Favourite Memories
Reconnecting with our shared local history.
For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our web site to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was when the photographs in our archive were taken. From brief one-liners explaining a little bit more about the image depicted, to great, in-depth accounts of a childhood when things were rather different than today (and everything inbetween!). We've had many contributors recognising themselves or loved ones in our photographs.
Why not add your memory today and become part of our Memories Community to help others in the future delve back into their past.
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Tips & Ideas
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How the location features in your personal history?
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The memories this place inspires for you?
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Stories about the community, its history and people?
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People who were particularly kind or influenced your time in the community.
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Has it changed over the years?
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How does it feel, seeing these places again, as they used to look?
This week's Places
Here are some of the places people are talking about in our Share Your Memories community this week:
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Displaying Memories 351 - 400 of 2029 in total
My memories of Acton Bridge go back to the mid 1950s and early 1960s. The picture of boats at Acton Bridge Cruising Club takes me back to my teenage days. We had a boat called 'Scampi' which was a 32-foot ex-Norwegian lifeboat. It was our family boat. It was kept initially on the Mersey at Wallasey Dock, then my dad decided to join the then very newly formed Acton Bridge Cruising Club. And so we moved ...see more
In 1961 I got my first job after leaving school at S & R Smiths Garage on the Great South West Road. The owners were brothers Sydney and Raymond Smith. We called them Mr Ray and Mr Sid. I started in the stores department. It was a Ford dealers and sometimes I would be sent out on my bicycle to fetch parts from main Ford dealers. This could mean going as far as Staines or Twickenham. The stores manager was Pat, an ...see more
My memories of Byfield, where I lived on the brand new council estate, in Lovett Road, are idyllic. I was there from age 6 to 10, then we moved to York. We children had to walk what seemed like miles, in all weathers, to the village school which was on the opposite side of the village. Passing the sweet shop on Dolls Hill, where halfpenny chews, sherbert dips and gobstoppers were the treat of the week, we would race ...see more
I use to live at 287 Oldham Road opposite the Forresters Arms public house. I used to play around with Carl Johnston, Angela McLeavly (known as 'bones' in her teens), Michelle Shaw and Carolin Nicholson, they lived on Frank Street. My memories are of going to the chippy on Oldham Road near the old Midland Bank, and spending time playing on Frank Street, and what we called 'the brew' which ...see more
I remember when my mum, dad and myself moved to Collyhurst. My mum was delighted to be back as she and dad where both born in Collyhurst; she lived in Livsey Street and dad in Pilling Street. We moved from Hulme because dad had a bad chest, so we got a two bedroom flat in Dalton Court where we had great times. Dad use to like playing cards in the Robert Tinker on Dalton Street at dinner times, whilst mum got ...see more
I was a 13 year old boy from Wilmington, North Carolina, USA. My father was a Sergeant in the US Air Force, assigned to Burtonwood RAF Station. We rented a flat at 35 London Rd, Stockton Heath. It was over Mr. Alfred Ward's Butcher Shop. His wife operated the Sweet Shop on the opposite side of the road. Their son was named Terrance. London Road was lined with small shops; several ...see more
My name is Ken Orton and I lived in Thornley from 1947 until 1974, the year I married. I was born in Shadforth but my parents moved from there to Thornley when I was about one month old. We lived at 72, Thornlaw North until 1967 and then moved to 2, St Cuthbert Road, where I lived until I met my wife and married. My childhood in Thornley was a marvellous time and I would not have liked to have lived anywhere ...see more
I remember Joe Wyche very, very well; a very progressive man, and to be frank I owe my success to him.
At age thirteen he hauled me into his office to inform me I was lazy and he was going to make me work. In consequence I did work for fear of my life, and in 1956 came top of the school. This won me a free scholarship to King's School, Macclesfield, an experience that changed a working class lad with his shirt tails ...see more
My earliest memory was at the age of 5. I vividly remember sqeezing through the school railings at the bottom of my garden to go to school. My teacher was a lady called Mrs Malkin, she was very nice and kind to us all in her class. Someone would bring in flowers every day to brighten up the classroom. In those days you would work with a piece of slate and chalk and life could be very strict. ...see more
Powerstock was my local village from 1951 to 1963. We lived at Kings House Farm at the foot of Eggardon Hill. My father Eddie Whitaker farmed (the hill rented and his 13 acres) for 12 or so years before moving to Somerset. I have visited with my family several times over the years and stayed at the Three Horse Shoes pub on one occasion, there I met one of my peers from school and caught up on ...see more
After a time Mother married Charles Gamble, we called him Pop. He left the Merchant Navy and went to work on the Estate for my Grandfather. We got a house at Ospringe it was next door to a water mill. The water used to run down through the street, very unusual it was. There was a pond at the back, I did not like it as there were so many creepy things in it. But we liked living at Ospringe, it was a ...see more
From the age of 48 hours until I was about 18yrs I lived and grew up in Hurley. I have done my fair share of moving around not only England but the world. From the busy, bright lights of London to spectacular, solitary mountains of New Zealand. Now all grown up at age 45, or as grown up as I'm probably ever going to get. Of all the places I've lived Hurley takes some beating. I now visit regularly to spend ...see more
My twin sister and I were born at Church Cottage in 1939. I am the youngest of 9 children born to the Medforth family, 6 of whom are still living. My mum and dad were the caretakers of Brantingham church for nearly 40 years. Dad was the local gravedigger for Brantingham, Elloughton and Ellerker, all done by hand in those days. He also mowed the grass in the churchyard, looked after the ...see more
The late 40's through the mid 50's. Some 50 plus years have now passed, since I was a " kid " on the streets of Burnt Oak. How life has changed. I now sit at my computer ( here in Tennessee, USA ), and have instant access to Burnt Oak and Edgware online, a place where I spent my younger years. Having read the first three accounts of life in Burnt Oak in the 40's and 50's, many memories came to my ...see more
My parents David & Valerie, and younger brother Roger Angus lived at 'Rosevine' opposite the Rectory. The then vicar, Christopher Leach lived in the Rectory with his wife and children Godfrey and Hilary. Additionally, they charitably fostered many children, having a minimum of four guests at any given time if my memory serves me correctly, hence using many of the available bedrooms. When the vicar moved to ...see more
I have put 1947 but infact it is from earlier than that to 1954. I think this was a great place for us as kids as we had freedom and not much parental control, I think mainly due to our parents who had just survived the war years, and thinking how lucky we were all to be alive and not under Hitler. One of my memories was being lifted from the tin bath to watch Spitfires chase 'doodle-bugs' over the village. I ...see more
This story written by Bee Snow 1928-2007 (nee Barbara Whitaker) about her childhood in Evershot,
Dorset.
Reared with three sisters, four brothers, four terriers and a jackdaw, I insisted by the age of five in accompanying this mixed mob on twice daily walks my mother decreed. We ran wild and free over the Dorset countryside. I supose largely tolerated because my father was the local GP.
We were really ...see more
Nearly all my holidays were spent in Kingston Winslow, in the 1950s. I was brought up in London, but would have loved to have lived in K. Winslow. permanently. My family were the Becketts, and lived in a small terraced thatched cottage. My mother used to take me there, or I went with my grandmother, Ada. Sometimes my London cousins would come as well. By the time I was born, my ...see more
I am writing this because I have been back to Clara visiting after I was contacted by Brian and Helen who now live in me Granda's house, they had read my memories of Newburn which mentioned Clara and sent me a message. Me Grandad Cecil Daniel Burrows lived at 1 West View with me Grandma Annie Parker from Gateshead, they brought up seven sons in this two bed end cottage, they kept trying to have a girl and when that ...see more
The place name comes from a narrow bridge over a stream that forms the boundary between Rochdale and Wardle on Halifax Road, by The Red Lion pub as it was then. Folk who lived in Smallbridge were once called "Sandknockers" apparently from a family called Kitter who knocked the local stone to sand to spread on floors. We lived on the main road opposite the Congregational church with Kitter Street at the ...see more
The parade of shops situated on the right was once the site of a large house called The Rookery, we lived at the Rookery from 1956 -1962. This adjoined the old Procea Products factory where my father worked for many years as a lorry driver/mechanic. Procea was famous for making slimming bread. The Rookery was owned by Procea and split into 3 houses, (we lived in the centre house), Jack Thomsons (manager at Procea) ...see more
At 17 years of age, after interviews at British Railways commercial HQ at Cymric Buildings in Cardiff, I started work as a Booking Clerk at Senghennydd Station, replacing David Sellick who lived overlooking the station in Station Road. David had been called up to do National Service. I lived in Bargoed, travelling each day to Senghennydd via Caerphilly to start work at 6am.
Mr. Hugh E Williams ...see more
I was born at 9 Frederick Street, in 1941, and my earliest memory is of flags, streamers and buntings strung across the street every time a soldier came home 'from the war'.
I don't know why, but the Union Jack flag absolutely terrified me, and still does....I will walk blocks to avoid one flying...but I always go to the cenotaph in Victoria Park on Remembrance Sunday...still terrified of the flags, and yet I am sure, ...see more
I was born in Thorpe Coombe Hospital in 1943, and lived in Corbett Road until I was seven - until I was 4, at number 37, with my mum, nan and grandpa, two aunts and one cousin; then at number 45, just me and my mum. My father was killed in the war, before I was born, and the neighbours down our street gave me a bible and prayer book, in sympathy. My earliest memories are of being put in the laundry ...see more
The ruins of Ashby Castle also hold memories. Some are of sitting at school, gazing morosely out of the window while well-intentioned teachers attempted to impart the joys of adding up using letters. At the ripe old age of 10, I felt that algebra was an unreasonable confusion of reading letters and understanding mathematics to make incomprehensible jumble of otherwise meaningful ciphers. Another reason ...see more
From Ethel Charnock to Ethel Middleton when I migrated and married an Australian.
I was born in 1933 attended St James Church of England, the eldest of four kids, two sisters and one brother. We lived in Needwood Street off Rochdale Road. I was five when we moved into Collyhurst flats, Kingsley Crescent. From having no hot water on tap or electricity, it was like we had moved into a palace. Turn on the tap and hot ...see more
Memories of Wrekenton a mining village in Gateshead, County Durham from my late mother and my memories from the 1950’s My mother was born in Wakes Yard in a mining village called Wrekenton, a village close to the village of Springwell, Gateshead, County Durham, she lived at Eighton Terrace a cobbled street with 2 rows of sandstone built houses, darkly stained due to pollution ...see more
I moved to Abridge in 1950 when I was ten years old. My parents bought the white cottage on the London Road, which had a wooden building next to it. This very soon became The Poplar Cafe, my mother’s dream of riches! I attended the little village school for a year until I passed the 'Scholarship' and went on to Loughton County High School for Girls in 1951. The head teacher, Mr Garner, took the top class (the ...see more
Yes, me and my brother were evacuees. We came from London by steam train to Carmarthen cattle market in 1943. We were met by a crowd of local people offering to let us stay with them, it was very frighenting, we did not know any body. We had a label on our coat to say who we were, there were four of us, two boys and two girls aged 5 to 10 years old. . Mrs Morris took John ...see more
I was a Chiddingfold child. My father was from Milford (Cozens) and his mother and father owned the little newsagents/grocery shop on Manor Road. My mum was from Shackleford (Reffold) and I didn't move far away - Godalming, and some of my siblings still live in Chiddingfold today, my youngest brother in the family home with his family and pops.
I remember the Laggs and taking my first swim in the brook, jumping ...see more
I was brought up at 14, Ingestre Street and always consider myself a Bathside boy. I was very lucky to have my school opposite my front door. Just up the street was Mr.Barneys shop where you could buy 4 black jacks for a halfpenny. There were sherbert flying saucers, rainbow drops - lots of sweets to keep kids happy. One end of Bathside was the railway bridge where, if you heard a train coming, you'd run to the ...see more
I was a student at Dockenfield Manor in the 1940's. Looking back, the entire faculty should have been arrested for child abuse, fraud, and a host of other charges. At the time, the Headmasters name was Dr. Hastings, other teachers included Dr. Franks, (whose every second sentence was "Oh God, please help me"), Mr. Nehoff a Dutchman that may have been a Nazi in disguise, a Miss Saunders (Dr. ...see more
My grandma's unmarried brother and sisters lived in Knott End. Me and my many cousins - all post-war boom babies - would spend many days there in summer. The biggest buzz of all was when the 'Wyresdale' was operating. How I loved that boat! With its double deck and hissing steam pipes (doomed to meet with a tragic end ..) it was to all of us just like another comment said -'Better than any cruise liner'. A ...see more
My granddad, Ron Beeson, was the manager of David Greig shop in Egham High Street from around 1956 until he died. My grandparents, Dad and uncle lived above the shop and my parents met when my mum went to work there. I spent a lot of time at the shop and flat when I was very young and they are some of my earliest memories. To get to the shop from the flat you had to come through the stock room full of boxes and then ...see more
I moved to Stoke Charity in 1965 when just a toddler and lived there with my parents,Teresa (nee Lansley) and Patrick Gray, and my baby brother Martin. Pat worked on the Rank Estate which allowed us to rent Old Keepers Cottage from them. I remember this old house so well as it holds very fond memories for me. It had a large garden with an apple tree, pear tree and plum tree and gooseberry bush so we were ...see more
I was born at The Four Lane Ends but really the only thing which I remember about that is the day we moved to South Market Street. Since then (about '46) I have always been proud to refer to myself as being amongst the "Boysofhetton". My home mates all lived within the three rows of "Officials Houses" which where all identical and comprised of the last 6 houses in South Market Street and the rows of six ...see more
I am Rosemary Harris (now Davies) and I was born in Livingstone Road in 1943 and was christened at St Stephen’s Church. I attended Hounslow Town Infants and Juniors and then Bulstrode Girls School from 1955-1960, the Headmistress was Mrs Collins. As we lived opposite Inwood Park, it was the place where my sister and I always played in the playground that had swings, roundabouts, a slide and ...see more
I was born Marilynne Thompson at 17, The Lynch, Polesworth in January 1952. My mam and dad, Peg and Geoff Thompson both worked at Ensor's brickyard. When I was about two or three years old we moved to a cottage belonging to the firm in Tamworth Road. I believe the rent was 5 shillings a week. My dad was a keen fisherman and I followed in his foosteps with a fishing net. The nets didn't last forever and I ...see more
It is worth looking closely at the people in the pictures within the Frith Collection, as you never know who you might recognise. Within this photograph you can see a couple of ladies sat on a bench, and in the distance a man with two children, a boy and a girl. The lady sat on the bench on the left is my mother Molly, sat next to my grandmother. The man in the distance is my father Fred, ...see more
I grew up in Langstone, living at 'Longleat' on Catsash Road from 1961-1973. I attended Langstone Primary School from 1964-1969 and then Caerleon Comprehensive from 1969-1973. 'Longleat' was one of the four semi-detached houses at the north end of the road and was the third from the end. Running behind the houses was a small stream that originated as a spring in the field north of the house and ended ...see more
At sixteen I owned a three wheeler convertible that with a bit of bending of the law sixteen year olds were allowed to drive. Plus the fact that the coppers didn't know how the law stood exactly. The car was a Powerdrive, coming towards you it looked like a sports car, going away it looked and sounded like a motor boat. It had a twin two stroke engine, chain driven and was too heavy. It should have been called ...see more
Billy's Greengorcer - a small shop on the corner of Hebron Street where you could buy fruit and veg, and almost anything else. In those years there was not an awful lot of choice.. two lots of potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, and lovely spring cabbage (although I hated anything green at that time). Billy Greenwood was a very enterprising older (at least he seemed very old, but probably only about 40 ) purveyor of ...see more
Now here's a place with some very happy memories. Beyond the field with the cows in was the BICC cricket ground (factory chimney in the background) - if you look closely the white building to the right of the picture was (and still is) the club, bar and changing rooms. To the left in the middle of the picture you can see the white sightscreens used by the cricketers in the summer. To the left of ...see more
Probably around 1964 for about three years I worked at Jennetts Restaurant at the Dorking crossroads, as a waiter, for Mr Lesley Hargreaves and his poodle, Trudy. In those days we did flambe cooking at the tables. The head waiter was John Rabbets from Hastings. Jim, the gardener from Epsom would also officiate as wine waiter, when he could drag himself away from the sporting life in the greenhouse. The ...see more
The area known as Dan Y Parc is probably better known as the property of the Sandiman Family. They had a very large house which they vacated in the 1950's, and the house was demolished at the same time. I know very little of the history of the area or the family. Dan Y Parc memories begin for me in 1950 when my mother, myself and sister moved to the abandoned American Army Camp. The land which it ...see more
I lived in Tidworth in Wylie Road from 1966 to early 1968. Of course we were an army family.
I remember some guys; Woody (Nigel Wood) & his elder brother Steven (also known as Woody).
There was Gilly & Crow who hailed from South Tidworth. I remember the cinema & the bowling alley. There was a local band known as 'The Poppy People' who had a regular gig at - if my memory serves me well - a ...see more
My grandma was a Bell before she married Harry Davison and eventually went to live in South Market Street. She, her parents and siblings had lived at 32 Caroline Street, until they all married. Lizzie Maddison (my great-aunt and grandma's sister), her husband Lindsay and her brother Alex then lived there after the death of their parents in the 1930s. One of my duties in the 1950s was to take flowers to put on ...see more
I grew up in Southall in the 1940s and 50s. We lived in Gordon Road in a terraced house that backed onto The Tube. We had an outside toilet, no bathroom and, until I was about 6, no electricity. At the age of 5 I could change a gas mantle. My mother continued to live there until she passed on in 1989.
Two doors away was Mrs Ridgewell's grocery shop and on the corner there was a greengrocer's. I recall being ...see more
I have many memories about the old St Mary's Church. Until I started thinking of them I realised that I have not got one involving a rainy day apart from when my Grandad was buried in the churchyard. He was laid to rest with his younger brother who died in the First World War and my late Grandmother. I still visit the grave from time to time. Both I and my brother were baptised at the old St ...see more
I spent the first eleven years of my life in Tottenham. We lived above the PDSA dispensary in Seven Sisters Road. My father worked for the PDSA as a vet, and I remember very clearly the queues of people waiting to have their pets treated free of charge. My mother used to take my brother, sister and me to Finsbury Park often, and to the Rec. Many photos were taken of us on the Green. My great-grandmother ...see more