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Sleaford

Sleaford maps

Historic maps of Sleaford and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis.   View all Sleaford maps

Sleaford area books

Displaying 1 of 22 books about Sleaford and the local area.   View all books for this area

Memories of Sleaford

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Hampshire memories

Kingsley School Hampshire

I went to Kingsley School as an infant in 1978 and left before it closed, at some time in the 1980s. I remember the headmistress Mrs Morris, who became Mrs Vincent, who smoked in the classroom!, and the wicked infant teacher Mrs Caine who used to have a replica gun lighter in her draw and large knife to sharpen the pencils, she would threaten us all that she was going to shoot us or stab us! and we were only babies! The dinners were vile but we were forced to eat every last scrap even if we threw up on our plates! Even the cooks would go easy on the portions if they knew we didn't like what was on the menu. But despite the bad memories, I suppose there were some good times as well, just a shame that we weren't taught more about the school's history, and the visiting Father Eerica wasn't weird (later convicted for paedophilia!), it was a good job we all grew up ok I... Read more

Cross Road Stores

The Village c1955
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The store on the cross roads in Lindford was named Cross Road Stores. My parents bought Cross Road Stores in I think 1962-63 and ran the stores for about 4 years, the stores and the house were very old, I was about 7 or 8 years old when we moved to the stores. The house was 3 floors high, there was an extension built on the back of the house for a garage and a store room, and the garden at the rear which at that time went right up to the next house, which was owned by the milkman Mr Souter. In the rear garden there was an old green house and an apple orchard, some years later my father sold off most of the rear garden and a house was built on the ground. I have cine film my father took during our time in Lindford showing the 1963 snow and cars being pushed, and other times spent there. Happy times.

Cross Road Stores

The Village c1955
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I lived at 49 "The Triangle" in the prefabs, just up the road from the stores past the Royal Exchange Pub, from about 1958 -1965. When I first moved there the store was owned by Mr Pears and we called it Pears's Stores. I was friends with Alan Jones whose parents owned the shop down the road to the right in the picture. I went to Mill Chase and 2 other schools in the area (I can't remember the names) from 1955 until I left school in 1960. Reading other comments from the area, I too remember the Butchers Shop, The Mill (I used to swim there) and the Fish & Chip shop where every Saturday we would have Fish & Chips and scratchings. They were little pieces of the batter etc. and they were free. Please get in touch if you remember me.

Weyford Junior School

Mill Chase County Secondary School c1960
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This photo is of the temporary classrooms and main building of Weyford Junior School where I was a pupil from 1964 to 1969.

The Mill

My mum used to take us all (seven of us) to the mill to paddle. It was always freezing, some would even be brave enough to swim.  There was always a strong smell of pond weed, but we had great fun. When it was warm enough we used to pack a picnic and walk to Frensham pond which was a great treat.  That was about 40 years ago now but I remember it like it was yesterday.

Bordon

This was a lovely quiet village when I first came here. Unfortunately, it is becoming run down and untidy. Pity, really. We seem to be having all the throw outs from other places. When the army goes (if they go), this will be a dumping ground for all types of undesireables.

Living at The Mill

My father got a job in the mill in about 1950 and we moved into Mill House which is actually a part of the mill itself, on the right as you stand facing the building. I don't know what Bordon is like now, but in my day it had its share of the dregs, but so did everywhere. It was all very local and everybody seemed to know everybody else, apart from Army people. We moved to Lindford after a year or so, which was then a nice little place where nothing seemed to happen. In those days Robert and Peter Ellis ran the mill and it always seemed to be busy, as did Bordon itself. I recall the greengrocers and the chippy on the corner, ad Frisby's shoe shop on the opposite corner. Along the main street was a jewellers, a newsagent a photographer plus sundry others. In the 1940s there was a tea shop which subsequently disappeared, but later I recall listeniong to the juke box in the... Read more

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