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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Search for your favourite UK places and read memories of the local area in days gone by.
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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:
...and hundreds more!
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Displaying Memories 951 - 1000 of 2029 in total
My grandfather, George Pretty lived at a house called Belmont with his second wife Gladys, from the 1950's I assume until his death. I was a schoolboy at King's School, Worcester. My parents lived in Hong Kong and my mother arranged for me to spend the Easter holidays in 1960 and 1961 with my grandfather. My mother and my grandfather weren't close. He saw her as an ungrateful daughter and she ...see more
We moved to Roe Green Village in 1940 having been bombed out in the East End. My father was stationed at Mill Hill Barracks following his return from France. He found us a place to live in Goldsmith Lane, Kingsbury. We spent the rest of the war years in the village. We had our share of the bombing and I can remember a bomb falling in our back garden and my Dad was so upset that it had destroyed his well kept ...see more
My family and I, 5 sisters and a brother, lived in Nigel road just up from the Washwood Heath Road. I was born in the house in Nigel Road in 1948 so were my siblings. My memory is very vivid of my times there until I left home to get married in 1969. Ward End Park was our playground. In the summer it would be football nearly every day down at the sandpits, as we called them, no grass to play on only ...see more
I first came to Lower Swell as a 16 year old boy; that would have been 1967. I had attended Wilsons Grammar School in Camberwell London. Austen Nichols had worked at the school teaching metal work. He told me that he lived in Lower Swell and had a forge there. He and I got on really well. He was a good teacher and became a good friend. When he left Wilsons he invited me to visit him and that summer I did. I ...see more
I was born in Marshall St, Old Monklands. I remember playing in the Glen and having to cross a very busy road to get there.West End park was one of my favorite haunts. Iwent to St Josephs Primary school (I think it was called that, because they changed the name). In those times they used the belt as punishment, and I remember running home to my mum after being hit very badly with the belt. My mum ...see more
I worked at the bakery in the early 70's on franchise to Rowlands Bread. I was on door to door sales covering Handforth to Wilmslow; it was very rewarding. My round no. was 112 at that time and I shared the depot with Almonds; there they still had electric vehicles for the local rounds. We shared the depot with Almonds Bread then Mothers Pride took over which was when the depot got very busy ...see more
My uncle, Milton Beattie was gamekeeper to Sir James Baird, and he and his wife Connie lived in the gamekeeper's house on the far side of Clints - on the way to Orgate. My mum and I lived in the Hall Cottage, and I went to Marske School where Miss Marriner was the teacher, and we were all taught in one classroom. On nice sunny days, the whole school - I think there were about fifteen pupils - would go out on nature ...see more
Mr Joe (Cloggy) Jackson Almost everyone who met 'Cloggy' has stories to recollect of this colourful village character - Dave Quinn recalls: Mr Joe 'Cloggy' Jackson, Club Doorman and Saturday Evening vendor of 'The Pink', AKA Sunderland Echo. Invariably dressed in flat cap and tight fitting jacket, riding breeches and leather boots, Cloggy looked every inch a 'horsey man'. He claimed that as a lad he ...see more
I know records will prove me wrong, but summer seemed to start around the beginning of May and last until getting on to Bonfire night. We walked to Witton-le-Wear night after night to swim then walked home or, if we were lucky, got a lift in an empty meat van, not unlike the one driven by Corporal Jones in 'Dads Army'. When it got too cold to swim we set about building and guarding our bonfire in the park. There were ...see more
Vague recollections of my first days, being taken in my little blue coat and cap by the girls next door. I seemed to cling to them for ages. (Was this a sign of things to come?) Finally graduated to playing with the boys, sliding in the school yard in black boots with 'segs' in. It was all boys because the yard then was divided by a wall and the red brick toilets and you just didn't venture into the girl's half. ...see more
I worked at Tesco, Borehamwood approx 1982 to to approx 1987, which was situated where the old bowling alley once was. I have fond memories of working there, although it was hard work, the staff all got along whatever the age. Tesco only had 18 checkouts I can remember, there was no Sunday or bank holidays opening, there was a delicatesen at the back of the store and ...see more
Hi, I was born and brought up in Dipton, I lived in Annfield Street with my dad, Tom Bell, and my nanna, Maria Bell. I went to St Patricks RC School and have good memories of my time there with a few of the teachers being nuns. My dad worked at the local mine and worked very hard long hours and was filthy black, when he came home. I remember the tin bath in front of the fire, the outside loo and the coal house. ...see more
As a lad, in the fifties after Sunday lunch, my father would drive my mother, my two sisters and I to Seasalter. The beach was made up of pebbles and shells, not as comfortable as the sandy beaches further into Kent, on the other hand the sea always seem to be much warmer than the other beaches we would visit further east.
We would park the car on the wide grass verge opposite the sea wall and cross the road to the ...see more
I lived in Blean-y-pant Crescent and we would walk along the canal tow path to reach the lido. I remember that there was a farm house at the bridge where we'd turn left up the hill. My father and I watched the only fire ball I've ever seen, bounce across the fields and hit the shed of the farmhouse one stormy day. The Lido was heaven to us kids. The mums would pack sandwiches and sometimes buy us a packet of ...see more
I was born in Aylsbury in 1952 and lived in Linslade for the first 7 years, then moved to Bracknell. My grandfather, William Evans, and great grandfather, Joseph Evans, had both been the village bakers in Little Billington since my great grandfather built West View and its bakery before the First World War. He also planted the orchard for the fruit to make apple pies, plum pies and so on. I can ...see more
I was born in 1950 at Alexandra Park Nursing Home in Muswell Hill. My Mum and Dad (Ivy and Joe Abrahams) owned and ran the fish shop in Hornsey High Street and my Dad was not very pleased when Mum went into labour just before the lunchtime rush! I came home to live in the flat above the fish shop. It was a wet, dry and fried shop. My Dad used to have live crab on the slab in the front window and ...see more
I was priviledged to be given a guided tour of the Bank of England Printing Works at Debden. I had just started work at the Bank in the City in 1963 and my tour formed part of the induction process for all new staff. Our group of a dozen new staff were given directions to take a Central Line tube train from the Bank station in the City out to Essex where the Bank's Printing works had been ...see more
Hi Peter,
I remember the Thompkins was it the baker or was that the Cheneys? Joe Smith was the newsagent who used to treat the kids to a summer outing by train every summer. We used to get a new florin and a bag of goodies and had a great day out in Bognor. We lived in Old Bracknell Farm, my mum and dad were bombed out of London and dad bought the farm. I can remember before Downshire Way was ...see more
THE KITE FLYERS
The Second World War had just ended before I started school. In that summer the craze in the council estate was for kite flying. Me and my pal Brian used to watch the big lads, Sam,Teddy, Bobby and Ian, flying kites on the Green, just above Murray Road. The kites were made of garden canes split in two, or orange box laths split and shaved down, tied in the middle to form a cross, and the ...see more
Mum, Ivy Ironmonger, and her sister, Edie, were evacuated from London during summer of 1944 and I was born on September 19th that year. Mum gave birth in the front bedroom of number 78 Excelsior Sreet, Waunlwyd, one of the first houses up the hill on the right, past the Parade .....not too far from the Park Hotel. The owners of the the house, Mr and Mrs Stacey, were lovely people and really looked after us ...see more
My name is David Strutt and I moved with my parents to 5 Heol yr Ynys when I was only 6 months old, in 1941, having been bombed out in London. I have often wondered what happened to folk that lived there. We seemed to know lots of people. I remember Jimmy Sadd, Billy Ward who lived at Riverside, Mervyn Priddle, Mary Glasson who married Bob Ford (they had the grocer's shop), Joan Goodman, Cedric ...see more
I have many fond memories of Pontllotyn Cinema, it was a very big part of most of my childhood and teen years. I remember Mrs Jones with the torch, Mrs Lewis & my own Nan, Mrs Jones from Duffryn St. My nan's job was to bring around the refeshment at the interlude of the film, which always had a second part, sometimes really long films may have had a part 3. On Christmas time the kids would line ...see more
I have great memories of Methilhill. We lived in Perth but my Gran Cormack lived at 147 Simon Crescent on the main road. We used to stay with her during the summer holidays. Those were the days when you knew you were in Fife becuase the buses were red, not like the Stagecoach colours nowadays. Daisy Park was a great haunt and we spent many days and evenings playing there. That chute had to be one of the ...see more
I was born in Consett at 11 Newmarket Street in June 1933, though my parents were living in Norfolk and later on in Middlesex. I was sent back to live with aunts when the Blitz really got going.
I went to the CofE Primary School at the back of the church which I also had to attend as a choir boy.
Consett was full of noise in those days especially outside No.11. Buses started their long climb up ...see more
One of my early memories growing up in Walker was of sitting on the step to the back yard in my grans lane and seeing a group of people all dressed up in their Sunday best. One of the women was carrying the most perfect baby boy dressed in an amazing long lace gown and delicate white shawl and I had never seen anything so lovely in my short life. All of the grown ups started to call me over to them, ...see more
I was born at Mayday Hospital. My parents still live in Baring Road and my mother has lived there from the age of 13, as my grandmother had the house before they did. I vividly remember playing 'up and down the road.' It is so sad children cannot do that safely any more. I also walked to school from a young age, as did my friends. It was a different world.
My Dad had the first car in the street. Brownies was at ...see more
I went to Gatley Primary these years. Happy memories, completely changed now. I am an aviation buff and saw the first BOAC b747 land at Manchester Airport from my classroom window. My teacher was a Mr Elliott, not sure of his whereabouts now but I shouted "IT'S A JUMBO" out loud - he replied "quiet, I dont care if its a pink elephant."!!!!!!!!
I was lucky enough to go abroad for our family holiday every year. Towards the end of the 1980s my second holiday around August time would be to go to Treyarnon Bay with my best friend Becci and her parents, and I fell in love with the place and the surrounding areas. I'm sure the pub/hotel was named the Beachcomer back then.
The owners of Treyarnon Bay Hotel were Anne and Clive, along with Anne's brother Chris ...see more
I have very fond memories of Huyton - especially Huyton village, in the 1970's. We used to live in Ardennes Road and my beloved nana, Sally (Sarah) Ryan, lived just around the corner in Salerno Drive. Even though we never had much money, Christmas and summer times there were magical. I attended a few schools there before we moved to the Wirral - St. Agnes, St. Aidens and St. Michaels and remember the ...see more
We stayed at a clifftop house called Mill Meadow. Once we parked the car behind the wooden double gates, there was a pine-tree lined steep hill that led to the house and then to cliffs. I remember that pine smell when we arrived. From the terraced garden lined with abundant red fuschia hedges in front of the house, led a path down many steps, that got steeper, and led to the small beach. The last few ...see more
Browsing Ampthill, for the first time, I came across the above photo. On the left just above the logo is a shop blind that used to protect the meat in the window display from sunshine (when it appeared). That blind was the bain of my life in 1952/3/4 when I was a so called "butchers boy". It never ran correctly on it's tracks, and I caused many a car to swerve my long pole manipulations putting it up and down. ...see more
In the mid and late forties I attended Kingsmuir Boarding School in what is known today as Alderford Grange. It was owned and mastered by Ms Francis. We were told that the building had once been the Inn attached to the Bell PH next door.
During my attendance the interior was extensively rebuilt, even the deep wooden sink in the kitchen was replaced, along with the ancient lath and plaster ...see more
In 1940 my London school, Borough Polytechnic, was relocated to Exeter which is where I was evacuated to. The school was a renovated building down by the river and not far from the slaughter house (which fascinated the boys). Of course, I well remember the night in 1942 when the city almost burned to the ground and along with it the old school. I had no option to return to London, so I finished my schooling in Budleigh Salterton, but that's another story.
My dad was a driver for the Venture Bus Company, we lived in Greenside not far away and in 1962 I went to Hebburn Technical College to do a two-year secretarial course. At this time, living in a pit village, girls leaving school at 15 (who had failed the 11 plus), were factory or shop fodder - this was my chance for something better. There I met Maureen French, Vera Gardener, Joan Tiplady and Mary ...see more
I was born at 6 St. Johns Terrace, 3 doors away from Mr Bird's Post Office and store (which is shown in your photo). How many hours have I sat on those steps outside? We used to play in the road and when we heard a vehicle coming we would sit on the steps while it passed - I don't think you can do that today. Directly opposite the Post Office was G.J.Garret Agricultural Implement Depot and ...see more
Lived in Doncaster Gardens - No.43 in the flats then No.49 in the three storey houses which are still there, before they filled the green in where we played football, with houses. Used to help run the Oriel Youth Club from its start with Pete Seal and the first Leader named Ron(?) Was a life guard at the swimming pool, went to Vincent with me mate Ken Yerby, when Dusty Miller was head master and Alan Mills was ...see more
My family first moved to Great Sankey from Belfast NI in 1976 firstly renting No1 Orrell Close then moving across the road to Hawthorne Avenue where my parents still live. I have wonderful memories of Thornley's (Then Clayton's) newsagents on Station Road where my best pal Mark and I would buy Matchbox cars and Airfix models with our pocket money. Occasionally we would also venture to Great Sankey ...see more
I spent holidays in this magical place as a boy, staying year after year with my beloved aunt and uncle and my two cousins. It was a vibrant and exciting English village that buzzed and thronged with life and activity. I watched each dawn from my bedroom window as the village street and the busy post office slowly came to life. I ran the lanes and glorious fields with my cousins and our friends ...see more
I used to stay here with my nan; she lived in both sides of this building, it was two houses then. The side that you can see is where she lived until she left when my grandad died. The top window was her bedroom, the window on the ground floor is hidden by the bushes that was her 'best room' for Sundays and visitors! You had to go through that room to the toilet, and a storeroom where grandad used to rear ...see more
I remember Temple school. The Knights Templar play. Christmas plays. The youth club on Friday evenings. Friday I'm in love. I was. The glen. Scottish country dancing. The human skull in Anna's cellar. Diving off the waterfall. Baking and Christmas parties at the Dunlop's. The quilt. The Fete and fancy dress. Exploring in the woods. Getting lost in the woods. The conker tree. Bonfires on ...see more
I spent a wonderful childhood in Norton Fitzwarren when it was a village from 1950 to 1958. I have priceless memories of roaming the fields, woodlands and surrounding countryside freely. Of sitting on top of Moses Park as we used to call it, and looking out over the countryside with hardly a building in sight and watching the smoke from the train in Wellington Station as it slowly crept through the ...see more
My great aunt, Muriel Dundas Legard, lived for many years in Huttons Ambo. She built a house called Colswayn and then built two other bungalows in the grounds; firstly Mynchon which she lived in for years, then Bardolf. My sister, brother and I have many many happy memories of visiting her and staying in the oasis she had created around her. Bees, veg garden, sheep in the field belonging to a farmer, ...see more
Living just off Park St, Camberley, our house was on the landing approach flight path. With my dad's binoculars from the First World War I watched the Boston III's and Mitchells coming back from daylight raids with holes and bits missing, flying low right over our house on long approach.
I spent my days and nights watching the air, giving me memories of every type of aircraft that existed, including ...see more
I lived in Taunton from about 1953 until I left for London and then on to the States in 1969...I lived in Stoke Road and went to St. Joseph's Convent and then to Weirfield, which is now a part of Taunton School, I believe. A wonderful childhood when it was still safe to make a picnic and head out for the day into the hills on our bikes.....only to come back when it was getting dark. I do recall the major hang out ...see more
I grew up in Kettlesing after moving there as a toddler in 1971 and leaving in 1984 but my dad remained living there until he died in 2013. I attended the village school until leaving to go to secondary school in 1980/81 and my teachers were Mrs Dunmore and Mrs Morse. I remember Geoffrey Smith the tv gardener visiting the school to give talks and a weekly visit from our recorder teacher. I ...see more
I attended Embleton Infants School and Embleton Junior Mixed School which were structurally attached but otherwise separate from September 1957 until July 1963. At that time the staff were very respectable and I liked almost all the teachers. The headmistress of Embleton Infants School was Miss Reece (this was how she was addressed but I never saw her name spelt). She was a middle aged ...see more
My father, Thomas Henry Williams, was born at 57 High Street, Troedrhiwfuwch in 1908. In his early 20's he left Troedy for Bristol, to look for work. It was in Bristol that he met and married my mother, and subsequently my sister Sylvia and myself, Roy, were both born. As a family we never lost touch with my father’s birthplace. We spent every Christmas in Troedy and I spent most of my ...see more
I moved to Ham in 1959 from Kew and left in 1984 after coming back from a short spell of living abroad with work. I went to St. Andrew's school (now St. Matthias' church) then, St Richards with St Andrews on Ashburnham Rd. We lived in Mowbray Rd. My mother, Florence Thompson, had lived in Sheridan Rd. previously. I remember the prefabs on Ashburnham Rd. Then the blocks of flats that were built at the same time as the ...see more
When the searchlights came...
During the Second World War, Uttoxeter hardly knew that the war was on, although our young men and women kept leaving, and rationing was severe. One change to us all, on the park side of the town, was the opening of the bypass in 1939. The war stopped operations, and of the dual carriageway (a source of wonder to me) only one lane was open, the nearside side, facing ...see more
I lived at 27 Radnor Street, last but one tennament to be flattened. My first year of school was at the "new high school", on Bouquanaran; 10 class rooms open, we had to scramble among the bricks to get to class. Then I went to Radnor new primary school, next I went to the old high school down in Clydebank, outside toilets and the roofs had been blown off so it was a chilly sit. Then at age 11, back to the now ...see more