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The Sands c1960
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My family lived at 'Bryher' New Polzeath. I went to Hoiliday House School, Harry Edwards was the Headmaster. He lived with his wife and children in a cottage at Porteath Farm. What better place could there be to grow up. I still keep in touch with Melville Coad, we were at school together, his father was the local butcher. We had some great times; apart from the evacuees, the war never came to Polzeath. I do remember the 'Dragons Teeth' tank traps in the village and the scaffolding that stretched across the beach. After the war, German POWs were used to take them down. Would like to hear from anyone who went to Holiday House at that time.

Bank Hall 1895
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At the house where we lived from 1928 until 1935, (No 24 Barracks Road, Burnley, now called Cavalry Way), it was called a 'back to back' row cottage. It comprised of two bedrooms upstairs, one just about able to fit a double bed, and one very small room for two single beds. This is where my sister and I slept until seven years later when we moved house, after my brother was born (we were all born in Burnley Bank Hall Hospital). When my younger brother was being born, our dad caught two pigeons and baked a pigeon pie with vegetables, to take to our mother at the hospital. I do not remember any other furniture in our bedroom, it had a very small window high up. We used to have to go to bed at 6:30pm every night. I can remember Sunday nights in summer when the ice cream man rang his big old school bell. Sometimes, we were lucky and got an ice cream cornet with raspberry syrup on it, brought up to us. At the bottom of the stairs, was an old tin gas clothes boiler washer, and just passed it was a stone sink. You then turned left and down two steps into the living room. There was a table, four chairs and a big giant wooden chest (our presents were placed on it at Christmas). At the opposite side of the stair steps, was a black cast iron fire (a fire oven plus a hot water... Read more

Holker Schools 1906
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My maternal grandma, Mrs Rowe, lived at school house as caretaker for about 40 years until she died in 1978. My mum Edith was brought up here, as were her sisters, Irene, Dorothy and Marjorie and her brother Alfred better known as" Sonny". We all, i.e. aunties, uncles and cousins, used to stop at Nanna Rowes for a few weeks in the summer holidays and I have nothing but happy memories of all the lovely people and places. Anyone who went to Holker School in the 40's till the 70's will remember her, she also worked at Holker Hall in the kitchens and cleaning, even used to pluck grouse at home, in the kitchen, for the Cavendishes. My grandad, Alf Rowe, sadly died in 1963, but he used to work at the shipyards at Barrow and later at the old army camp at Flookburgh. In his spare time he was a ventriloquist, entertaining at Lower Holker Club and even had a Punch and Judy show which he had at Morecambe. We reminisce all the time and visit the area often, as does my auntie Dot's family, the Hadwins from Durham. I remember a lady who is on another picture, stood talking outside the new council houses on Low Row. My Nanna also lived on Low Row when her children were little, Aunty Maggie Gilpin. She always wore a black beret, and kept Bantams when she lived in Mill Yard. Her husband... Read more

The Quayside 1904
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My father was born in St Mawes in 1910. On his fourth birthday (so family legend has it) he was given a pair of Dutch wooden clogs. Being a canny child of seafarers, he knew that hollow wooden vessels floated. So when the tide was in, he set off from the steps in the bottom left corner of this picture, planning to walk/float across the water to the steps below the Ship and Castle hotel, seen opposite. The voyage was not, apparently, a complete success.

High Street 1968
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I lived in Barkinside from 1952 until 1969. My parents were there until 2007 so I have seen so many changes. We originally lived in Clayhall, St Claire Close and my parents moved to Brandville Gardens in the 90s. Both my brother and I went to Fairlop and had a really sound eduaction there. I became a Civil Engineer and Stephen ran his own very succesful IT company. Marments had to be my favourite shop and I used to look at all the Dinky toys in the window and wonder if I would ever be able to have any. Pocket money was saved to buy Airfix models from Woolworths. Friday night became shopping at the new super self service Key Markets but I missed watching the ladies measure and pat and wrap the butter in Sainsburys. A real treat was to go to Rossi and have an Ice Cream Soda for 1 shilling.....happy days. The only time you would eat hot cross buns was on Good Friday and special orders had to be placed at Pithers bakery. I remember the smell as if it were today. My first bike came from Kingsway Sports. My first job was at Bird and Chesney the builders merchant on the corner of Fulwell Road and my very first suit was "made to measure" from Burtons. My first ever record was bought from the music shop; I think it was called Royals, or something like that. My social life as a teenager was centred... Read more