Gainford
Gainford maps (2 available)
Map of County Durham
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
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Personalised maps
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Gainford books (1 available)
- 1 photos on Gainford appear in 1 Frith books - View photos of Gainford
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Gainford and County Durham
Gainford memories
Read and share memories of Gainford and County Durham inspired by Frith photos
Gainford - the post office and Miss Browns
Reading the memories prompts me to contribute to the nostalgia - My grandfather "Bob Allan" was the Postmaster and his parents before him. My aunt took over from him in the late 1960s and in all the business was in the family for three generations.
The family have as is evident been involved in the village for many tens of years, and for example the daffodils on the banks between between the green and the houses were planted by my grandfather and continue to bloom to this day. We are still represented in the village by one of his daughters who lives overlooking the green.
Claude Cree, a name to conjure with, not only did I attend the village ...read more here
Contributed by robert allan
Gainford Primary school
I was sorry to leave the village, some of my best memories of my childhood relate to Gainford and its residents.
I lived in what was known locally as 'knobs row' or High Row, no.13.
One of my best friends was a boy whose surname was Absolom, and he lived in the row of houses next to this shop.
I went to the primary school when the headmaster was Claude Cree, this would be from 1965 till 1969 when we moved to Scotland.
I remember the shop well, I spent a lot of my pocket money on childhood knick knacks!
Some of my other friends were made when I went on to Barny 'secondary modern'. They kept me on the bus ...read more here
Contributed by Penny Airlie
visiting this shop
I started Gainford School in 1954 & remember Miss Browns little shop crammed full with habberdashery, stockings (nylons) hankies, knitting-wool, etc., everything you could possibly want - an oasis in this small village. She was kind to us children, softly-spoken & had her hair tied up in a bun. We used to run up the steps on the left of the picture where the railings are to the Post Office the postmaster was Mr. Allen.
Contributed by faith spence
May Brown
My Great Aunt May Brown ran this shop for many years in Gainford. She was housekeeper to the local Catholic priests prior to this.
Contributed by Kathryn Waites
Extracts From Gainford & County Durham books
Gainford is noted for its 13th-century church, Georgian houses, narrow streets and one of the finest village greens in the southern part of the county. Customers at the corner shop in c1955 would have paid 4d for a 14oz loaf, 1s 3d for a 3lb bag of flour, and 2s 6d for 1lb of butter.
An extract from from"County Durham Photographic Memories".
Stockton was granted its market charter by Bishop Bek in 1310, but until the 1840s it consisted of little more than the High Street, a few side streets, and a quayside railhead for Stockton & Darlington Railway. On the right can be seen the parish church, which dates from 1712. Other 18th-century buildings were the Town House (1735) and the Customs House (1730).
An extract from from"County Durham Photographic Memories".
Billingham owes its development to the Great War, when a small chemical works opened nearby for the production of synthetic ammonia for use in explosives. Between the wars the population of Billingham rocketed as the works was expanded for the production of methanol, chemical fertilisers, and petrochemicals. The town centre was redeveloped from the late 1950s by Elder Lester & Partners; the Forum opened in 1967.
An extract from from"County Durham Photographic Memories".
In the 1950s Greatham consisted of little more than the High Street. In 1272 the Prior of Finchale founded a charity and a hospital here for ‘decayed priests’; the local vicar was usually appointed Master. Today the aged and needy do not necessarily have to have been clerics or their widows in order to benefit.
An extract from from"County Durham Photographic Memories".
The Green was, and still is, one of the more picturesque parts of Seaton Carew; the houses were mostly built in the early 19th century. In the corner, with the steep bargeboarded gables, stands Sylvern House, dating from 1864.
An extract from from"County Durham Photographic Memories".