Northampton memories
Here are memories of Northampton and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Northampton or a Northampton photo.
Evacuation 1940 - 1944
Our whole family were evacuated from Bow, London, to Kingsthorpe in November 1940. This was following the sudden sad death of my father in July 1940 and the blitz that began in September 1940. On our arrival the family was split up and taken to three different council houses. Mum was with a widow Mrs. Rose Jolley (she later married again to a man named White) at 173, Kingsland Avenue. My brother Len, myself Albert and younger sister Evelyn were with a Mr. & Mrs. Middleton at 47 Western Avenue (?) and our eldest sister May was about two or three doors away with a Mr. & Mrs. Percival. The Middletons had at least two children, there was a Peter & Joy. Mrs. Jolley had two daughters, Olive & Doris. Doris a married neighbour, Bert Lorriman, who was serving in the R.A.F. and I believe Olive married a chap named ? Hillier who was in the Navy. I remember our first winter was very bad and I'm sure the snow... Read more
Memories of Granparents Harry Hill Lily Richardson
My grandparents hailed from Kingsthorpe and Northampton. They came to Toronto, Ontario in 1907. Grampa ran his own business plaster ornamental mouldings. He did work all around Toronto specifically The Royal Alexandria Theatre in Toronto. I have many happy memories of my grandparents. Grampa always called me "the little nipper". His parents lived at 5 Vicarage Lane. Grampa Harry lost two brothers in WW1. He always told my mother a story of going through the cemetery late at night when he was a child (the cemetery was very close to the house) and a goat being there. He thought it was a ghost and ran like the devil! Mom and I enjoyed a visit to Kingsthorpe in 1998. His father Samuel was a plasterer. My gr-grandmother Ellen Reed was still living during the war and got to meet her nephew George Hill who was serving with the Royal Canadian Engineers. She thought he was her son George who had died in WW1 aboard the HMS Good Hope. My uncle George... Read more
Geo Robinson
Does anyone know of George Robinson of Wootton. Apparently he survived WW1, but witnessed the shrapnell hit on my grandfather Harry Walden service No.3/10333 KIA 22-7-1916. I would be interested in any info on George as I have none other than this.
Thanks in anticipation Harry Walden.
Weston Favell Upper School 1966-1970
I went to Weston Favell Upper School in 1966 aged 11 of which I have very fond memories. I left at the age of 15 in 1970. In that time Weston Favell was on the Eastern edge of Northampton in Booth lane, The school was so small it only had 9 classes, 2 in each of the first 4 years and 1 in the fifth year. The Weston Favell Centre and the so called Eastern District, was not then built. I can remember sitting in the music room which was on the first floor at the back of the school, we could then sit in the room and see the farmers ploughing their fields. Today at the age of 55 I still live near the school and drive past it many times and I now look at the school with sadness as they have now built it into a very large school and the original part of the school has now been knocked down. I suppose that's progess but it stills... Read more
Twentieth Century Club And Memories of Bygone Times
I was born in Northampton in 1940, and lived there until December 1953. Both my dad and mum were Northampton born and bred, but while my mum's family go way back in time in the area, my dad's family mostly originated from London. However, dad was fairly well known due to being in the local boxing club, and playing in the Northampton brass band. In any event, he married my mum in 1939, and was almost immediately called up, due to the war commencing. During the following war years, my brother Michael was born, (mid war baby), and my other brother David was the inevitable demob baby. When dad was demobbed, we had already moved into a house in Grafton Place off Grafton Street, and then lived there until we moved to Dagenham Essex in 1953. My real memories of Northampton started after the war really, and we were probably the last generation to have real freedom, to be able to go to the parks, Saturday morning pictures, and virtually... Read more
Gwendoline Hodges
It is as if my grandmother Gwendoline Edith Hunt, nee Hodges, has ceased to exist. For years and through various forums I have searched for information about her and her family (Wooton locals....Horace and Ethel Hodges who lived at Resthaven Road for many years) yet have had no luck. She is listed as having died at the age of 30 in 1941 at Parkfield Avenue.
There is a bit of a sad tale, that she left 3 of her 4 children (one of which was my father) and put them on a bus to another relative, they were in foster care for many years. The other child, nobody seems to know what happened to her.
So many questions, unanswered due to being unable to find any living relatives of hers. My father's family seem to have either selective memories or none. Foster care documents cite that she tried to contact her children prior to her death, but she was prevented by my grandfather who by all accounts was a... Read more
Memories of War - The Forgotten Casualties (1) - by Patricia Bolter
I am entering these memories on behalf of my mother in law - Patricia Ross (nee Bolter)
Running to meet Dad, just a young man, in uniform for the first time coming home to show us in pride. Providing for the family had been difficult, even tried sweeping snow. I have listened to "The Little Boy That Santa Clause Forgot", could only cry "I don't want my Dad to go away" but what does a 4 year old really understand. We had watched Dad and Uncles dig a shelter in our yard and played getting into it quickly, it was dark and damp. Mum fell down the steps but we were "SAFE. Save The Children? What have we learned? Fetching Granny and relatives to share our shelter for the first air raid, cushions on head for protection from shrapnel. Naive . .
Issued with Mickey Mouse gas masks in a cardboard box with a shoulder string, the smell of rubber, no understanding of why they are necessary.
When Young
goint to the Savoy Cinema to see and hear the Compton Organ, the cinema has now been bought by thr Jesus people & restored to its 1930,s decoration.
the name of Alan Ashton rings a bell, was he conected to the Savoy/ABC cinema years ago.
the town has altered quite a lot since those days of the 1940/50,s not as i like it these days.
i am in my late years now (75) but love the past.
Memories of Northamptonshire
Hardingstone School
I went to the old school now the village hall in 1969. I was there for 3 years as an infant before going to the new school on Martins Lane in 1972. The new school was opened in 1971 I believe as my sister was the first intake and I can just about remember it. It was definately not built in 1955 as the photo indicates.
I lived at 4 Ansell Way from 1965 until 1977 and had the most fantastic childhood there. I can remember joining the local Cubs & scouts which was based to the right of the old school down a pathway that now leads to Delepre golf course.
The school buried a time capsule in 1976 in the school grounds which contained objects of the day and letters from us kids. Not sure if it has since been found?
Mr Joe Deer was the Headteacher at the time along with teachers such as David Blake, Mrs Page, Mrs Sue Robjohns, Miss Beech,... Read more
School Holidays at Abington Park
I was born in 1951 in Lutterworth Road, Northampton just a 5 minutes' walk from one of the most beautiful parks in the country - Abington Park. Originally part of the Wantage family estate, it boasted a museum (formerly the Manor House), a church, three lakes, aviaries, and a bandstand. It was a truly magical place for a young boy in the 1950s. During the annual summer school holidays, I would be found with the rest of my Barry Road Primary School gang in the park (apart from the Aanual family holiday to Margate). An average day spent in the park would be something as follows: After breakfast I'd head for Sid Child's, the newsagents, on the corner of Lutterworth Road to buy my 'ammunition' (3 rolls of 1p caps) for my six-shooters and 'rations' (sweets - 1 lucky bag, 4 fruit salads, 4 black jacks). With my supplies I'd head to the 'Monkey House' in the park to meet the rest of the gang, I never quite found out what... Read more
My Mother's Cousin
When I was a child my friend and I used to go and stay with a cousin of my mother's and I'm quite sure this was at Little Billing. The name of the people was Gray and the lady's name was Gladys, (called Glad) and I have a photograph of her wedding. The man's may have been Bill, but I'm not sure.They lived on a farm that was near the Sewage Works and just down the road from a canal. I remember that there were Italian Prisoners of War working at another farm down the road. My surname at that time was Bellamy. If anyone out there remembers the Grays, my mother's name was May Capps from Burton Latimer.
Great Grandmother
My great grandmother was born in Great Houghton in 1868. She married Charles Neville and moved to Swanscombe in Kent. She had four children at the time of the 1901 census, the eldest of whom was nine.
All I know is that her name was Lizzie! I need to do some research to find her maiden name and to see if any relatives of "Lizzie" live in the area.
I now live 20 miles from Great Houghton, having been born in Dartford, Kent. She and I have crossed paths!
Car Project.
The Morris car depicted in the photograph was overhauled and bodied by my late father, Arthur Parker, in 1951-2. He had removed the body from a c1937 Morris 8 van, overhauled the mechanics and the chassis, and built from scratch a new shooting brake style body. As a 7-year old I was thrilled to be able to help with the work and immensely proud of the result. Unfortunately, when father came to register the car the authorities decided to demand the full purchase tax which hadn't been levied on the original pre-war commercial vehicle. This sum, in the hard times of the early 1950s, was difficult to find and the Morris sadly had to be sold to cover it.
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