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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Add a Memory!

It's easy to add your own memories and reconnect with your shared local history. Search for your favourite places and look for the 'Add Your Memory' buttons to begin

Tips & Ideas

Not sure what to write? It's easy - just think of a place that brings back a memory for you and write about:

  • How the location features in your personal history?
  • The memories this place inspires for you?
  • Stories about the community, its history and people?
  • People who were particularly kind or influenced your time in the community.
  • Has it changed over the years?
  • 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:

...and hundreds more!

Enjoy browsing more recent contributions now.

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I was born in 1952 and lived in Gildersome until I was 19 years old. My name until then was Lorraine Thompson. I have many happy memories of living in the village. Until I was 4 years old I lived in a terrace called Green Terrace located opposite the Junction Inn and next to the village green. I have vivid memories of my mother, Doreen, using the communal wash-house with dolly tubs and mangles on Monday, ...see more
My name is Tom Smith. I was born in 17 Gervis Rd, Collyhurst Flats in August 1945. My dad was Jack Smith and my mam was Ada; there were 6 kids, John, Mary, James, (me) Andrew, and Arthur. To me the flats were a maze to play in for hours when it was wet. When the sun shone we played cricket out front using a lamp-post as a wicket, an old board as a bat, and usually an old popped tennis ball, ...see more
We were raised in a pit house on Springfield (sometimes 'Avenue') near the far end of Ings Lane, in the fifties. It was a small street, only 6 houses. 2 or 3 keys would open both front and back doors (and the coal-house) of the whole street; but you hardly ever locked the door anyway. Often our small 'gang' walked over the lane towards Broomhill where there was a small wood. We would pinch a ...see more
One of the shops I remember well was Fosters. It was like a mini department store. We had some of our clothes from there. You could buy things and pay so much a week. It was how we lived then. It was quite normal for us. We had stuff either from shops like that or catalogues, "club books" we used to call them. My auntie Lottie in Station Road ran one and our next door neighbour, June. You could ...see more
These days Greylake's claim to fame is the council tip where people get rid of their rubbish, but when I was a little girl it was one of the greatest places in the world to me. If you go a couple of fields past the tip and look through the gateways you will come to a gate where nothing grows properly in a strip down the field. This is where the drove led down to two houses that belonged to my Granny Frampton ...see more
Wolverton brings back fond memories of my British Railways apprenticeship. I spent about 12 great months in the carriage works when I was 20 years old during 1961. In those days it was quite a journey travelling from Harrow via Euston to Wolverton. It was also quite a shock when I arrived at Wolverton station, probably for both me and the locals. In Harrow we hadn't long dropped the Teddy Boy clothes and joined ...see more
My grandmother was born in Tring in the late 1800s and was married in Tring Church on Christmas Day in 1909.  Her grandfather was a very peculiar character and had to be taken to the village pump for his weekly wash and he used to sit on the wall to jeer at  the churchgoers.  He was known as Grampy Rodwell.  Once a week free bread was given out and he always was the first in the queue and used to bag his loaf by poking ...see more
I moved to Burnt Oak in May 1940, to 84 Fortescue Road. I was 4. My memories are like a batch of video clips, as follows: Moving in. Removal men trying to get a wardrobe into the front bedroom by hauling it up from the outside. Workmen deposited a load of bricks and planks on the green outside our house, to build a blast shelter. We kids built a den out of these materials, with loose ...see more
My Mum and Dad moved into the village in the 1930's into a new house in Rogers Lane and lived there for 66 years.  My father was the village tailor working from a workshop in the back garden.  My mother was very involved in the village life, joining the WI and also the secretary of the Old Peoples club for a while.  Also a member of the local tennis club.  My father was a Special Policeman during and ...see more
This is a very exciting discovery for me because it is one of the oldest photographs I have seen of a part of old Alcombe that I can recognise, even at my great distance from the UK. My Great-Grandfather, George Mildon had a school at Alcombe from the year of his marriage to Alice Frankpitt in 1874. He evidently bought the school from a Francis Ransome who had lived there with his wife Ann, their 4 children, his ...see more
I remember living at no 41, Louise Road, Stratford E15, during the Blitz, and attending Water Lane School. At school each day as the teacher called out our names for Attendance, I noticed how each day the class became less and less. We were encouraged to have lunch at school (if our mums could afford it), fortunately for me mine could, but for my little friend Chris had to go home ...see more
Great to read comments from Lynn Reynolds about Rochester Dwellings. When I was 5 to 6 years old (195O..ish), I lived in the 'dwellings' with my grandparents in 'R' Block. There were some of the first tenants in the dwellings in about 1936. Each house had an inside 'stick tinder box'. My grandparents had some lovely oil-type looking matching paintings of english country hunting scenes in ...see more
The photograph of Bigby Street in the Collection prompted these memories as the building on the near left is the front of the School. As a boarder at the Manor House Convent School there are many memories.   The pleasure of listening to the bell ringing practice from the church opposite my dormatory window and wondering if any of the bells were founded at Taylor's in my home town of Loughborough.   The ...see more
Further to my other memories. I have just found a picture of My Father & I having just returned from Brick Lane. Everyone knows Petticoat Lane by Aldgate East Station. My Dad avoided it because he thought it sold mostly tat. We would always go further on to where all the Debris around Brick Lane were situated. On these ex bomb sites were 100s of stalls selling everything from China-plates (seeing those ...see more
I was born in 21 Newtons Lane, Cossall, in 1936, and my paternal grandparents lived in Ilkeston Junction. I now live 1000's of miles away in the City of Sunshine, eight miles west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and have done for the past 60 plus years. But my memories of Cossall are strong, The old 'Cossa' pit and Colonel Hewlitt; attending the old Cossall School that was on the Ilkeston side of the ...see more
Whilst staying with my Grandparents (Weekes) of College Road, I liked to play down the bottom of the road with my friends (I was about 8 years of age at this time) - playing steppy stones in the mud of the river - a very dangerous thing to do as a child. This particular time I slipped into the mud of course, which was  very smelly, filthy & deep, thick with oil from the ships and tug boats (Tilbury Docks being ...see more
I have mentioned in passing that Intake did not have the same panache as say Balby, Hexthorpe or Armthorpe in places of entertainment but it did provide some wide open spaces to play in. Over the Armthorpe Road opposite Flint House, there was the disused sand quarry of the Brick Marketing Company which was being used by the local authourity for dumping the Borough's rubbish and this was a ...see more
I was only a toddler when a light plane landed in the cricket field beyond the allotments at the bottom of Regent Street. Everybody around dashed down to see the spectacle. Few had seen an aeroplane actually on the ground. It was common to run outside to see one actually in the air. (This was before W.W. II, when it was possible to count dozens or estimate up to a hundred or more.) The pilot ...see more
My family and I lived in Forge Cottage (known to us as the Blacksmith's Cottage) from about 1962 to 1964, whereafter we emigrated to Canada. I have fond memories of the cottage and its low ceilings, the Aga in the kitchen, the huge garden which bordered a school (St Michael's?), and of course the church up the road where we went once a week. I remember playing in the garden and finding pieces ...see more
Hi I'm Mike Foster and I was born in Chalfont St Peter in Feb 1936. My mother who had two children; me and my sister, had no where to live. She was offered by some charitable source a two up two down home on the main road between Hamiltons the chip shop and the Rose and Crown pub. It was part of a block of 4 terraced cottages with a communal back yard. The house was wet, cold and infested with every living ...see more
We lived in Back Lane probably from 1954 to 1958. I went to the local village school where Mrs Larter taught me italic writing (still commented on to this day) and Mr George was the headmaster. My elder sister was in Mr Stacey's class. When we walked home from school we walked past Milton's cottage up to Three Households. I remember dancing round the maypole on the green - on May Day, I presume. ...see more
1970 - 1984: As you look at this photo the last building on the right, the barn like cottage with the small window, is Rose View. My mum and dad bought it for £1,000 in 1970, and set to work modernising it as I was due 1971 and my brother 1975.  When they purchased the cottage it was a 1 up and 1 down, no electric or inside running water and the toilet was up the far end of the garden.  My Dad built the double extension ...see more
1971 - 1984: Whilst I lived in village the Post Office was where you got all you needed in an emergency. As a little one, I personally loved the vending machines on the wall. In those days we all used to be sent out for groceries even as young ones, as the village was safe and everyone knew each other.  Where the barn is, on the right, the old peoples' flats were built, and the ladies and gentlemen used to stand ...see more
Sometimes on the way to the Green we would watch the men walking up and down the Bowling Green. They really took things seriously! The Green was mown to precision and I'm sure the bloke that cut it measured the length of the grass with a ruler! We were amazed! When the bowler would prepare to bowl my brother and I would shriek and put him off his run or whatever you call it! Since we did this most ...see more
When I saw this photo of the road leading to the beach, I could literally smell the sand and the sea. I felt the excitement of a five year old, armed with bucket and spade. Further up from the beach but on the same road, there was a large white house with a long path from its gate. This was the shop, or 'cafe' as we called it. It sold toys, newspapers and books, amongst other things. I loved visiting there every ...see more
I lived most of my life in Sible Hedingham, as a family we moved there from London in 1962.  I was just 2 years old at the time. My father Robert Farren, "Bob" as he was best known and my mother Ivy, took over the licence of The White Lion, Church Street.  Growing up I never imagined that I would ever live anywhere but there.  My parents retired after 28 years behind the bar.   The White Lion can be seen in ...see more
Opposite the post office at the end of the parade of shops was a dry cleaners owned by what I thought was a rather posh lady who would call me Poppet. My mother cleaned house for them and sometimes I would be taken along to keep me out of mischief. They had two boys that went to private school and were only home for school holidays. Though they were older than me I found they acted a bit young. ...see more
1970's and 80's: We had a great childhood playing at this end of the village. It was quiet except for the cars of people that lived up here. Everyone knew each other. My old house is in the background, all you can see is the gable end and the chimney. In the 1970's the Fowlers lived next door and they had the orchard behind, which they later sold and a bungalow was built there.  On the hedge that you can see ...see more
Oh I know it always seemed so huge and scary, with its giant red doors, but my brother and I had such fun in the churchyard climbing the trees and exploring the broken tombs and crypts. Pretty scary as I always expected a monster to grab me and take me down inside never to be seen again! I think the horror movie of the time was about zombies and living dead and stuff! We also used to pick the daffodils and sell ...see more
I was brought up in Claughton Village (Wirral) and in the holidays as children we regularly walked through Bidston Hill to Thermopylae Pass.  We would spend all day on the Hill and at Thermopylae and walk home at the end of the day exhausted and happy after playing and running about all day.  At the time we didn't know its real name, and called it The Moppoly Paths.  Sometimes we called it "The Mops".  The grandmother of a ...see more
The Queen's Head is little changed - maybe a horse trough on the pavement but the front of the building is pure English village pub! It was the starting point for many a village pub crawl and some fun times pushing wheelbarrows of tipsy teenage friends on charity fundraising days in the 1960's. Some of the black and white photographs of these adventures can still be seen hanging on the wall in the gents at ...see more
play field at the top of Westway. The fun and games we had as kids up to 1946, helping those friendly German prisoners build fairfield housing estate. We moved to 43 Westway in about 1948, My farther Horace, Waterhouse. Mother Lucy, Brothers Barry and Eric, I think Keith was borne there, In winter we would go sledging down Land street down to the Pump Well. Is it Still there.? I remember when the snow melted the ...see more
My Nan and Grandad often took myself and my twin sister to visit his mother and brother in Blackheath (Lamb Lane) and to their local shop. Wow, sweets galore! Lovely smelling cooked meats, it was great! I always remember the walk from the station near some playing fields, then walking into the shop and seeing my great grandmother standing there with her big smile and her pinny. I don't think it's there anymore. ...see more
My parents had what they called their 'shopping account' with Barclays in Sunningdale - the main account was in Weybridge. About once a week my mother would go into Barclays to withdraw cash, and I would love to go with her. Inside was a magnificent wooden counter which ran the length of the banking hall. It was topped with a metal grill which divided the clients from the clerks (and of course the cash). My mother ...see more
Attended Houghton Road Junior School, then in 1944 the Hill School. Lived 45 Windsor Street. Memories going to school eating breakfast of bread and dripping, transporting a ton of coal from the street to the coal house at back of house. Watching my grandfather roastng a Hedgehog after covering it all over in clay. Going down to King Street (?) once a week to get a bowl of soup for one penny, though ...see more
We lived at Bury Meadows Farm, Roading Brook Road, Harwood near Bolton Lancs, by the time I'd written that down everybody else had been waiting ages at Bradshaw School. My sister Janet and I had many happy years at Bradshaw School with our cousins, John and Margaret Dewhurst who lived at Springfield on Roading Brook Road. Mr and Mrs Barker ran the school as headteachers. My first teacher was Miss Ivel. I ...see more
During my chidhood I was to perform lots of different tasks that would make life for my mother a little easier. I did not know it at the time but she was actually training me for my working life. Not only did I run errands, help turn the handle of the mangle on wash day, chop sticks for the fire, fill the coal bucket and fetch and carry whatever was required, I also bred rabbits for the ...see more
My Grandparents Jack and Edna Williams ran The Blue Cap Hotel in Sandiway during my youth and my fondest memories are there, of Rooms 6 and 7, which would be allocated to my sister and I during our stays. There were garages out in the parking lot, one of which was turned into a temporary stable for my horse one summer. The Cheshire Hunt used to leave from the Hotel and although at the time I was too young to ride ...see more
Life for a child in the village of Worle in the 1950s was exciting, parochial and safe. Our parents did not lose sleep over thoughts of us being molested. Children were more likely to be in danger from their own recklessness than anything else, and so our parents were able to allow us freedom to roam happily. My great friends, Kaye, Mim and I had a wonderful time. As Kaye remarked, at my 50th birthday party, we ...see more
I was born at the Louise Margaret Hospital at Aldershot while my father was RSM at Longmoor, then of course the home of the well known Longmoor Military Railway. I was christened at the St Martin's Garrison Church. Last time I visited Longmoor the site of the church was just grass but with the trees still standing that were around it, it may have changed again since. Dad was RSM there from 1950 to ...see more
My wife came across John Baylies memories of Jack Spence. I was the little lad who also helped bring water from the spring. I only lived over the fields and was always down the lake, I remember the rowing boats blue & white ones. The Royal Iris was a large boat, it took day trippers around the lake for a shilling. People came from miles around to enjoy the countryside and the fun of the fair. In those days ...see more
After the war in 1946 my father, a sergeant in the MPSC, was transfered to Darland camp in Gillingham but as there were no married quarters available there we, as a family, were billeted in the Coastguards quarters on the Isle of Grain. These were a row of houses with a bedroom in the attic from which we could see across the Medway to the Isle of Sheppy. I went to the village school briefly for a year, and was also ...see more
I spent many summers at Torwoodlee Lodge with my Nanny (Jessie Scott Stewart) and a great uncle, Robert Brockie. As soon as school was out Mum, one of my brothers and myself would pack and catch the train to Glasgow, another to Edinburgh and finally board the bus headed for Galashiels. We'd get off at Torwoodlee Lodge which was within walking distance of Galashiels. What great times we ...see more
I was born and bred in Llandrygarn, I lived at Cwter Hywel, I've really only got good memories of my childhood living in Llandrygarn, when you consider that you had to make your own entertainment. My friends were a group of lads including Sion Tryfil, Arwel Cwm, Neil and Dylan Llynfaes. Apologies if I left anyone out! The fact that Sion lived on a farm meant there was never a shortage of activities and adventures, ...see more
Mrs Barrett, the Post Mistress at that time, gave me a 1947 farthing for luck when I joined the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in June 1952. She said she had given one to village lads in WW2 and most of them came back, so look after it. I went to Suez and came back and it is still on my key ring.
I cannot be specific as to the date of the Queen's visit because I was very young at the time. On the left hand side of the road you can see what was at one time the post office but which later became a carpet shop.  On the right hand side of the road (slightly obscured) was Harold Jones's coal merchants yard and next door to it was the green grocers shop which was run by his wife.  Everyone was very excited ...see more
I was born in Slaugham at No1 Carpenters Arms in 1961.  It was the very last house on the right hand side before the White Gate.  What a great time all of us kids had and I hope they share fond memories like I do.  The Talmans, The Shoplands and then of course us, The Bottings.  There were 5 girls, 4 older and 1 younger,  and then 5 boys, 2 older and then 3 younger.  My fondest memories are of playing ...see more
I have lots of fond memories of Cayton Bay as a child in the late 1960s/70s, the only place we knew and loved. Mam had a caravan there, following in her mam's footsteps. We loved to get there in the school holidays, even the 3 hour journey there with all us kids taking turns to share the sick bucket didn't put us off going. We all crammed in my Uncle Bill's car, God knows how we all fitted in but ...see more
My brother in law was to look after pigs at a farm which I believed belonged to a Major Wills in Thatcham. Now it was the summer time and as far as I can recall my sister had not long since had a baby and that she was somewhat depressed where she'd write a letter asking of my mothers help. We lived in Yorkshire, where Mother decided to take me with her and enroll me within a school there. I was something of a ...see more
I lived in Langdale House, Salford. It was a block of masonettes, there were two other blocks on the same road, Patterdale and Ennerdale. We lived on the 3rd floor, overlooking a small play park and a row of tiny one bedroomed bungalows. I went to Mount Carmel school, which was just near Boots The Chemist which was on a corner on Regent Road. We used to walk from Oldfield Road right up to the top of Regent ...see more