Delamere

Read and share memories of Delamere and Cheshire inspired by Frith photos

My name back in 1954 was Doreen Lipman

I don't know what made me google Delamerites but was amazed to find this website. It seems I'm the only one with bitter memories. I hated every single minute of every single day and night and was one of those naughty children who kept running away.  We once made it to a gypsy caravan in a nearby field and even more daring, we once made it to the local train station.  The handyman was sent to collect us each time and we were sent to bed without any supper.  Miss Landau told us we were being punished not for running away but because we called it 'escaping'.  She had a 'sausage' dog called Rupert who I adored.

Our parents ...read more here
Contributed by Doe Solomon

....those lazy, hazy, days of Delamere

I have so many memories of Delamere but unlike the others who have written on this page my recall of the names are not so good.  I tend to see things as pictures (and have a good memory for faces) and have vivid images (tableaux) of events at Delamere. The gardens at the back with the sundial and divided pathways, the individual gardens 6' 3' (one veg and one flower) for each child, the wooden tabernacle decorated for the harvest festival (succoh), the dining room and the cake every child got on his or her birthday (choice of fruit or sponge), the forest, with the soft, pine-needle strewn floor and the wonderful scent of pine; the gazebo or sunhouse which turned ...read more here
Contributed by Jane Castrignano

My unforgetable time at Delamere

Hi old Delamerites!
My name is Marilyn Levy. I was sent to Delamere at the age of six, and remember crying myself to sleep every night. I probably annoyed all the girls in that dormitory with the notion that I was going home.  In retrospect, my stay in that beautiful paradise was probably the best thing that happened to me!  I have so many memories.  I remember my peg number being lucky thirteen, and can see the dormitory. The windows were always opened, and the air was fresh and sharp. Quite often in the winter, the snowflakes would blow onto our beds. The nurse would always ask "Did anyone have a loose bowel movement?", and if anyone anwered in the affirmative, ...read more here
Contributed by Marilyn Levy

Delamere by Sid Grant

The Jewish Fresh Air Home and School was founded in 1921 by Miss Margaret Langdon, MBE, MA (1890-1980) and located at Blakemere Lane, Delamere near Norley, in the beautiful Cheshire countryside.  My time spent there was from age 7 to 9 April 1933 to 8th April 1935.   
The school was created for delicate Jewish children. They typically suffered from maladies such as malnutrition, nervous debility and enuresis. The age of the children ranged from 6 to 12 years.
Miss Langdon, as the secretary, conducted her work from an office at 149 Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester, centrally located in the area of heaviest Jewish population.  Miss Helena Landau (1892-1979) was the head of the school, assisted by Miss Ada Reubens. ...read more here
Contributed by Sid Grant

The Forest

I can remember the first time I visited the forest, it was very impressive.
The smell of the trees, birds everywhere, and the sense of a wonderful peace. A really beautiful place, I hope it has not changed.
Contributed by pete b