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Thurcaston

Thurcaston maps

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

Thurcaston area books

Displaying 1 of 9 books about Thurcaston and the local area.   View all books for this area

Memories of Thurcaston

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Leicestershire memories

Growing up in Rothley

Rothley is and always will be my home no matter where in the world i live, It is 36 Years since i resided on Woodgate my father is George Hunt, he owned the Barbers shop at no 19 untill his retirement almost 25 years ago.
When i lived on Woodgate we had Betty Smith the chemist on one side of us and Dick Elkington and his wife on the other running the sweet shop, which later i believe became the Candy Store. and next to that was George Hutchins the Newsagent.
I especially used to love the time leading up to Christmas, when all the shop windows on Woodgate were decorated with Fairy lights and false snow, coming home from work in the dark and walking up Woodgate seeing all the beautiful christmas lights in the shop windows made me feel a sense of belonging, something i have never truly experienced since.
I remember going up tp my grandparents house in Town Green St, on my bicycle decked... Read more

Woodgate

I too was brought up in Rothley. I lived at 72, Woodgate. At the time it was the local telephone exchange, operated manually, my mother being the night operator. I remember George Hunt well, along with the Elkingtons, I used to get my sweets and collect Archie Andrews lollypop sticks! There was Mr Brewin who sold bicycles and all sorts of electrical things. At the bottom of the village opposite the Green there was Goodalls sores. Mum would send me down with her order book, then they would deliver, early days of shopping on line! It was full of wonderful smells. Bacon on the slicer, sugar would be weighed and put into blue paper bags, butter would be in pats. On the other side of the Green was Mr Ward who repaired boots and shoes, I can see him now with nails in his mouth, repairing them, I wondered if he nearly swallowed any. Coming back along Woodgate there was Mr and Mrs Chamberlin, who ran the village bakery. I... Read more

Pack Horse Bridge And Surrounding Area in Flood

I was born and bread in Anstey, 21 Rosebery Road, a council house with my 2 brothers Kelvin and Clive. I loved Anstey I still do. I have a lot of childhood memories. I joined the Royal Navy on leaving school, Anstey Martins Secondary Modern, and I am now living in Portsmouth in Hampshire although I have been back several times. I miss the place dearly. I would love to return to live there. One of my brothers still lives in Groby, one lives in Nottingham, I miss them both. My grandad Walter Cyril Littleworth lived in Newtown Linford, Markfield Lane. My father (also Walter Cyril Littleworth) worked for (I think it was) Marwins Engineering, I don't know whether it still exists. Bradgate Park was my backyard, I knew every inch of the place, in fact I went to Boy Scouts at Newtown Linford. I knew Old John, the folly, Cropston Reservoir, it's all coming back to me and it brings tears to my eyes, God, I miss the place.... Read more

Memories of Swithland

My first memory of Swithland Village goes way back to the days when I was very young. The war was over and we had become accustomed to Holidays at Home instead of going to the sea-side. My parents bought a chalet in what we called Swithland Woods but it was actually farm land that had been given over to accomodate recovering soldiers from WW 1. Chalets had been built and large tents were used to house the soldiers. The farm belonged to a family named Lane, who several generations later are still the owners. As a family we would cycle from Leicester on Friday evening and spend our week-ends there. As we cycled through Swithland Village we knew that we we almost there,, all that we had facing us was that steep hill which we had to climb, up from the triangle I believe we got off and pushed. We didn't mind that because we knew that we were almost there. During school... Read more

My Great Grandfather Was Born in Newtown Linford 1879

Daniel Gretton : Born: abt 1854
Newtown Linford, Leicestershire, England  
Died: 1913
Resided in Village Street, Newtown Linford, Leicestershire, England  

Daniel was dis - owned by his family, and his very name expunged from the family records, for either or both sins. Of having no ambition or having married a Jewess.
Eliza Cook
Born: 1854
Leire, Leicestershire, England  
Died: 1931



Having blotted the heretofore pristine family escutcheon, he sank lower and lower, and took most of his family with him.

His marriage certificate had his profession as a 'Highway worker', and his death certificate read 'Treefeller'.

His sole claim to immortality was that he felled the largest oak at Bradgate Park.

He was also an alcoholic, which was of no real value in helping to raise nine children.

His two brothers, however had real ambition.

One brewed beer and became Lord Gretton, later of Stapleford Park, and the other made pots of money in building... Read more

Barn Croft.

The Village c1965
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The house in the middle is where I lived from 1972. The address is 62 Main Street and the house was called Barn Croft. The house on the right was a farm and the house that the middle house was built on was part of the farmyard. When the farm closed, one of the daughters had this built c1930. She lived there until she died c1970. Her name was Olive Clarke and was one of three girls I believe. The house had a barn at the bottom of the garden, converted in 1990 after my father sold the property in 1985. I have some belongings of Olive's like an autograph book and a booklet on cruises dated 1909.

Bob Day's Shop

The Village c1965
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On the other side of the road from this photo (Barncroft) was a shop known as Bob Day's.
A tiny shop with a thatch roof and still standing but unused for many years.
As a young school boy I would buy penny sweets with pocket money from Bobs on a Saturday morning with other friends.

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