Favourite Memories
Reconnecting with our shared local history.
For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our web site to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was when the photographs in our archive were taken. From brief one-liners explaining a little bit more about the image depicted, to great, in-depth accounts of a childhood when things were rather different than today (and everything inbetween!). We've had many contributors recognising themselves or loved ones in our photographs.
Why not add your memory today and become part of our Memories Community to help others in the future delve back into their past.
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Tips & Ideas
Not sure what to write? It's easy - just think of a place that brings back a memory for you and write about:
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How the location features in your personal history?
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The memories this place inspires for you?
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Stories about the community, its history and people?
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People who were particularly kind or influenced your time in the community.
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Has it changed over the years?
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How does it feel, seeing these places again, as they used to look?
This week's Places
Here are some of the places people are talking about in our Share Your Memories community this week:
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Displaying Memories 851 - 900 of 2029 in total
My late father, Tom Jenkinson, was the village policeman in Repton from the early 50's until near his retirement in 1973. This photograph shows his car parked with others by the Arch. The old Ford Squire 60ARB.. I was very surprised to find it as I was working on the Frith jigsaw of this photograph!!
Kilbirnie Central School and music teacher Mr Brawn. Mr Brawn was a most gifted pianist; if you recall he always wore a grey shiny suit. Mr Brawn would often give a piano recital at the start of class, this was as he put it, to warm up the piano. When school started after the summer holidays we all came home with stink bombs. We knew the drill by this time so we slipped in and placed loads of stink bombs inside the ...see more
Yes I can remember in the 50's as kids in Snakes Lane, racing down to the airport on our bikes if we viewed any aircraft out the ordinary on it's flight path to land.
One day in the fifties I rember an aircraft broke the sound barrier nearby and broke several windows in the town - that definitely would not happen now.
Later on in the early to mid 60's I worked, for a local tea company delivering ...see more
It is said that we all have a Guardian Angel, myself and my good friend Jimmy Fraser certainly had one 58 years ago. At a Hallowe'en party in the Dochgarroch hall in 1954 (I was 7 years old), it got a bit stuffy so I went outside for a breath of fresh air. It was a beautiful moonlit night and I strolled slowly over to the lock gates. As I put my foot out to stand on the last flagstone beside the water I heard a ...see more
I would like to share with you some of my early childhood memories of my formative years in Parndon, including places and names that might evoke similar memories to myself. I hope you will bear with me, as I will probably go on a bit. I'll start off by mentioning my grandparents, Bill and Daisy Conyard, who lived at No.4 Hare Street. They moved into this house shortly after the end of WW1. They had four ...see more
I have visited Manningtree only once, but I have an interest in the area as my father (Donald Turner) is tracing our family tree and he has discovered that one of our ancestors - Elizabeth Goodwin was tried and hung as one of the witches of Manningtree by Matthew Hopkins! She was accused of casting a spell on a grocers horse, and making it die after he refused to give her credit to buy cheese.
I left the village in 1948, to join my parents, Cyril and Gladys Jones, and sister Pam who had moved to Gravesend, Kent. I had attended the Lawn following years at Abertysswg School, before going to Caerleon for my teacher training. The Army followed; 2 years in the East Yorkshire Regiment mostly spent in Vienna. Demob came and I went to join my parents in Kent, find a job and Dulcie who was to become ...see more
My name is Irene Harriett Potts (nee Bryon), I was born 18-1-1921 at my granny's house in Bishops Wood (her name was Harriet Robinson). Our home was number 23 Offoxy Road, Tong, I lived there with my parents Louie and William Bryon, two sisters Eileen and Hilda and my brother William. In 1924 after my father was killed in a road accident our family moved to number 22 Offoxy Road because it was a ...see more
Benenden was my home for the first 5 years of my life. We lived in Greenwood, a lovely white Kentish weather-boarded house on the Cranbrook Road, sadly knocked down and modernised a couple of years ago. I was born on February 14, 1940 in a glorious country house in Langley called Rumwood Court, which is still there. It was a maternity home in the War. Of course my mum called me ...see more
Many a day I would walk into into York and would find time enough to walk along the Ouse River. I was approaching the railway bridge and saw four lads playing silly on a swing rope which was hanging but a few feet from the Banking side. Many times I had seen these lads or lads like them swing on the rope and get much pendulum where, when the rope with them on it was far enough high and out towards the center of the ...see more
Bush Hill Park had so many interesting characters back in the 70's when I was young. I loved going to the shops in Cambridge Terrace, just off Dehli Road. My favourite one was Stewart's, the sweet shop, owned by Harry and Rose. He seemed really old to me, and I was a bit scared of him. I used to help my friend take Skipper, their old corgi, for walks. Rose Stewart was quiet, but seemed nice. My ...see more
On June 8th 1940, just 6 weeks before my 8th birthday, I was evacuated to Fillingham where I was billeted with Mr & Mrs Cross and their daughter Violet.
I had to attend church three times a week and chapel twice. At harvest time we were sent to pick potatoes and in spring we helped to sow the next crop.
In winter I was sent outside to dig the weeds out from between the paving stones outside the house. It ...see more
In about 1961 my father became the manager of Blackbushe Airport. As a result my mother, brother (16) and I (9) moved from our comfortable town house in Cheltenham to a large mobile home attached to, what was then, the middle of the long terminal building. We weathered high winds, blizzards, beating heat, pounding demolition, aircraft running up within inches of the front window, eccentrics using our ...see more
Fordington has changed a lot over the years in that there has been much infilling with houses. At the top of Pound Lane was Moule's Coffee Tavern which was used as a hall and a community space. Nearly opposite over the High Street, was the old grey stone vicarage where the Reverend Henry Moule once lived. The local school was nearby on the hill and at break-time one could hear the small children shouting and ...see more
I was born in the Police House, my parents had moved into it from new. My older brother David, and my Dad (Constable Hind) made a garden swing for me out of railway sleepers. I can remember going to Sunday school and having to kneel on our little chairs to pray. I think the policeman next door was called Dethick. I think the station was there too, as my Mother hated having burglars in the house and having to ...see more
Our family moved to Brook Cottage, Llandegveth, in about 1945 when Dad went to work for Mr Joe Shepherd at Ty Capten Farm, and my three brothers, Arthur, David Noel and I would catch the canvas covered charabanc (bus) to Caerleon school. The Headmaster was Mr Lovatt and the bus belonged to Mark Howells Ltd of Caerleon. Noel and I, being the youngest were in the infants and the worrying ...see more
I too, as others, have many fond memories of holidays in Sizewell. During summer school holidays I travelled from Scotland to London to be with my grandparents. They were well connected with Sizewell and would take me there for their annual holiday camping at the foot of the Benthills just below where the power station is now. The Gunthers House surrounded by a wall did not stop me from sampling the ...see more
My mother and I lived in a cottage opposite the pub, Rose Cottage, which is not there now - I believe the site is now someone's garage. I was born in 1940 and am not sure what age I was in Bason Bridge but I do remember being told that I was to keep away from the river or "Old Man River" would get me. I remember looking through the balustrade of the bridge watching children playing on the banks and ...see more
My mother & father were the cook & butler to Col Dundas & Mrs Dundas. They arrived from Italy straight after their wedding searching for work. My eldest sister was born while they were in service. They enjoyed working there & learnt so much. My father became a very successful restauranteur in London owning two restaurants in Islington. My parents made close friendships while being in service in Ochtertyre; we ...see more
I moved to Bockleton in 1954 and lived in Leasow Cottages North which is just opposite Sid and Nancy Stone's cottage with their children Les and Edna and subsequently Bea and Richard Smith. I had already passed the eleven + and in the autumn of '54 went to King Charles 1st in Kidderminster along with Peter Feakes, whose father was the gamekeeper on the Col Prescott estate. We both lodged in Kidderminster ...see more
Ronald Newell, my father, moved from Potters Bar to Hardwick in 1946. He bought Hardwick Service Station from his brother in law (Bert Croad), who owned it during the second world war. Bert was a lorry driver who used to drive to Scotland in the 1930's. My father who was an electrical engineer on secret work during the war took on Tom Merritt as a mechanic. Tom later ...see more
I lived on River View Park estate and by the age of 10 would cycle to the woods near Shorne village. There was an abandoned gravel workings and the area was a great place to play. We found a crane we could climb on and other machinery left amongst ponds which were full of newts! I remember sandy bottomed pools surrounded by bull rushes; we would hide our bikes in the woods, climb up a favourite tree and watch ...see more
I come from an RAF family that travelled across the globe until, in 1964 we ended up in Australia. Though english by birth, I am now an Australian, but I have fond memories of some parts of England where I grew up, especially The Green. I was six years old. One day, I was told we were going to Millom, which turned out to be an RAF base near the wilds of Cumbria, in the north of England, where my ...see more
If it was Tuesday and school holiday my sister Carolyn and I would go with Grampy Smith the village blacksmith to Trowbridge market. Having helped harness the pony, Peggy, to the old milk float, we'd climb in to Grampy's command "Jumpy up, then". A quick stop to check with Granny that the shopping list was correct, then as the church clock struck nine we'd set off. There was always a ...see more
I lived at Doxford Farm from l948 to l954, my dad worked on the farm and we lived in one of the cottages that is still there today. The farmer's name was Archie Turnbull. My best friend was Kathleen who also lived in one of the cottages, her dad was the postman and we would sometimes get rides in his van. I went to Ellingham School and had to walk over fields to get to the road near the gamekeeper's house then ...see more
Being brought up in Knotty Ash I lived quite close to Liverpool's famous comedian Ken Dodd.
In those days Ken had a large van, and used to come around the area selling pots and pans and many other household items. I used to go round knocking on doors to help sell the wares.
About ten years ago I was at a private show in nearby Prescot in a hotel where Ken was performing. When the show was over ...see more
A hush lies over Fearnan now except for the songbirds. No cockerels greet the morning. The once abundant fields are barren; many of the cottages are used only for vacations and are shuttered in winter. The 100 year-old Stewart family dynasty at Tigh-an-Loan hotel has ended and the village shop, no longer profitable, is closing its doors. The school and playground lie deserted, and the children’s ...see more
We bought 8 Alexandra Street in November 1957, four months before we were married. In November 1959 our daughter Alison was born. People were friendly, our neighbours were kind and always on hand to help. Alison had a wonderful life exploring the surrounding area and playing with all the children - they all looked after one another. Our door was never locked, we would just pop into peoples homes uninvited, ...see more
I spent 3 years at Dumbrell's Farm, Milton Street, Sussex. I was a little Birmingham evacuee (aged 9 years). I went to school at Alfriston, my 'Uncle John' took me fishing in the River Cuckmere and we went shooting wild duck at night. It was an unbelievable experience for me, as I had never been out of Birmingham before. One dark night in 1940, I was alone in 'Pond Cottage'. My 'uncle' had ...see more
I was born in Walthamstow in 1952 and moved to Drayton Road in Leytonstone in 1953. We lived there for 10 years and my brother and sisters were born there. I went to Goerge Tomlinson School from 1957 to 1963, my teachers as I remember were: Miss Maslin, Mrs Isaacs, Mrs Hawkes, (infants), Miss Martin, Miss Howells and Miss Lynes (juniors). As schools go it wasn't too bad although I do recall ...see more
I can add information about the September bombing and suggest that one reason for the low number of casualities was that it was a time bomb that landed on Bell Vue Terrace. Aunt Alice and Daisy lived at number 6 and tell me that they heard the bomb come down but then there was no immediate explosion. They were told to smash all the windows to allow for the blast to go through the ...see more
We moved to 160 Devon Street in 1957 which is the top end, over the road from the outdoor. As we were a black family people didn't have much to do with us. I went to Bloomsbury Sec. Modern where the head was Mrs Hinchliffe. My teacher was Miss Clift, other teachers were Miss Pratt, who lived in Sutton Coldfield and Miss Hastilow - can't remember the other names. I hated school as being the only black pupil, the ...see more
I was born in Sheardale in 1948, it was a warm and friendly place with around ten or twelve houses and a village hall. Everyone looked out for each other. As time went on new houses were built in Coalsnaughton and later at Dollar, and people moved out of the village to modern houses with electricity and indoor toilets. The village was then used by many as a means as a stepping stone to getting a council ...see more
My parents spent annual holidays at Taberners boarding House in Albert Road, Blackpool Central, when they were young children, and upon hearing of their eventual courtship and engagement many years later, the then owners vowed to postpone the sale of the boarding house until they were to marry and have their honeymoon there in 1948. Later on the boarding house was sold on to a family by the name of Hill. Of course ...see more
I remember my father's house in Station Road, it was called 'Wheatfields' and, as far as I know, had no street number back then. He had made a beautiful garden around it, flowers at the front and an orchard and vegetable patch at the back. When the apple harvest came in there were so many apples that he would put them in crates at the bottom of the driveway just outside the gates, and they were free for anyone ...see more
Hi, school holidays down the den consisted of endless hours playing comandoes and building the dam at the Ladies Brig, Eddie Thacker the Mackays, Tommy Johnstone, Gareth Bruce, Shug Torrance, Harry Caulder, Podge Allan, Frogy and Donald Fraser, and many more all joined in hauling shalogies (i.e cut turf the size of carpets to dam up the burn). As soon as we finished, along came the farmer and pulled it down, waste of ...see more
Although I only lived in Woodford for a couple of years at most I was happy there. We lived at 17 High St, which I suppose might be called a cottage these days. It was a 2 up 2 down place with a strange sort of tiny extension built on the back which my mother called the kitchenette! There was a brick built coal store and toilet across the yard, no bathroom! Our next door neighbours were Mr and Mrs Pain; ...see more
Our parents bought Little thatch in the 1970's as a weekend cottage, and we loved it.
One night, staying there with my husband, we heard a rapping on the front door.
The time was very late pm, and we thought ''could it be [relatives] who live at Manton calling''? I thought it was very late for them, as they were elderly, but opened the door anyway, and there was no one there. [maybe 10 ...see more
Most of the family would help to do this, it took several weeks to complete. Some looked very good according to the people’s skill.
The Children
All played together, boys and girls, all age groups and all stayed out until called in, generally about 9.30pm summer or winter. In daylight hours we played football, cricket and rounders. After dark we played “Kick the Tin”, “Jack Shine the Magi” and other games.
For ...see more
Hetton Council then cleaned up the remainder of the site, put on topsoil, and turned it into a sort of small park. There are some articles I have from the local paper published at the time giving a bit more insight to what happened. The final demolition was started about 1963, families were gradually re-housed, and the last property, the old Fox & Hound pub, the last to go about the end of 1964. Ralph Peter and ...see more
I remember sliding down the slag bing on breadboards we stole from behind the Co -op on Westwood Road. My granny lived on Westwood Road near the sweetie shop which was later bought by Dan McArdle. My granny's house had an outside toilet whitch was about 30 yards from the back door - not funny. I remember an out building where the woman did their washing together in a big wooden tub called a bine, I think. I remember ...see more
Our annual summer camp for many of my East Kilbride Scouts in 1977 was a choice between an expensive long distance coach trip to Switzerland or a cheaper and fun District Camp at Glentrool, just an hour and a half ride away on a service bus! Along with Douglas Johnston - a fellow Scout Leader - I took a patrol from the 3rd EK to join the District Camp and we were blessed with ...see more
I went to this school from about 1935 until I entered Bedwellty Grammar School .A war time memory comes to mind. One afternoon Miss Davies, our teacher, told us that we were going to help the war effort. We were all going to scour the countryside and collect hips (the fruit of the rose hip. Much later on in life I discovered that it was turned into rose-hip syrup). To continue ... Off we all ...see more
Trawlers go out for quite a while. The first catch goes into the bottom of the hold, and ice put on top.
Later catches go on top, iced again and on until the hold is full. Depending on the size of the catch, this can take a different amount of time. The bribe was for the fish from the top of the hold, as you can see this was the newest catch. This was then kept by Patterson’s, and delivered daily by lorry to be ...see more
My name is Elena Zoerman. We were the American family that lived in the cottage right the across the street from the church. I loved that cottage. I remember one winter being snowed in and my sister and me playing in the snow. My father was Kenneth Million, he was in the United State Air Force and was stationed at the airbase of Upper Heyford! I remember having a milkman, meat man , produce man and even a bread man! I ...see more
I have a lot of happy memories of living in Peterlee. My mam, dad and me moved there when I was 6 months old from Hartlepool. We lived in Bailey Rise, a new house then. I can still remember the smell from the Tudor crisp factory which was just at the bottom of our garden, I am sure that is why I love crisps. Then there was the big house where I can remember going for injections and I think other things happened there, ...see more
A St Marychurch boy, I lived at Hampton Farm Cottage, St Marychurch... and I can still smell the tar and the salt from old fisher and other boats pulled up on Oddicombe beach... and I can still feel the beautiful shining pebbles.... Together with my friends Brian and Roy - just two of many wonderful pals - we would spend school holidays at the back of Hampton Farm, scrumping apples, making camp among ...see more
I was born in the July of 1952,to my parents Frank and Bette Coxon. We lived above a butchers shop, on the corner of the Wednesfield Road and Heath street - the shop belonged to Mr Sammy Hall. My father worked as a butcher at Downs of Bilston,and part time at Sammy Halls. My mother worked at a newsagents, some five doors away towards Wednesfield. My only recollection of her employment was when the shop owner David (?) ...see more
I remember the shopkeepers; Rees Jones & Fred Palmer (the butcher) also Sgt Brace at the Police Station. I also have very fond memories of the Bedwellty Show and the ink stamps on your hand to let you back in and trying to imprint them on friend's hands who hadn't been able to go in! I remember frog spawn excursions to the Mansion Pond (my poor mother had to put up with jars of the stuff ...see more
Hello Willesden Kids, I was born in Willesden, Dean Rd. in 1947. grew up there until I was about 12 -14. I remember the Davis family across the road, (particularly Janet Davis - I was sweet on her, my first love, ha ha), and my mates named Alan Shaw and Rodger Wright, who lived in Grove Road; we were good friends then. We all played in the street in those days, marbles and knock down ginger, that was fun. We also played ...see more