Parkeston memories
Here are memories of Parkeston and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Parkeston or a Parkeston photo.
Una Rd
I was brought up in Una Rd in the 1960's and 70's. My mother still lives in the same house after more than 50 years. One thing that always strikes me now when I visit are the number of cars. I can still name the people who owned a car and the type of car it was in Una Rd when I was a child. Probably only seven cars maximum!
Two Morris Minors, an Austin A35 van, Wolseley 1500, Reliant Regal van ( 3 wheeler), Ford Anglia, yellow and white, with american style spare wheel holder on the back and a Heinkel bubble car. We did not own a car which grieved me terribly as I have always loved cars!
On Sunday morning there would be what seemed to me dozens of people all dressed up in their best clothes, complete with 'walnut whip' hats for the ladies. All heading off for either of the two churches in the village. If I waited by the front gate, Mr Bell... Read more
Memories of Essex
I Know That Car
Born in Harwich in 1940, I have many fond memories of Church Street both as a schoolchild and as a teenager. The car parked on the left of the picture is an Alvis estate car which had the exceptionally nice wooden side panelling. It is parked outside David Wills, the baker, and did in fact belong to Mr Thomas Wills, who I always called "Mr Tom". It was used for the daily bread and cake run to his sister's shop, who was always known as Miss Florrie, at Tollgate, opposite Ernie Gant's farm. Mind you this was in the day's when bread really tasted like bread...
My Family
My father's family moved to Harwich in the early 1900's to cottages below Upper Dovercourt Church and lived there for many years. I was born in 1950 when my parents lived in Ramsey then we moved to Valley Road. I still have family in the Harwich/Dovercourt area. I come down to the area for holidays and stay at one of the caravan sites. Since I moved I have come back on holiday and seen some big changes: the road from Parkestone roundabout to Harwich and the shopping area off Barthside mud/the building onto the low road to Tollgate.
Little Oakley (The Dolly Houses)
Just before I left school in July 1948 I with my mother, cousin Isabel, and aunt Hannah travelled down from Gateshead to visit my aunt Susie and uncle Don who lived in the dolly houses in Little Oakley. I recall there were a number of prefab houses nearby. I haven't been back since however several years ago I wrote about this visit to the Harwich local newspaper (Harwich and Manningtree) and I received replies from several residents. My uncle Don worked as a blacksmith's striker and in his spare time was an excellent painter. He and his workmate partner the blacksmith, who was a very good photographer their photo appeared in the local paper in 1964. I had two cousins I never met. Peggy and Teddy. Teddy was in the Merchant Navy and Peggy married and lived in Stone in Staffordshire. My cousin Isabel is now living in Molesey in Surrey.
Les May - lsmy59@aol.com
Childhood Visit
In 1953, while we were staying in a caravan park at Felixstowe in the summer holidays, just to the landward side of the level crossing, we went to Harwich and visited David Wills baker's shop as David Wills was my mother's half uncle. Incidentally we had stayed in a caravan the previous year too at Felixstowe, and what I remember especially was that the flower beds which had been full of flowers in 1952 were bare in 1953 as the salt from the flood had killed all the flowers.
Palm Court
I remember walking along the promenade to the Pavilion. To continue our walk we had to go through the Pavilion. If my memory is correct it had a glass roof and front window and there were some palms and what seemed to a six-year-old huge greenhouse plants. I thought it was a most glamorous place. I remember the words Palm Court. Was it ever called Palm Court?
Ruth Wright (nee Ashman)
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