Newmarket

NOMADS

This memory 'date' is only approximate - I was a member of the NOMADS for a number of years and recall with great affection some of the productions - 'Haul for the shore', 'Reluctant heroes', 'The shop at Sly Corner', 'Plaintiff in a pretty hat' .. etc. I still have the press coverage and photos of these and smile benignly at the comments.
Names I recall are - Edwin Tabraham, John Hill, Sally Vince, Fred Ashby, Denis Simpkin, John Baker, Roger Brunning and Doug. Sturgeon.
Does this trigger memories for anyone else out there?

Contributed by Ray Lowrey

chicken pox

I moved into King Edward Road one hot summers day, covered in red spots. I had to be placed on a makeshift bed in the shade of a tree in the front garden while the rest of the family moved in. Little has changed, but the road seems half the width now due to all the cars parked on both sides of the road. In 1957, hardly anyone had cars. Now, each house could have 2.
Contributed by anna stearn

Big toe stuck in the drain...lol

I remember this paddling pool so well, when I was about 8 years old I would be there with my nana {in fact in looks like me in the pic}. She would sit on the bench in the pic and eat her rich tea biscuits. I begged her to let me swim every time we were there, I would mostly paddle though. One day the pool was empty and I was playing around the drain and I got my big toe stuck in it, I was really scared and started to cry, then to my horror the pool started to fill up, I was sure that I was going to drown. I remember screaming so loud, the man that tended the ...read more here
Contributed by vicki amerault

Carlton Hotel

Stationed at a nearby American Air Force base, I visited Newmarket frequently.  My favourite pub was in the Carlton Hotel.  I remember the murals between the front and back bars.  I preferred the back bar.  I and several other airmen took ballroom dance lessons upstairs in the Carlton.  Sadly, I never mastered those.  I had spent so many evenings in the Carlton, that when I left the UK the proprietors - Alf (Greene?) "the guvnor" and Taffy (yes, he was Welsh) gave me a box of gifts.  They included ashtrays, Watney's World Cup Ale bar towels, a dozen pint mugs and a dozen half-pint mugs, some Guinness signs, two large red Watney's barrel beer pumps, and two electrified antique carriage lamps ...read more here
Contributed by david slocum

The Crisswell Family

I would like to ask whether anyone might be able to help me piece together a mystery. Five weeks ago, whilst walking through the local Derby countryside, my wife and I discovered a briefcase dumped in a brook. There were various items, including photographs, maps, documents etc, scattered all around. Curious, I collected as much as I could and took it home to dry out and investigate further.

The contents spanned around sixty years of a man's life and since the discovery my wife and I have been piecing together his history.
The briefcase belonged to a Mr J.B. Crisswell, who sadly passed away in 2003, but, thanks to the local media, I have had a fantastic ...read more here
Contributed by Tom Fulep

Shopping in Newmarket on Saturday

SATURDAY MARKET DAY IN NEWMARKET, exactly how I remember it as a 5 year old.

On the left next to the Rutland Arms in the center left of the picture was a small street called Palace Street. My father was born here in Nell Gwynn's Cottage. It was reputed to have a secret passage to the Palace for Nell Gwynn, the King's mistress, to use.

The back yard of Hobbs Plumbing Supplies was at the end of Palace Street; my father, Arthur Dean worked there for years with his mate Peter Luka. Arthur was well known by the lords and ladies for fixing the lead pipe problems in the old stately homes. He often mentioned how Lord Wolverton ...read more here
Contributed by Sealia Dean