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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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
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Displaying Memories 151 - 200 of 2029 in total
My first main job on leaving school (Shaw House) was as a tea boy-dogsbody at H C James timber and builders merchants in Pound Street. For quite a while I cycled daily from Highclere Castle, approx 4 miles, it took me just over half an hour to get there and one hour to return! Some hills!
My duties included running a mess room, making tea etc twice a day and touring the town for cakes and pasties, some of the men ...see more
From 1959 to 1973 I lived at Tooting Junction. '59-69 in Glasford Street opposite the police station, then when I got married in 1969 I moved one whole road away in Renmuir Street! Many local people may remember our big, black labrador, who used to bark and throw himself at the front room window if anyone dared to walk past our downstairs flat at 2 Glasford Street. My dad used to mend cars outside in the ...see more
I was born on 8th May 1945 (the day the war ended) at 61 Trevelyan Road Tooting. My mum told me that there was a heatwave on the 8th May and whilst she was trying to get some rest there was a street party going n which she couldn't go to.
My grandmother was born at 61 Trevelyan Road in 1986 and whilst following a historical research of my grandparents I discovered that 61 Trevelyan Road and adjoining ...see more
Does anyone remember during the '40s when the Ursline Girls School got bombed and caught fire. I think it was the same night the Brentwood Senior Boys School got bombed and we all had three months off school. I put my time to good use - I used to go out blackberry picking and sell them sixpence a basket. I made half a crown per day, Jim Chalkley.
He then ran a wet fish trade from a horse and cart, but also ran a fish and chip shop. Last time I was in Houghton the fish shop was still there. In Newbottle Street, just up from the school and on the same side.
Gran was very proud of her horses and carts. As thing got better she had them made at Baileys
Joinery in East Rainton village. The carts were always light weight and hand painted with 'Margaret Wilson ...see more
Armistice.
There are more details on my History of Netherthong on the web.
The news of the armistice reached Netherthong about 11am on the Monday morning but it was not fully confirmed until the flag was raised at Deanhouse Institution by order of the master, Mr. F. E. Rowbothan. This was followed by flags being hoisted at Deanhouse Mills, the Church, the Schools, Holmleigh, the ...see more
I was born in Mundford in 1955 - when I was 18 months old my family moved to the nearby hamlet of West Tofts. We had a small wooden bungalow, one of a pair, that was directly opposite an army camp.
My father worked for his father as a farm labourer at Lynford Home Farm, but following some sort of bust-up, my dad started working for the MOD on night shifts and during the day he gradually built up a smallholding, ...see more
I grew up in Cheapside Village and went to Cheapside C of E School when it was still in Cheapside Road between Mrs Clarke's house and Mrs Mc Master's house, opposite the social centre.
I remember Mr Goulding the Headmaster who was an amazing music and singing teacher. How I loved the assemblies each morning, singing our hearts out as he played the piano. Each day at the end of assembly, there was the ...see more
I very fond memories of my early school days as a child in the 1970s,the local first school,which i believe is still there,had only two teachers that i can remember,which was miss radcliff,and headmaster mr salsbury.We had wonderful school dinners,cooked on site,and two wonderful dinnerladies,mrs house and mrs mathews,who gave me a nickname of jilly-giles,where this came from i do not know.I remember two school ...see more
Just south of the entrance to the Airdries was the Methodist Church where we had summer bazaars. Adjacent to this lived Ernie Beard and his wife Betty. They had a Dalmation called Major which I used to walk for them. Mr Beard often complained about how muddy the dog was when I brought it back, but he didn’t realize how much fun we’d had climbing through streams and hedges. Further down the road ...see more
I was sent to Hayling Island in 1947, I was about 7 years old and had suffered 2 bouts of Scarlett fever. This had left me in a low state of health & it was thought I would benefit from a spell in a Convalescent Home. I was taken by a nurse from London to a large house called 'Fairlite', not far from the beach. The home was run by a matron with 1 or 2 local teenage girls. I had my clothes ...see more
I recall as a young boy of 7 or 8, that I was among a group of friends playing on the siding at the bottom of Margaret Street. We, as friends, found the bomb on the Rhigos Mountain and carried it back to the siding and were throwing stones at the bomb, in an attempt to explode it!. After a short while, I had a call of nature and left the siding, went up the Gooly to my ...see more
I was at St Patricks 1948 to 1952, I loved it there! I remember Pauline Quinn, her mum ran the laundry and little Margaret who ran the uniform and sewing room...I spent hours trying to darn a sock. Rosemary Bacon, Pauline Quinn and I were friends. Our ward maid was Bridie, she was a dreadful bully, we always got our own back though. She used to hand out syrup of figs or cascara on a ...see more
I lived in Hillbrow Cottages on the Eastbourne Road from 1950 to 1970s.
My father, George Mison, worked in the sand quarry in Bletchingley and mum, Elsie, was a housewife. There are only 12 cottages at Hillbrow and so there were about 7 children around the same age. David, Susan, Michael, Wendy, Ian, David and me. We used to play up on the common or paddle in Diana's Fountain. If you went further ...see more
I remember, in what must have been June 1944, when myself and our neighbours the Brays were watching what seemed like an endless stream of lorries loaded with soldiers coming down the hill (High Road) and on to somewhere, with hindsight probably Tilbury or some other port, for embarkation to the D Day landing beaches. We kids were jumping up and down and shouting and waving and the soldiers were waving and shouting ...see more
Born Dec. 1924 Dollis Hill Ave, son of E.H.Carter who lived at Crown Terrace. In 1912 he opened his half-shop as a newsagent and tobacconist, joined-up in 1915 and left the running to his sister Florence who eventually lived in Gladstone Park Gardens. I took over in 1950 and became more of a stationer with one eye on the American scene and the new popularity for greeting cards. My memories ...see more
In the late 1950's I was the village policeman at Great Waltham. The police house was the last two-storied house at the Barrack Land end of Cherry Garden Road with my 'office'being in the kitchen and the tsble there was my desk. Next door to us was a lovely old lady - Mrs Woods and on the other side the Hornsby family, daughter's name Jenny. My duties in those days were not very onerous consisting ...see more
My family moved to Ormskirk in 1960 when I was three. My father was starting a teaching course at Edge Hill and we lived in a flat over the coal board (next door to Clarks Shoes) in Church Street. Our surname was Byard back then. I started school at Greetby Hill, early, when I was only four, in January 1961. From the beginning I hated school - when mum and I got to the school gate (we used the path that crossed ...see more
I am now in my mid 80's. I lived in Borth from the age of about three until eleven years at 23 Well St (Lon Wen). This was during the days of the depression and conditions in the port were grim. Many of the men had joined the whaling fleets and as they sailed past North Anglesey from Liverpool the families would gather on Llam Carw and wave tablecloths. At the bottom of Well Street, just above the park, there was a ...see more
At the age of nine, I had to come and live with my mother's parents, Albert and Emily Warner, at 3 Church Path (pair of cottages now pulled down, but their well - (what wonderfully tasting water, drawn up with a bucket) still remains now in the front garden of the house occupying part of the site. The reason for my evacuation from Colgate, near Horsham, was that the flat we all lived in caught fire very early one morning ...see more
Hi, I was in the Hutton Residential School from 1930 to 1939. Mr Higden was the Headmaster. We had a big dining hall where all the boys had their meals - it was more like a scene from the film, Oliver, [food glorious food]. The Headmaster and his cronies would sit above us on a stage eating roast chicken & roast potatoes while we ate whatever they dished up to us. On Saturday we got a penny ...see more
Although originally from Manchester my parents were living in Filton when I was born in Cheltenham in December 1941. My father, like the majority of men in that area worked at what was then the BAC. He worked at the Rodney Works as a sheet-metal worker and fitter. We lived in Mackie Road and I attended Shields Road School betwen 1946 and 1953 when I went on to Thornbury Grammar School before going to Teacher ...see more
The village provided labour mainly for the Meadows Pit that was opened in 1824 and also for other local pits – Adventure, Resolution, Alexandrina, Hazard, Nicholson’s, Dun Well, Glow Oe, r Em…. to name but a few.
At the Rainton Colliery, which is the property of the Marquis of Londonderry, there are three pits from which coal is raised, Adventure, Alexandrina and Meadows, sunk in the years 1817, 1824 and 1824 ...see more
As a young lad in the “swingin 60’s”, the swingin’ rather passed me by … and no regrets there. But the word puts me in mind of the swinging we did do. Just down the lane from Allsopp’s garage – the hallowed source of petrol sold in gallons for shillings and pennies, and Shell’s collectibles such as Roman coins and football cards, was a playground and sports field. This playground was inevitable site ...see more
Many happy memories of my early years living at 101 Kienton Green Road, Olton. Infants school first, just down the road with Mrs Revelle, the scary headmistress. Then to St Margaret's Church School where for one term my class was down at The Hollow in a separate run down building with loads of stinging nettles and thankfully plenty of dock leaves! Then to the main school next to the railway ...see more
My family used to live in a bungalow here until it was condemned in 1959/60. I have a picture of it with my dad in the window and my little brother, Colin sitting on the grass with his friend Keith Emery. We had an outside loo and my dad put a bath in the kitchen. The cows were always putting their heads through our bedroom windows if they were open. I have fond memories of living here. The bungalow belonged to Mr Reed who lived opposite in the farmhouse.
Growing up at Fairy Cross, Alwington and as our village school had closed in the late 1950s we had to catch the school bus daily morning and afternoon to Abbotsham Primary School. (Shown in the centre back of the picture next to St Helens Church). I started in 1963 in the "little ones class" of the two roomed school. Mrs Elston was my first teacher there and she had also taught at Alwington School ...see more
We used to live in the grounds of Riddings House in the cottage to the left of the main house. The two cottages used as accommodation for the head and assistant gardeners. I used to go with my dad up into the clock tower to wind up the clock at the weekend. There were buildings down the gardens; in one of them local people could visit and buy some of the produce that was grown. The lawns and gardens being kept ...see more
I began my life's journey at Ty Gwyn farm in 1951 just before my 2nd birthday. I even remember climbing.the stairs at 1year 10 months. I would walk down Penywern Road to the Wern school. I remember standing on a chair in the infants at 5 years old and singing 'how much is the doggy in the window?', every time I slowed down the teacher would shake a bag of sweets at the rear of the room and I would ...see more
My childhood memories of Edmundbyers have been with me all my life really. My mum & dad, aunty, uncle and cousin used to holiday in a tiny caravan on farmer Edon Sanderson's field. This was before the Derwent Reservoir was built. Our dad's used to use our 6 weeks summer holiday to take us up to the caravan and we would spend an idyllic few weeks there. Our sunny days (they actually were very sunny days then) ...see more
Hi, I lived at No 4 John St from 1948 to about 1960 before moving to Ann Field St and then up the Hilltown to Ann St (Carnegie Tower). The town council must have found out that I had moved down to the West Midlands, for when I looked on google maps a few weeks ago all the houses that I lived at have been knocked down, or in the case of Carnegie Tower it was blown down. Mind you, Ann Field St wasn't too good back ...see more
My parents, Fred and Marjorie Reeks bought the shop and Post Office from Mrs Britton in 1947 and they owned the business till about 1985. In the mid sixties Fred got about 100,000 daffodil bulbs from a market garden in Darlington and spent many hours getting a single furrow dug around the perimeter of each of the pieces of the green and creating the words "Cross Keys" in front of the pub and "Post Office ...see more
I remember, during the war, two flying fortresses crashed in Hordon. One came down near the Half Way House, the other one in a field in Chiderditch behind the pub. They were returning from a bombing raid on Germany. There was about fifty of them when all of a sudden these two collided - the wing of one chopped the tail section off the one next to it. I think all crew members lost their lives. ...see more
My Uncle Charles and my father James Scott were born at Nether Hall in the early 1900's. The family was in service to Sir Henry Longman. The main family residence was Shendish House in Apsley,Hertfordshire where my grandfather,William Scott was coachman and head of the stables. All the horses owned by the Longmans were given a name beginning with L. My own grandaughter has a wooden rocking horse, named Larkspur, after my father's favourite mare.
Oh so many memories! Where does one start? Looking at this photo I remember the milk dispensing machine outside the Express Dairy shop. I think it was 6d you'd put in, and after a lot of rumbling, out would come a small 'bottle' of ice cold milk (glass too!). Of course we all remember Saturday morning pictures at the Gaumont, where us boys would try to sit next to our favourite female; after being let in ...see more
Memories of The Mumbles by John S. Batts
Viewing on-line a collection of Frith’s old photos of The Mumbles has jogged many memories. For me the place was simply known as “Mumbles,” home to a much-treasured uncle and aunt who ran a shop for several decades in Newton Road, Oystermouth until the late 1950s. The district has many pleasant associations within the family, too, for I’ve seen small ...see more
My father worked at Cranleigh Gas Works, and had been painting the gas holder, (it was painted by hand in those days), and he'd just come home for a cup of tea at breakfast time, when the doodlebug struck the holder that he'd been painting. Evidently, according to my mother, I was in my highchair having my porridge when I, and of course the porridge was suddenly covered in soot from the chimney, from the ...see more
In the 50s/60s we would go and spend the day on the Wrekin. We would cycle from our home on Charlton Hill and leave our bikes at the Forest Glen (no need to lock them up) and make our way up the first part of the climb which was quite sharp; then we would stop at the Halfway House tea room and sit ouside with a glass of lemonade. There were it seemed, hundreds of people there all dressed up in their Sunday best. We ...see more
I lived as a child in Down Road, Alveston (at Barton Cottage - now demolished) from 1959 to 1964 and have great memories of Thornbury. Having no car in those days the family would march down the hill into Thornbury to Mass on Sunday, occasionally hitching a lift with a fellow parishioner, possibly a Mr Sheppard who drove a large Austin Cambridge car. The church in those days was part of a small house in, I ...see more
I was lucky enough to be born and brought up in East Runton. I spent many happy summers playing on the beach. We lived in Buxton Close, the Brick Lane bit, and at the beginning and end of the summer, the caravans would be moved off the clifftops to the storage at the top of our lane. I remember that nearly every week in the summer, someone would hold a jumble sale in the village hall, and we ...see more
Hi everyone, I wonder how many of you can remember the coal train, with all its trucks full of coal, breaking down on the Gilfach line behind Isfryn prefabs; it was there all night and plenty of people had full coal sheds by morning!
talk to you soon
Dave Diamond
I've been here - to this very spot, with the precious women of my life - my Mom when I was a child, and with my children when they were women. How can it be that it looks exactly the same in 1890, 1971 and 2001? I can feel the cool brick under my hand, and see the flowers over the edge. I wanted to jump down and walk there when I was a child and later with my girls. How can it be that the air and the sky is the ...see more
Used to go and play in the streams and the River Brent, the memories are so vivid. Tis, was, of course during the war. I and a friend, took my three and a half year years younger sister with us, I would have been six years and a bit. We paddled and played ,and crossed the stepping stones and my friend Mary piggybacked my sister, and Trix (my sister) fell in and ...see more
Down St Mary School was built in 1878 on the site of the Bell Inn by the Rev. W T A Radford. In the 1930s I was a pupil in the infants' class which was divided from the upper class by a green curtain on a pole. There were arund twelve to fifteen pupils taught by Kathleen Andrews from Zeal, her father kept the North Star pub, she cycled over each day. The top class of twenty / twenty-five pupils were ...see more
I was born in the house on the corner of Woodfield Avenue and New Way Road in 1944 and lived there until the end of the 1970s. My birth was in fact on Friday the 13th of October, which coincided with the dropping of a V2 bomb in Colindale which hit a lamp post on the way down for extra effect. But I survived it, perhaps a bit deafened, to enjoy Colindale in the following years when it was at its best. ...see more
I vividly remember the day when as an eight year old, along with my mate and neighbour, Billy Sturmey, we "borrowed" 2 shillings from my mothers purse and hired a rowboat from the Portslade foreshore and rowed around among the cargo vessels tied up on the seaward side of the "canal" as we called the harbour. We spent the whole morning enjoying what we thought was an amazing experience. The only ...see more
I lived in Elm Street and went to Parc Lewis school, Wood Road 1 year only, and Hawthorn Secondary Modern until 1957. My friends and I killed more Indians and Germans than anyone else on the mountain behind Bown's House up Dynea Lane. My particular friends over those years were Gordon Lewis, Malcolm Thomas, Billy Bowditch, Brian Coombs, Gerald Murphy, Brian Pike to name a few. I hope ...see more
As a young lad born in Shelldale Avenue, and having lived all my young life in Portslade, I used to spend many hours down by, and on the canal at Portslade. I loved seeing the ships, mainly coal-boats moored at the gas works and the old power station. There were timber boats, and various other vessels too, but I just loved the atmosphere and the smells of the then bustling harbour! I used to be ...see more
'Mum, did you catch fish in the pond at the Bridge' asked my son when Googling for ponds to fish. 0f course we did, with our home made nets of a piece of material attached to a stick, carrying home the sticklbacks and frogs spawn in a jam jar with its handle of string.
Reading the memories days later. Names were familiar, but as most where dated awhile ago, I didn't like to make contact ...see more
I lived in Lucien Road for sixty five years until two years ago. My memories start when I was about five with my dear old dad taking me out on his barrow to sell firewood - I thought it was great fun. Also, my mum taking me to haylocks at the bottom of Church Lane - I think it's a curry house now. I used to play out in the street all the time and my friends were Helen Little, Anne O'Connor, Brian Curtis, Terry Sheehan ...see more