Spratton memories
Here are memories of Spratton and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Spratton or a Spratton photo.
Living in North Bank House
Hi, name Theobald, we - mother Ivy, 3 kids (Mavis, Fred, Ivy) lived in North Bank House in 1939, we were evacuated from London with Aunt Ada Smith, Uncle Vic and Aunt May. We went to the village school, went back to London in 1949 or 1948. We had a big goat called Mary, she butted all who came to the house, she ate Gran's flowers and we laugh so much. We always pick potatoes on the farm in the village.
Margaret And Julie
Margaret Anderson and Edward Gill married 8th October 1949 last to be married by the 'blind' vicar (does anyone remember his name I think it was Pettit) while it was named St Luke's. The name of the church was changed from that year.
Julie Gill-Frisby - I walked past this church many times when my Nana Anderson walked to work at Tatersalls just down the hill.
Going to Work at Tattersall's
I was born in 1953 in Northampton. Later my family moved and settled in Essex but my childhood was spent in Spratton with my Nana Anderson. She worked at Mr Tattersall's as a housekeeper and during the holidays I would go down with her. Tattersall's house was situated a little further down from Saul's butchers which is seen here on the right of the photo. This lane I think was called Brixworth Lane. Does anyone remember Mr Tattersall - an educated person, with travel, the arts, and connections with the art world, (I think retired schoolmaster), a little eccentric. His house was like an Aladins cave of interest and mystery to a small child. My Nana worked for Tattersall for many years. My Uncles Len and Rich Anderson bought the smithy next to Mr Tattersall's house.
On our way home my Nana would call into Saul's butchers to buy meat for the dinner.
Sandhills/Middle Turn (commonly Known)
To the left of this picture was a cul-de-sac called Sandhills. My Aunty Grace and uncle and family lived here, so did my mother Margaret Anderson at some stage and later various cousins. Down the bottom to the right was the original local shop (known Gammidges? when my Mother was small) owned by Greenwood for many years later (and when I knew it). My Aunty Grace worked there until retirement along with Doreen my mother's cousin - many happy memories as a child calling in for the local groceries and rhubarb and custard boiled sweets from the jar. Now a huge supermarket.
At the bottom facing us was Corry's, a small corner sweet shop/grocery store. Known by the same name by my mother and me. Huge glass jars displayed along shelves holding scrumcious coloured gems of delight, crystal colours of the sugar sherbet. My mother has similar memories of calling into Corry's for her penny worth of rhubarb and custard boiled sweets. I remember always buying my 2d worth... Read more
Memories of Northamptonshire
Car Project.
The Morris car depicted in the photograph was overhauled and bodied by my late father, Arthur Parker, in 1951-2. He had removed the body from a c1937 Morris 8 van, overhauled the mechanics and the chassis, and built from scratch a new shooting brake style body. As a 7-year old I was thrilled to be able to help with the work and immensely proud of the result. Unfortunately, when father came to register the car the authorities decided to demand the full purchase tax which hadn't been levied on the original pre-war commercial vehicle. This sum, in the hard times of the early 1950s, was difficult to find and the Morris sadly had to be sold to cover it.
First School
My memories of Long Buckby are good ones, of being at the infant school. Teachers were Miss Garlick, Miss Shefield and Miss Cooke. The fun we had playing kiss chase around the playground, making new friends and learning to read and write. People will know me as Fay Hart. How I wish I could go back to those days when we did not have a care in the world.
When Young
goint to the Savoy Cinema to see and hear the Compton Organ, the cinema has now been bought by thr Jesus people & restored to its 1930,s decoration.
the name of Alan Ashton rings a bell, was he conected to the Savoy/ABC cinema years ago.
the town has altered quite a lot since those days of the 1940/50,s not as i like it these days.
i am in my late years now (75) but love the past.
Memories of War - The Forgotten Casualties (1) - by Patricia Bolter
I am entering these memories on behalf of my mother in law - Patricia Ross (nee Bolter)
Running to meet Dad, just a young man, in uniform for the first time coming home to show us in pride. Providing for the family had been difficult, even tried sweeping snow. I have listened to "The Little Boy That Santa Clause Forgot", could only cry "I don't want my Dad to go away" but what does a 4 year old really understand. We had watched Dad and Uncles dig a shelter in our yard and played getting into it quickly, it was dark and damp. Mum fell down the steps but we were "SAFE. Save The Children? What have we learned? Fetching Granny and relatives to share our shelter for the first air raid, cushions on head for protection from shrapnel. Naive . .
Issued with Mickey Mouse gas masks in a cardboard box with a shoulder string, the smell of rubber, no understanding of why they are necessary.
Gwendoline Hodges
It is as if my grandmother Gwendoline Edith Hunt, nee Hodges, has ceased to exist. For years and through various forums I have searched for information about her and her family (Wooton locals....Horace and Ethel Hodges who lived at Resthaven Road for many years) yet have had no luck. She is listed as having died at the age of 30 in 1941 at Parkfield Avenue.
There is a bit of a sad tale, that she left 3 of her 4 children (one of which was my father) and put them on a bus to another relative, they were in foster care for many years. The other child, nobody seems to know what happened to her.
So many questions, unanswered due to being unable to find any living relatives of hers. My father's family seem to have either selective memories or none. Foster care documents cite that she tried to contact her children prior to her death, but she was prevented by my grandfather who by all accounts was a... Read more
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