Pickmere memories
Here are memories of Pickmere and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Pickmere or a Pickmere photo.
Summers Holidays Were Invented For Fishing
I remember as a small kid growing up in England I couldn't wait for the summer holidays to arrive. As the days drew closer I could hardly sleep at night knowing that any day now we would be packing our suitcases and heading to the caravan site for the whole summer, 6 weeks without any school,life was just great.
When the big day arrived we headed out of our house to the bus stop to catch the number 14 bus to Pickmere (back in the early seventies we didn't have a car, noboby did at least
not in the council estate in Manchester where we grew up). We were poor and didn't know it, we were happy. I remember getting on that bus to Pickmere like it was yesterday,the smell of old leather seats and old ladies hair spray and all the men would wear Old Spice and have their hair slicked back with Brylcream.
As the bus pulled out of the bus stop my brother Russell and I... Read more
Wall Hill Cottage - Frog Lane
I used to live in the house opposite the farm called Wall Hill Cottage. I remember picking the damsons from the trees lining the path and sell them to passers by. My parents renovated the cottage from a very run down state then we moved away around 1985/6. When we owned the property we had a large garden and had two donkeys in a paddock at the end. I visited recently (13-Mar-2011) and the cottage hasn't changed much. However the garage my dad built has gone and been replaced by a wooden building and I believe the paddock part of the garden is no longer owned by the cottage. The farm building opposite are now all converted to properties but I remember when their front room was a pig sty!
Remebering Pickmere
I remember long bus rides to my Auntie Molly and Uncle Harry's house, going with my grandad, who was well known around there - He is who I'm trying to gain information of, as my son is interested in his Great Grandad. I have a paper cutting with Samuel Yarwood on Pickmere Lake rowing, a very tranquil picture, and I remember the long days I spent in Auntie Molly's garden picking fruit and apples from her trees, the smell of fresh baked bread and pies, and riding bareback on horses at a local farm. Can anyone remeber Samuel Yarwood? He was an ex soldier in the Cheshire Regiment, he fought in both wars, joined the Police Force and became Det Inspector of the Manchester Police Force, later a publican, a lovely tall, interesting man. If there is anyone with any information please contact me on paula24_79@hotmail.com
Wall Hill Farm, Pickmere
The name of the farm on the right of the photo is Wall Hill Farm, it was my dad's farm until he died in 1979. My auntie used to live in the Blacksmith's cottage across the road opposite until she passed away.
Going to School at G.B. 1940
In the forties, we would cycle past this pond on the left then turn left towards Gt Budwarth [think that's how you spell it], passing a small woodland with sandy banks, eventually arriving at Gt Budworth, down an avenue of trees to the school on the rightl and the Church on the left. I recall a Wishing Well at the bottom of the hill past the Post office.
Mrs Dishman, taught the little ones, she was lovely. The Vicker also every day told us a story about God and Jeasus, at lunch time my friend Joyce Dean and I would hop over the Church wall and put flowers on the graves, somtimes wild ones that grew on places where no one weeded, or maybe borrowing the odd flower from a grave thet had lots [saying a small prayer to make it o.k. with any interested spirit who might be watching].
Brenda Burton of Holly Cottage
It was either 1939 or 1940 when we moved into Holly Cottage, I was two years old, there was a thatched roof and it had been two houses semi det, very primitive, dirt flooring, with a huge stone and I really mean big - THE STONE COULD NOT BE MOVED we were told, as many people had tried in the past. As the house was over 400 years old we decided to live with it, and my Dad [Erny Burton] tiled around it. There was a largish fire place not far from the stone, an open staircase and upstairs we slept in a bedroom with the underside of the thatch showing. Coming downstairs again there was a back door which led you down, by way of a small path to the Lav [as it was then referred to].
The Lav was covered in ivy and there was a long wooden seating arrangement with two holes, one for mums and dads and a smaller one for little girls, like... Read more
The Pond in The 1940s
I recall the row of houses on the left in 1940 to 1947. In the middle lived my friend Elsie Colburn, then on the end lived Joyce Dean, she was at the time one of nine children, we were all born in 1937.
The house on the right was a farm, I cannot remember the name of it, but I do recall where they housed and milked the cows. It was in the days of hand milking, each cow had its own little stall and above was the name of the said cow beautifully engraved. I can even remember some of the names - Daisy, Buttercup and Bluebell.
O to be A Boy Again
I remember Pickmere Lake (pond) where I and my buddies use to bike to with home made fishing rods tied to the crossbar, you could hire a row boat and get the real feel of lake fishing LOL!! Our Mums packed us off with butties and crisps pop was a treat. they assumed we were going to the park for the day, but we off on an adventure.
It was a LONG bike ride and our mums never knew at first that we were out so far biking on a main road to Cheshire.
I am now expat living in Pickering ON Canada for 28 years
Memories of long ago.
Chris
I wonder what it looks like today?
Happy Days
I used to spend my w/ends and school hols at pickmere in the 1950,s ,I used to hire out boats for jack spencer they were the blue and white rowing boats. his boat shed is hiddenby the tree in the foreground,his house is the white one above the tree, the boats in the midground were owned by the Egletons mum dad and two boys, the far distance was cheethams fair, I used to fish behind cheetham moared motor boats to catch small roach for live bait we used them on nightlines that we put out up the lake at dusk and rowed out to collect next morning ,we normal caught 5 or 6 large eels that made very nice eating, we also caught lots of large bream and plenty of perch. I have broken the ice on the lake many a winter and gone in for a swim. I visited the lake in july 2007 for the first time since 1964 what has happened to it ? houses... Read more
The Dodgems
There used to be a little cabin in a corner of the dodgems. My brother Geof used to play. If you remember anything about those days please get in touch. I suppose you could say he was a disc jockey. I would like to know if anyone remembers any of them. Maybe some of the Cheethams kept any of the records. They were good days. The fields all around were covered with tents, me and my mates had a rare old time with the girls. I live about a mile from one of the Cheethams. I will try to see him if he has any of the old records.
Platts Farm
I remember Platts Farm. My gran lived in a bungalow (a wooden hut really) right at the far end of the field. There was a small pond and a little stream running through it. We went there every shcool holidays and I stayed there all through the summer holidays, getting the bus from what is now Chrolton Street Bus station, yes on my own, and then walking down that lane passed the Red Lion pub, the post office and then the general stores. I had a crush on a boy whose family also lived on the field, we had to pass his house to get to the lake and cross over the stream. He worked on the funfair, I've forgotton his name now, it might have been Ricky something! It was a fantastic time in my life and even now I can remember that funfair and messing about around on that lake, I was never bored. My auntie would take us into the Happy Hour Club and the Jubilee Club,... Read more
Thows - Lake Cottage/Tea Rooms
My mother spent many happy times at Pickmere. Thow's tea rooms was owned by her aunt and uncle, John and Annie Thow. As a child she would help out selling ice cream and serving customers. Does anybody remember Thows?
To the sender of the message 'WALL HILL FARM', the picture you refer to looks like the back of the Thow's tea rooms (l have a picture of the front of the property), do you know if this is the same property? The Thows would have sold it in approximately the late 1940s. I would really like to be able to share your memories of Thows with my mother.
Childhood Memories by Deborah Taylor, Nee Barraclough
As a child I spent all my summers in Pickmere at my nana's caravan on a camp site just across from the entrance to Pickmere Lake. My nana worked in the Happy Hour Club, and also in Happy Hour kitchen serving breakfast to holiday-makers. We used to paddle in the lake, go out in the blue and white boats and sunbathe on the hill,with a picnic . I remember the small fairground, and the arcades where you could win tubes of sweets and chocolate bars for old pennies, fantastic old ball-bearing machines, with tubes of old fashioned spangles, wow what memories. My grandad had a small jetty he fished off into the lake, we were told never to paddle past the rushes because there was an underwater currant that could suck you under, and also a ledge where the lake became deeper. Oh such happy long warm summers we spent there. Coaches used to park at the top of the hill, I can still remember scrambling under the old turnstile... Read more
Memories of Cheshire
Memories of School at Gt Budworht & Pickmere
My first teacher was Mrs Dishman [infants]. Miss Cawley [juniors]. Mr Brown ? the Headmaster. I recall a Richard Cox whose mother was a sort of janitor cum secretery, also Joyce Dean who lived near the pond at Pickmere. I would somtimes ride with her [we had bikes as we got older]. I also lived in Pickmere at Holly Cottage Park Lane, the house at that time had a thatched roof, and a huge stone that could not be moved in the middle of the front room, I think it had at one time been a standing stone and the house had been built around it.
Next door we had Dones Farm. They had a lot of cows, a few very large cart horses, pigs, chickens and large barns where John, the farmer's son, and his little sister played with me and my brother Ted.
Halford Family
My memories are the Halford family, James, Hannah Halford, and their children Michael, Beverley and Gaynot Halford, we lived at 34 Moorcroft, Plumley, my mum died in 1970, resting in Lower Peover Church. We grew up most of childhood in Plumley, with mum dying, part was in Manchester, but we moved back there, it was a good villiage, where everyone helped each other, sadly me, Beverley, am the only one left, my father died July 28th 1990, my brother died March 2003, my sister died 26 October 2009, the best momories are when we were altogether.
Arley Cheshire in The 1940''s
Some time ago I read with great interest in a local paper that the pool at Arley had been restored.
My formative years were happily spent at Green Lodge on the green were I was born in 1932. My father lived there for over 40 years, he made a garden from the lodge down to the Pool and boat house now sadly no longer there. The boat house had two areas for the water with the landing stages and a room above with old punt. There was a large flat bottomed boat which was used to fish and row before the time the pool was drained off. The boat was sent to Rostherne Lake.
My father had a handle to work the water sluice on the bridge to keep the water level up to help the miller at the water mill on the bottom pool. A Mr Davies to grind the corn, this was electrified.
I remember the new stream being cut out through... Read more
Boat Road, Barnton - What Happened to The Houses?
Hello. I've just been looking at a picture of the canal and houses at Boat Road, Barnton. The photo was taken in the very early '50's and I was thinking what a lovely-looking 'canal village' it looked - something that would be a tourist attraction or a film-set location if the houses had been allowed to remain! It seems that all (or nearly all) of the houses were pulled down about 1953. Does anyone know why all this happened? Thanks, Paul Watkin ex- Grange Avenue, Barnton.
A Happy Place to Grow up
I spent most of my childhood at Marbury. My parents moved south from Scotland when I was 5yrs old around 1953. Like many others who lived at Marbury my Father worked at I.C.I. In fact I think at that time Marbury was owned by the company, and the housing [converted P.O.W huts] was "tied" to the job so to speak. Looking back it seems like there were many nationalities as well as people from every corner of the British Isles. We were among the very last to move away when the place was closed down in the late 1960's. The hall was still standing although it was in a very sorry state by then. I still wonder why the Hall was pulled down. It was such a beautiful old building with some outstanding craftsmanship both inside and out. What a wonderful place to grow up as a kid, woods and fields to run wild in. So many happy memories. I was quite surprised to see from the pictures that there... Read more
Memorybank total
We're very pleased and excited by your response so far to our "Share your Memories" community.
You've shared 26,172 memories of 5,731 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:
- Margam, West Glamorgan
- Whitby, North Yorkshire
- Coldwaltham, West Sussex
- Slough, Berkshire
- South Merstham, Surrey
- Huyton, Merseyside
- Chelmsford, Essex
- Harrow Weald, Middlesex
- Braunton, Devon
- Reigate, Surrey
- Maltby, South Yorkshire
- Sunderland, Tyne and Wear
- Osterley, Greater London
- Kingsdown, Wiltshire
- Berwick, East Sussex
- Greenock, Renfrewshire
- Frodsham, Cheshire
- Coalville, Leicestershire
- Royston, South Yorkshire
- Moseley, West Midlands
- ... 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.
