Houghton Regis
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 Houghton Regis, Tithe Farm Road c1965 (ref: H263017) |
Year: 1970
My childhood in Houghton regis.
My name is Daniel (Danny) Cronin, the youngest of 5 and the only boy of Harry 'H' and Ann Cronin. My life began on the 27th of November 1970. My first place of residence was Recreation Road where I have broken memories of childhood play times with my sisters. As a big family we were lucky enough to be allocated a nice big 3 story town house on the new parkside estate, our address being 36 Trident drive. My first real memory of this address would be quite a daunting one, I could have been only 2-3 yrs old I'm unsure. I was playing outside the front driving my little red Mini peddle car with my mother over looking from the kitchen window, there I was trying to impress my mother with my driving skills, making engine and beep beep noises as I drove back and forth at break neck speeds, my dog Blackie was also very impressed as he watched with one eye as he basked in the sun. What happened next I'm unsure but I found myself lost in a maze of alley ways followed by the ever Loyal Blackie, the alley ways turned out to be garage and pathways at the beginning of the 'Private estate' across the southern part of parkside drive. I then found myself terrified and lost by the harvest home pub having vivid memories that I have seen this before and thinking I was near home once again guarding me with his life was Blackie. From then I don't really have any more memories other than what I was later told. I was found asleep on the path outside the 'Reck' on Tythe farm road yards from my old street of Recreation Road by a passer by. He tried to see if I was ok but my guardian Blackie would not let him near me and would have gave all he had to protect me from this Stranger. Apparently then I was in the newsagents opposite the harvest home where I was sweetly interrogated by the woman shop keeper as she waited for the police to arrive, Blackie once again eyes fixed on me waiting outside the shop ready to come to my aid if the woman that I was told he knew from his younger days of living in Recreation Road put a finger on me. The police were on their way and had an idea I was the lost boy my mother had reported. I was also told by my elder sisters that the local middle school 'Linmear' and upper school had also put out a supervised search for me. I was reunited with my mother later that day. I remember walking down trident drive, one hand in the safe grasp of a Police woman, the other clasping a bag which contained my wetted shorts and under pants and once again the ever loyal Blackie at my side. As both myself and my sisters were growing up we made many friends as most of the residents of the new Parkside estate had moved from either inner London (As mine did to Recreation Road) or the surrounding old council estates. I remember my eldest sister Tracy being best friends with 'Linda' one of the daughters of Jack and Viera Smith of No 35, Dennise with Michelle Grothe (or was it Grow, I'm unsure), Caren with Trudy Stiles, also of Trident drive, Rosalind with Cindy Crute etc. I myself became friends with the 'Phipps' boys being Dean, Patrick and Terry who also used to live on Recreation road but later moved to 35 Dolphin Drive. I remember as a young boy having many run ins with these, especially myself and Terry, we were always at each other, always scrapping then moments later being once again inseparable friends along with his brothers. I later made more friends with people such as Richard Vincent, David Ringer, Simon Lampard, Billy Brinkley etc. I first went to school at Hawthorn park lower school situated at the top of Trident Drive where the notorious Mrs Gadd ruled with an iron hand!! I remember her widely feared three smacks on the back of your hand followed by her most infamous words!! 'SIT THERE' illustrated by a firm and decisive point to the floor at her feet, as a young 4-5 yr old this was shear terror!! Hawthorn park school had 2 playgrounds, one for the the young and one for the elder students. I remember being separated from my best friend Patrick Phipps at play-times and feeling desperately sad!! As I grew up more myself and friends became more familiar with our place of residence and would venture further on to the neighbouring and also new Chelsea and Bromley gardens and used to Visit the 'Big Slide' at the top of the long path that ran from the southern part of parkside drive all the way up to the north side, enclosing the whole of the parkside estate, Chelsea and Bromley Gardens alike in a big D if you was to look at it from the air. We also used to venture into the vast 3 mile wide waste ground, east of the arial D which then separated Houghton Regis from the Luton district of Lewsey farm where many a great battle was fought between the 'Tythe farmers' and 'Lewsey farmers. This is now built up. I then started going to Linmear middle school and met more friends such as Martin Kirkby, Justin Golder, Jason Humphries, Paul Kettle and meeting amazing teachers like Mr Nolan, Mr Clark, Mrs Roscell and mine and my friends favourite Mr Baker the games teacher. I then found myself in a broken family as my mother and farther had split, my elder sisters had moved away from Houghton Regis, leaving Caren, Rosalind and myself, frequently moving back and fourth to Slough with my mother, back to my father until I was 14, I have not lived there since. Last edited: 04/09/2008 02:36 by Daniel Cronin |
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Houghton Regis, Tithe Farm Road c1965 (ref: H263017) |
Year: 1972
Watching Parkside grow
When my brother and I were old enough to go to Linmear Middle School,(Kings Houghton now), we would walk via a huge field next to Sundon Road, this was sold and Parkside estate began to grow. One of my old school friends called Shirley moves from Tithe Farm to the new town houses on Parkside, we were all so jealous because her house had 3 floors. Whist attending Linmear the Upper School was built, which had a small swimming pool in it. This was opened to the public during the breaks and at week-ends so we didn't have to walk all the way to Dunstable, which was a nice change. Both my brother and I didn't go to the Upper school as our elder brother had gone to Ashton's and then onto Manshead Upper School, which was built next to the Downside Estate. So in the end 3 of my brotherw went to Manshead and 1 brother and my sister went to Northfields instead. I have never quite worked out why though. My mother was a traffic warden in Dunstable for many years, along with Maggie and Joan, they were quite formidable but in the early days they wee aloud to use discretion and so be alot fairer than todays traffic wardens. Posted: 31/12/2007 01:43 by Sally Loveday |
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Houghton Regis, Tithe Farm Road c1965 (ref: H263017) |
Year: 1962
I grew up in Houghton Regis 1962-1980
Hi my name is Sally and I grew up in Houghton Regis. My twin brother and I were born in Luton before the new Luton and Dunstable Hospital opened. We both went to Tithe Farm Infants and Juniors Schools along with our siblings. My abiding memory was of a lovely school teacher called Miss Black. She was very strict but also very fair, no one ever messed around in her class, she was also my form teacher for a few years and taught me to love writing, which I still do. I was also a choir girl at the local church for a while, but got kicked out for laughing, and it was the vicar who made us laugh, but I still love music. Houghton Regis was a nice place to grow up and we often went to Chantry Woods to make dens and go to the Woods down Old Bedford Road to find tadpoles, to raise in an old belfast sink in the garden, at 10 Blackthorn Rd. We all used to go in a gang and walk to the 'new sports centre' in Dunstable to go swimming, and walk home again all soggy and worn out down Dog Kennel Walk. The route has changed slightly, it was much straighter than it is now and I could free-wheel down it, when I got a seconded hand bike, onto the green at the bottom, it was quite scary for a girl of 7, but great fun. This was typed by me (SALLY LOVEDAY nee LAWSON) and not my husband Philip, who's name comes up, because he opened the site for me, I'm still a bit of a novice at this sort of thing. Last edited: 31/12/2007 01:26 by Philip Loveday |
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