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St Helens

St Helens photos (6 available)

Old photo of St Helens

St Helens maps (2 available)

Old map of St Helens

St Helens books (1 available)

St Helens memories

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You can also read memories of nearby places in Isle Of Wight below.

Isle Of Wight memories

MY FIRST JOB

Seaview, Pier Hotel 1918

I worked at the Pier Hotel in the summer of 1960. It was my first job. I was a commis waiter ..didn't really like it at all...but I was billeted out at a nearby village.
I had my first drunk drinking scrumpy mixed with cheap red wine with Italian waiters from the hotel in the pub in Seaview..an experience which brought me great suffering and required my taking the next day off work in order that I would not die !

I also was fortunate to meet a lovely Dutch young woman,Riet Berendsen, 4 years my senior, who was an au pair girl at the hotel. We kissed and held hands on the sea wall. We saw each other ...read more here
A memory of Seaview contributed by DYLAN RIVIS

Happy Days

Bembridge, the Royal Spithead Hotel c1955

Seeing this picture of the Spithead Hotel has taken me back to my childhood in Bembridge. I have very happy memories playing with my friend Carola who was the owner's daughter. We would play for hours in this hotel making up endless games, hiding in all the rooms and having great fun although sometimes it was a bit spooky out of season when we had the whole hotel to our selves. Happy days.  
A memory of Bembridge contributed by Peta Brooksbank

Bembridge my home

Bembridge, High Street c1955

I was born in Seaview but my mother and grandparents lived at "erndene' Steyne rd.
I went to the Bembridge villiage school and attended the villiage church. I was free to roam the villiage aand beaches at will as the villiage was very safe for children.
I and my family would swim at Lane end and at Forelands and Howegate, We would look for winkles and crabs and also would go mushrooming on the downs. My father was a pilot so we spent time at the Bembridge airport. We lived part of the time on Toad Hall houseboat on the harbour. My mother taught me to love Bembridge and she knew it very well(as did I) She knew the names of ...read more here
A memory of Bembridge contributed by lesley phillips

An underground train on the Isle of Wight

Ryde, Railway Station c1955


I went on a youth hostelling trip to the Isle of Wight in 1969 with my young brother Geoff and indulged our interest in trains by walking along the railway track of disused old steam train routes.

However one memory that sticks out is the strange but true experience of riding on old London Transport tube trains which had been brought over to the Isle of Wight to run an electric train service from Ryde Pier to Shanklin. I took some colour photos which I still have all these forty years later and it looks to me as though the tube rains had been painted a sort of greeny-blue colour. It was an enjoyable short holiday mostly remembered for ...read more here
A memory of Ryde contributed by John Howard Norfolk

Extracts From St Helens & Isle Of Wight books

St Helens, the Green c1955

St Helens overlooks the tidal creeks above Brading Harbour. Many come to admire the broad village green, the leafy lanes and nearby woodland. There are places to explore, or you can just sit quietly and admire the scenery.
An extract from from"Isle of Wight Photographic Memories Pocket Album".

Yarmouth, the Ferry c1960

Passengers disembark for their holiday on the Isle of Wight. Many return - as Queen Victoria did - year after year. Exploring the dramatic coastline, pastoral countryside and delightful towns and villages never fails to make for a memorable holiday.
An extract from from"Isle of Wight Photographic Memories Pocket Album".

Yarmouth, the Ferry c1955

The ferry from the mainland prepares to dock and unload its cargo of motor vehicles and foot passengers. The vessel crosses from Lymington in Hampshire, and offers one of the shortest passages across the Solent.
An extract from from"Isle of Wight Photographic Memories Pocket Album".

Yarmouth, the Pier c1955

Yarmouth’s pier is functional rather than decorative, a place to fish or simply to sit and watch the mainland ferries. It was built originally as a landing stage for local boats and ships.
An extract from from"Isle of Wight Photographic Memories Pocket Album".

Yarmouth, the Quay c1955

A strange tale relates how many of the ancient charters of the town were lost for ever. A ship’s captain, drunk after a Court Leet dinner in 1784, stole what he thought was a case of wine as he returned to his ship. When he discovered that the case was full of books, he threw them overboard, consigning many of Yarmouth’s historical records to the bottom of the sea.
An extract from from"Isle of Wight Photographic Memories Pocket Album".