses. My first memories were of my home at Woodlands Terrace in Leadgate in a beautiful terraced house high above the Durham road. From the front bedroom window the view was of open fields that stretched for miles, looking towards Crookhall and beyond. The fields were I think owned by Willie Sheilds, and in the winter months snow blasted across those fields, burying the Durham road. My mam and dad were insurance agents, and my first school was Leadgate infants then later the juniors. My cousins were Caswells, their father being Billy Caswell, a butcher whose shop was in Watling Street in Leadgate. Auntie Mary his wife was a Heslop sister of my dad. My other cousins were two girls,... Read more

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