Ongar memories
Here are memories of Ongar and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Ongar or a Ongar photo.
Secondary School
I went to Ongar Secondary School in th 1950s. Does anyone have any photos of the school as I know it is no longer there?
Our Old Pub
My family used to run this pub. First, a Jane Tanner in the 19th century and then my great grandfather, Charlie Green in the 1920s. He also ran The Kings Head in Ongar for many years, leaving in the 1940s.
Small Church in Ongar
Hey there, can anyone help me please. My mum is trying to find a small church in Ongar which comes off the Ongar Road, it's on the right hand side and it has a gravel lane, the church is at the end of the gravel lane with a field on the left hand side. I would be very grateful if anyone can help to offer me any information with regard to this. Many thanks. Sarah
Ongar High Street
My mother had a hairdressing shop on the high street and one corner of the shop had a few books that we used as a small library. I was in boarding school, but on vacations and weekends I'd help with loaning out the books. We lived in North Weald at the time and I'd catch the bus at Tylers Green to make the 15 minute ride into Ongar. Some times I'd ride my bicycle from North Weald, through Ongar towards Brentwood to go swimming. I also remember that there was a friend of a friend who lived on Ongar High Street and had a small swimming pool that I went to once.
Ongar Secondary School
Does anyone remember Ongar Secondary School? My maiden name was Marner, I had a brother Fred and a sister Stella, we lived at Cripsey Road, Shelley. I married a Brian Chaston who lived in Rodney Road. We often wonder who is still alive from our school days. We were invited to a school reunion a few years ago but everyone there was younger than us. The school is no longer there. I think it's a sports centre now. My parents Fred and Irene Marner moved to Marconi Bungalows about 1962. Dad worked at the radio station. My father-in-law Len was station master at Ongar rail station. I would love to hear from anyone who remembers us.
Memories of Essex
Fisiting Grandparents
Church Road - there was a row of old ricketty cottages where my grandparents, Thomas and Alice Wilkinson lived. Next door to them was an old lady always dressed in a long black skirt and a hat. She talked to herself and we were half scared of her -but realise now that she was lonely. Miss Prentice used to make lovely home made sweets. The Old Rectory was Edie Talbot's house and the beams were covered up by plaster, I didn't realise it was so lovely.
My grandfather worked on Sweicher's (?) Farm, he was born in Bobbingworth (Bovinger) My grandparents are buried in St, Mary;'s Churchyard but I couldn't find the gravestone last year. My baby uncle Harry is also buried there.
My grandmother used to tell us of the ghost in the vicarage that used to pull up the bedclothes in one of the bedrooms! I think my mother's cousin Peggy, used to run the village shop at one time.
We used to... Read more
Evacuation to Essex
My mother and some of her family were sent/lived in Fyfield Ongar for a short time during the Second World War. They moved there from West Ham in London. Her only memory of where she lived is that it was a large house with swords arranged high up on the walls. Her only other memory is of a pub with the word 'Black' in it - we've located that! Any info will be gratefully recieved.
Outsiders!
My family moved to Cannons Green from London in 1953. We were viewed with some suspicion as there were few outsiders at that time. Who were we, why had we come there?! When I started at the primary school in 1956 my dad would sometimes pick me up in our car. Other kids would usually refuse a lift at first. Gradually we were accepted. Some people remember my mum not only as a Dinner Lady but because her Yorkshire accent was memorable. We left the village in 1968 for a wonderful new life in Australia. We had a great childhood exploring the old airfield, hanging out at the sports Pavillion, mucking about in the snow and finding ways to amuse ourselves with very few resources. In the early days me and my sister, Susan, hung around with Christine Fogg and Susan Bretton; later it was Jenny Carrick. Would respond to anyone who remembers us and contacts me. Joan Johnstone (nee Harwood), Eagle Point, Victoria, Australia.
Stondon Massey - The Place Where I Was Born
I was 5 years old when the Second World War started. My father Alec Lawlor and mother Thirza Booty Lawlor along with my little brother Brian and myself were living in Bristol, West England at the time. Then my dad joined the RAF so my mother elected to go back to Stondon Massey with her family and to live with my grandparents, Bert and Alice (Brace) Booty. Their home was located about half a mile down from the Bricklayers Arms.
I remember my grandmother inviting neighbours over to her home during the evening hours and singing songs as the German planes were dropping bombs all around us, and when the Doodle Bugs and V2 Rockets were being launched by the Germans.
An American Army/Air Force Base was located a few miles to the north of us called Willingale Airdrome. Most of the American servicemen would make their way to the Bricklayers Arms and to the local dance hall at Allens Corner, called 'The Ex-Serviceman's Club',... Read more
My Time Spent in Stondon Massey
My Father Wilfred Buttle and my mother Kathleen Buttle moved to Stondon Massey in the 1930s after being burnt out at Nineashes. We rented a house called Fredelpha House which was owned by the farmer Mr Stiff and Mrs Smith opposite the Bricklayers Arms, in 1940 my sister Janet was born and we lived there until 1969. I remember David Lawler and his family well, in fact I am still in contact with him, he now lives in America and I now live in Australia with my wife Dorothy and 2 sons David & Paul. I have returned to the U.K. on a number of occasions aand have seen many changes. Fredelha House was a semi-detached house and next door lived Hugh Brace whom I went to school with, he now lives in Australia up in Queensland, I live in Victoria, we have visited each other a number of times. Last time I was in England I met up with a few old pals, Peter Sutton, Gordon Night, Kenneth Roast,... Read more
Memorybank total
We're very pleased and excited by your response so far to our "Share your Memories" community.
You've shared 28,895 memories of 5,952 towns & villages across the UK - keep them coming!
Find Memories
Simply search for your favourite places to read others' memories and share your own.
Tips & Ideas
Not sure what to write?
It's easy - just think of an important place in your life and ask yourself:
How does it feature in your personal history?
What are your best memories of this place?
How has it changed over the years?
How does it feel, seeing these old photos of your favourite place?
Do you remember stories about the local community, its history and people?
Start now!
It's easy to add your own memories and reconnect with your shared local history. Search for your favourite places and look for the orange "Add your Memory" icon to begin.
Places this week
Here are some of the places you've shared memories of this week:
- Sedlescombe, East Sussex
- East Ham, Greater London
- Aveley, Essex
- Braunston, Northamptonshire
- Ansdell, Lancashire
- Great Holland, Essex
- Oadby, Leicestershire
- Crawshawbooth, Lancashire
- Severn Stoke, Worcestershire
- Horbury, West Yorkshire
- Romford, Essex
- Boxley, Kent
- Barnston, Merseyside
- Helsby, Cheshire
- Bootle, Merseyside
- Oswestry, Shropshire
- The Green, Cumbria
- Almondsbury, Avon
- Fleetwood, Lancashire
- Netherton, West Yorkshire
- ... and lots more - Browse this week's memories now.
Your memories
To jump straight to the memories you have added already to the Community, click here
I Remember When...
This stunning compilation highlights some of the best stories selected from the thousands contributed here on the
Frith website. The result is an absorbing chronicle of British life from the Second World War to the mid 1960s.
A colourful treasure trove of memories, "I Remember When" is an
irresistible mix of personal stories and recollections that affectionately reveal the detail of everyday life in Britain.
