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.
Search for Local Memories
Search for your favourite UK places and read memories of the local area in days gone by.
Add a Memory!
It's easy to add your own memories and reconnect with your shared local history. Search for your favourite places and look for the 'Add Your Memory' buttons to begin
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:
-
How the location features in your personal history?
-
The memories this place inspires for you?
-
Stories about the community, its history and people?
-
People who were particularly kind or influenced your time in the community.
-
Has it changed over the years?
-
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:
...and hundreds more!
Enjoy browsing more recent contributions now.
Subscribe
Join the thousands who receive our regular doses of warming nostalgia! Have our latest blog posts and archive news delivered directly to your inbox. Absolutely free. Unsubscribe anytime.
Displaying Memories 501 - 550 of 2029 in total
Still on my travels on Memory Lane I browsed past St Helens. This was always a place of seasonal visits: Christmas, Easter and Harvest Festival. I must admit that Easter visits do not live long in my memory, and Harvest Festival seemed to be an exercise in pyramids of tins of things your mum didn’t need urgently. The Mayans would have been proud of our ironically, heathen ziggurats of Spam, tuna, ...see more
I was born in 1931, Middlesbrough. My parents were Thomas and Lily Hunt. My sister Sylvia, was born in 1937. From an early age, before and after Sylvia was born, mum would take us every August by bus to Durham city and on to Brandon Road, Eshwinning. There lived my Uncle Tom, Aunt Liza, and Uncle Jimmy. An older girl called Ursula was sometimes there, but I do not ...see more
I remember when I was just a young teenager... you could roam around the village and just about everyone knew you. I loved to wander down to Mill Stream Lane with my jam jar and fishing net and walk along the stream searching for stickle backs and anything else I could catch. The fields behind us would whisper in the breeze and the sunlight would filter through the trees and glisten on the water below. ...see more
During my time in training as a 16 year old student for just one year I had lodged at my grandparents, Fred and FLorence Clarke. Quite surprisingly whilst coming from a small hamlet nestling within Oxfordshire I settled in quite well. No less my memories of that time consist of the following:
Each morning having arisen at 8am upon making my way down the narrow winding stairway through the back room; on ...see more
My memories of the village are so precious that I wished it to be preserved intact with no alterations whatsoever, which of course was ridiculous. The main change is the size. When I was a child, in the '40's and 50's, the village was triangular, with the church at one end and the chapel at the other. A ten minute walk beyond the chapel led to the old workhouse, by then converted into a Geriatric ...see more
My elder brother Peter was at Dockenfield School around 1944 and has similar bad memories of abuse whilst a student there. He had been placed in the school by well meaning parents to avoid the bombings of south east London where dad had a transport cafe. Apart from the canings and early morning runs through snow and ice clad only in shorts t-shirt and plimsoles; he recalls that monthly food parcels of ...see more
I was baptised in this church and belonged to the Youth Club. The Vicar at that time, was Rev. Welch, and 'Doc' ran the Youth Club. After church on Sundays we all used to go into the pub for a shandy, including the verger. I have the photo above, on my wall here in my home in New Zealand....I noticed that some of the lovely buildings next to the church have been removed and the trees have gone.
I moved to Chingford Hatch in 1946 from Hackney, we moved into a new house on Friday Hill. Some of my early memories was climbing the huge elm trees that were either side of Friday Hill. I remember the Old Smithy in what is Wrigley Close, next to the Prince of Wales. I remember the galvanised pig bins that were left on the streets for Jim Saville to collect the food leftovers for his pigs; he had a smallholding in Newgate Street.
From Trafford Road one would see the first shop was on the left of Cawdor Street; the workshop of Louis Donlan, tailor. Next on the left was Bolsover’s Grocery shop; popular with some customers because 'sterilized milk' was sold there. The shop was taken over by another family,their only daughter named, Alma. Next door was Mrs Rogerson’s Toffee shop; she stocked glacier mint and slabs of caramel. ...see more
This road, as the word Brook Street most clearly implies, leads down from the Cross in the distance at the top of the hill down through this avenue of trees to the Lynch. On the left are some beautiful houses with lawns and beautiful trees surrounding them. On the right is a sheep meadow and a horse chestnut tree where we used to go and throw things at the conkers to get them down. These were prize conkers ...see more
My parents, Arthur and Olga England, ran the Hostel at Drayton Parslow back in the 1960's for the London Brick Company. The Hostel was situated opposite Love Row, where the Hostel was is now known as Prospect Place. It used to be the old Naval Records base during the war and had a secret passage from Brown's to the Naval Base. Brown's was a house owned by Mr Brown and was, if ...see more
On tv at last, school bus, with a clippie, snowed in, couldn't get from Drongan to Cumnock Academy, should have been a good day off, but had to walk through loads of snow from Coalhall to Drongan, no thermals in those days! Old village of Drongan, initially miners row, expanded to one small council estate, then incomers, who lived across the water, other side of the burn, to work in the pits, foreigners from as far afield as Glasgow and Lesmahagow, how times change!
I remember going to visit a Mrs Kelly with my granny and they used to sit and tell ghost stories. When we walked home we had to walk over Turners Bridge which was only dimly lit and I was told to watch out for 'Cut Throat Dan. I must have walked backwards all the way to Newtongreen in case he crept up behind us - scary days.
My mum was born there but came to Wales when war broke out as she was in care at the time. She stayed with a couple who had lost their own child and who eventually 'adopted' her so she never returned, but always told us tales of where she lived. I remember there being a monkey puzzle corner somewhere in the directions to get to granny's. The first time I visited was when I was about 6 or ...see more
I was born at Ashby-de-la-Zouch in 1950, and lived on Hough Hill for the next 21 years.
Swannington back then was an agricultural village, some people worked out of the village in factories or construction, but the main work was still in mining. My father, Jack Lakin worked at New Lount. Swannington was a quiet village - no traffic! We played football, cricket and games on the main road. We ...see more
I was born at 3 Dornden Cottages in June 1942. My father (Charles Harris) was Chauffer to Mr Coombe at Dornden. Unfortunately Mr Coombe died around 1947 and we had to move out of our cottage as it was a tied residence (about 1949). My memories of living there are vague, but I know happy. There used to be an walled, ivy lined path from our garden to the common across which I went down ...see more
As Christmas 2012 approaches, once more I have baked my family Christmas cake using the same recipe, from the same book, all those memorable years ago. Attending Holbeach Bank School at that time, just pre George Farmer, we girls would bus into Holbeach each week to be taught how to cook a variety of food.
I trust my attempt at poetry will explain....
COOKERY DAYS 1957
I was taught to cook at school, the lessons ...see more
I do not know the exact year that Doncaster had its first Royal visit after the Second World War had ended but all the school children in the parish were required to put on their best bibs and tuckers for school and we were then walked to the Grandstand Road next to the Fire Station where we were given little Union Jacks, so that when the King came by we could give him a cheering Doncaster ...see more
Well not just 1953 but for most of the 50s, I was brought up by my Grandparents Charlie & Elsie Duffy "Mam & Dad" to me. Mam's family had a newsagents shop years eariler on Gunson Street, hence when they built the old pre war flats ( WITH a bath I may add!!) Mam married a local lad & decided to settle in the area. Good days and times to live in Miles Platting, ...see more
My mother and brother were evacuated to Mafeking Row, Shirburn during the war and for a number of years we used to spend school holiday time there. No electric lights - only oil lamps,
no heating - only coal fired range cooker for heat and cooking, no running water - we drew buckets of water from a well between the cottages and no inside toilet - only wooden shack at top of front garden. Single line steam train ...see more
This photo has brought back so many memories of when I had my summer holidays in the last house before the white houses. There was a gate to the side of the house which lead into a large garden where my grandad grew veg and fruit, and the chickens from the farm behind walked around the garden. I loved to play in the sheds in the garden and pick the peas for dinner. The days would be filled ...see more
Since about the 1960s, Child Okeford became a totally different community from the one I first got to know in the early 1930's. The Watts (Harry and Dorothy) had farmed out of Laurel Farm for many decades and Jo(sephine), the daughter, was my cousin by marriage. Laurel Farm, as it is today in the late 1900s, is shown to the left of this memory. Sadly, the main characteristics - with the ...see more
I used to live on The American Airbase at Boreham Airfield. There was the Ford's race track there which me and my brother used to go to. We nipped under the fence and watched the races and then collected all the corona bottles where we would go to the local shop and get money for them. There was an old American car in one of the empty huts and chickens used to lay their eggs in. We ...see more
I always remember the Cricket Green as the lazy hazy days of summer. My father played cricket here, I don't remember the name of his team, but we had to sit and watch him. I liked it when the crocuses poked their heads out of the ground at the beginning of the season. They would appear in glorious colour in all the corners of the green, with the cricket pitch in the middle. We were never ...see more
Around 1943 or 1944 my brother Bob, and I were evacuated from London to live at this lovely address - now Yeldham Road - and to equally lovely people by the name of Smith. Victor and Gladys who became our much loved second family together with their daughter Thelma. Little did we know then that we were to become life long friends. At the time Bob and I were about 4 and 5 years old and we must have ...see more
As a small child I remember going to Wilkies fish shop in Western Road and from the counter you could see into their living room at the back. They had a huge fish tank filled with bright coloured fish and I felt very priviledged when Mr & Mrs Wilkie let me go into their living room to see the tank. I can also recall a shop called (I think) Maidments? Again in Western Road, the owner used to make fruit ...see more
I remember arriving in Morecambe in 1967, with a mate of mine, to work the Summer at Pontin's in Middleton but, due to a clerical error, our job's were no longer open. So, on the way back to Morecambe, (on the bus), we spotted what we assumed to be an Old Folk's Home, ('cos of the number of 'old folk's' we saw), but we decided to apply anyway...and am I ever glad we did!.
Turned out to be 'Pensioner's ...see more
These memories have been contributed by Myra Greer.
In 1947, when I was 7, my mother and I moved from Salisbury in Wiltshire where my father was stationed at RAF Boscombe Down, to near Llanfarian, where my grandparents had settled. My grandfather, William, was badly crippled by rheumatoid arthritis. Because of his illness they had had to sell up their lovely home in Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire during ...see more
During the war years in 1940, we moved from Doncaster to Rossington. My father worked on the railway and felt we would be safer in the country. We lived at 254 Gatehouse Crossing and later in 1948, at 383 Gatehouse, Bessacarr. My mother had charge of the gates and would open them for the farmer, Mr Lee. It was also her responsibility to put fog signals on the line if she saw anything suspicious. She ...see more
I am looking for the living descendants of the little known Victorian print-seller and art dealer George Love (1804-1883) of 81 Bunhill Row in Finsbury, London.
His son William Francis Love (d.1912) married Alice Buttery from Finsbury in 1883.
William Francis Love moved to Surrey with his wife and had 3 children:
1) Cecil Francis Trevelyan (b. ...see more
I lived in Gainers Terrace in the 60's with me ma, da, and brother Tom. I loved seeing the ships being built from my bedroom window, late at night the room would be all lit up with the light from the welders! My mother's cousin Thommasenna, known as 'Enna' lived downstairs to us with her husband and little'uns. It was a lovely little road to live in mind, the women did used to moan when they brought the washing ...see more
I lived in Bradford in the bungalow my dad designed at the corners. We emigrated to Canada in 1958 - I was 7. My dad came over here first to get work as an architect and a home for us. My mum, older brother, younger sister and I stayed in a caravan behind the pub for 6 weeks. Then we followed dad to Canada on a ship, The Empress of France in June 1958. I had started school in Bradford in the ...see more
I moved to Woodford Bridge when I was about 4 years old in 1949 and a few years later went regularly to Church and Sunday School at St Paul's Church for several years. The Vicar at that time was Rev Philip Wright. He was well known for his interesting collection of old farm and agricultural tools and had a small museum at his house. My younger sister and I used to walk up the hill from ...see more
Both my parents were nurses at Claybury during the 1950s. My dad worked days and my mum worked nights. I can remember her telling me that when she did 'the rounds' during the night she used to ride her bike through the dark corridors crunching over cockroaches! Dad was umpire for the Clabury cricket team and my brother and I spent many a warm sunny Sunday playing in the grounds of the hospital while Mum ...see more
This photo brings back lots of memories for me as it shows High Road, Woodford Bridge which is where the old-fashioned ironmongers that my family owned was situated. There had been one on the site since the beginning of the 20th Century, but we owned it from 1973 until my Father retired in 1987. Originally it was High Road, Woodford Bridge, but it was renamed Chigwell Road. I particularly remember 1974 as ...see more
Looking at this picture brings back memories of the Bridge Mission. You went down a alleyway, I think beside a tie factory and a shop called Grants. Because I had very small feet, the kind Mr Grant got my shoes in specially. They were always very small, tight and pointed, and were very painful to walk in; but because he went to so much trouble, I never said a word. The Mission, I was in the Girls ...see more
Between the tree and the cinema you can see the roof and top floor of one of the blocks of flats in Armfield Crescent so we did not live far from the cinema. When we were small we were given a shilling to go to the Saturday morning pictures - The ABC Minors we were called. We even had a song we sang before the films began. Sixpence was used to get into the cinema and we had sixpence to spend on lollies or ...see more
Dont live in Pudsey any more but was born and brought up there. I lived on Laurel Mount off Richardshaw Lane. across from Farsley omnibus depot. I think there is an office block there now. There used to be Harold's fish shop, a grocery shop, a cobblers shop where we always used to buy our fireworks and then a timber yard. Where the by pass goes under Rikky Lane there used to be another grocers shop ...see more
My great great grandparents lived in that wee hoose. His name was John Morrison and he and his wife had three sons who fell in the same week in September 1915, Joseph, Hugh and Robert. Another son was wounded in the same week. I have no idea why or when the family moved and this is the first photograph I have seen of the cottage. I walk past it every day and always wonder to myself of the who, where, when and ...see more
Does anyone recall Austins cake shop/cafe, in Cheap St? Their pasties were superb and I remember eating a whole lardy cake to myself! One of their specialities was an item called 'Nelson Squares ', pastry top and bottom and sweet mix in the centre - never seen things like that since. Lovely memories.
My parents took over The Chocolate Box, a little general store which sold mostly sweets in 1946. I lived there in the old thatched cottage and the attached house, which was called the new house, as it was only two hundred years old (which also included the shop). I always thought the house we lived in was haunted, and my dad, Russell Oddy, thought so too. In fact, he used to swear ...see more
I can remember going to the shop almost everyday (I was born in 1967) with my mother, Gillian Boyland (nee Channon). I used to sit on the steps opposite where a lady by the name of Mrs Gill used to live. Mrs Marsh was the postmistress, and my mother knew her well. My mother was born in 1938 at Titley Cottages in West Monkton, where she still lives today! I can remember 'Dot' who also worked in the shop and the ...see more
To anyone living in and around Hanwell, Cuckoo School was the edifice which overlooked many of our homes. The school where Charlie Chaplain was sent as a boy had a gothic and slightly spooky appearance. Many a child would be told that if you looked up at the high windows you would see the plaintive face of a child's ghost peering out. I believe we all convinced ourselves that yes, we ...see more
Memories from that long ago tend to stick in the back of the mind until an association brings them out. Being a small child, the village green at Bearsted seemed gigantic and the village pond was just a pond. We used to paddle in the pond up to the top of our wellies, hoping that the water wouldn't run over the top and give us wet feet. The green was a favourite gathering place for a lot of children. One particular ...see more
How lovely to find some photographs of The Flying G, but I am surprised that there are no other comments when so many people went there. I went there twice, once in 1966 and again in 1967. The first time I was studying at St Godric's in London and Maureen Smith was going there in the holidays. She was a very focused and enthusiastic person. My friend Bev Chapman and I decided to go with her for a ...see more
My parents owned the Tip Top Cafe which was on the right of the picture where you can just see a parade of shops with flats above, which is where I was born. The bus stop in the forefront is where I used to catch the 65 or 265 bus to school in Surbiton. I also remember when the cafe was a meeting place for bikers (not rockers) and the cafe opposite was the meeting place for the Mods on their scooters.
My memories of Waterperry are all happy ones, my granmother Mrs Sparkes lived at no 4, the house was built in 1921, and my mother lived there as well, so some of the memories are from what she told me and some are from myself. As for what my mother told me, she as a child did not have it all easy in the school summer holidays, she once told me that she used to dread the school holidays as she had to go stone ...see more
I was born in Hawkhurst at some ungodly hour on October 5th, 1949 at the Little Fowler's nursing home, which is why I probably inherited some of its smuggling influence! At that time my parents were resident at Diprose, nothing more than a row of cottages with no electricity and one cold tap next to General Newman's farm along Foxholes Road. We lived here until 1953/4 and I always ...see more
At the far end of photo number H183005a - on the right - is a white wall. Mr and Mrs Barker lived in a one room plus a tiny kitchen downstairs, two tiny rooms up, from the 1930s until my great-grandmother died in the 1950s at the age of 93 - buried in the local graveyard. I have never been able to visit her tombstone - MARY BARKER - since I have lived overseas for 40 odd years. My memories are: I was the ...see more
I was born in Heath Town in 1950 in Tremont Street that was just off the Wednesfield Road. There was The Poplar public house on the right going towards Wednesfield, the next road was where I was born. At the top of the street was a factory called Charles Snape. I went to Causeway Lake Infants School at the top of Inkerman Street and then when I was seven went to Woden Road Junior School. I remember going to ...see more