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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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.

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Displaying Memories 251 - 300 of 2029 in total

I was born in Nant Gwynant in 1925 and lived there for the first 20 years of my life. In 1944 I was drafted into the army and served in German and Italy. Upon release in 1947, I decided to try and make a career in agriculture and before undertaking a college course Brooksby Hall, Melton Mowbray, I had to gain experience of farming for 12 months, and this was done at Hafodlwyfog Farm. It was then owned and ...see more
My name is Andy Pearce and I was born in New Haw in 1952. I went to Grange School in 1957. Names I remember are Jenkins, Wright, Hatch, Swanton, Gill, Watts. Many more faces than surnames.Was a paperboy at Flanagans on Woodham Road and belonged to the Cubs that met at Grange School and the Scouts that had an old Nissan hut down by the canal, next to the rec. Friends were Richard Jenkins, Olivia ...see more
About a mile or so from South Woodford toward Buckhurst Hill, on the New Road, is Woodford Wells. My friend lived in the third house from the corner diagonally across from Bancrofts School. The house next door had been destroyed by a bomb, and all the wreckage had been taken away. Another chum, my friend and I often played football on the vacant concrete pad where the house ...see more
My family moved from Goodmayes to South Woodford in 1927 and my first memory was of my father waving welcome to 31 Lansdowne Road as we arrived in a Daimler hired car! At Churchfields School, headmaster Mr Walford, we were warned by our teacher Mrs Pettit of the arrival of the new traffic lights at Gates Corner and told just how they worked! This meant the disappearance of Constable George ...see more
I was born in Salford, one of six children to Edith Casey and Ken Casey, their other children consisted of Linda, Alan, Barry, Ken, Paul and of course myself. We lived at number 50 Bury Street which was off Ellor Street. My dad worked at Greengate and Irwell. In those days I can remember playing in the streets, making boogies out of a plank of wood and four pram wheels and a bit of rope to stear it. In ...see more
Oh yes, the War was on during this time. Shops were open their regular hours. The locals bought their necessities and everyone came and went as usual. The general feeling was 'To Hell With Hitler, we will carry on regardless'. This also meant birthdays for children went on like normal. My aunt from Manchester, Auntie Burley, came to visit us at Buckhurst Hill.  While here she would help celebrate ...see more
I am ordering a copy of this picture to send to my dear childhood friend, Peta Fenner. Peta celebrates her 50th birthday soon and it is quite possible that both her and I are in the photo. We would spend many days of our summer holidays playing in the paddling pool. The big pool was always cold and swamped with older children and we would have to build up courage to venture there. Our childhood was ...see more
When I was 18 years old, back in that horrible winter of 1963, I used to live for a while with my aunt and uncle, Norah and Pat Kelly, who ran The Weymouth Arms in Warminster. At that time they were also involved in the running of another pub in Warminster called The Globe or Old Globe. I used to walk there every day, open the pub up, set the coal fire going, do any cellar work required etc and serve all of ...see more
I was born at Hope Hospital in March 1947 and lived in Ducie Place off Liverpool St, close to the Oldfield Rd end. I went to Hope Street school till I was 10, and then my mum sent me to West Liverpool Street school, thus making sure I went to Clarendon when I became 11. For reasons known only to the Gods I was placed in 1b1. The headmaster was Mr Harris, the deputy was the formidable Mr ...see more
I was born at Rilla Mill on the 1st of September 1934 in what was, in those days, the Police Station. This house was opposite the Manor Inn. My father was the local policeman, and he was called Ewart Pearce. His family were from St Blazey Gate. I lived in the Police Station with my sister Margaret Elizabeth, and my mother who came from Constantine. She was called Lilian Thomas. There were three ...see more
I was born and bred at home, 19 Newall Street Salford 5, in 1960. A small street just off Eccles New Road near to Cross Lane. I often sit and remember the tight, cobbled streets where we played Rallyheaveho, Football and Kick Ball Hide. All the kids, all the time, we just loved playing......Robbers Knock, a game that would get us a clip round the lughole if we got caught!..'The Purse Trick' was our ...see more
My father, Charles Axford, found a mine on the beach in the morning. As it was a hot summers day he carried it into the back room upstairs of the Watch House as he knew many people would be coming & informed the coastguard. After school I went down for a swim and undressed & dressed in the front room of the upstairs of the Watch House. At 6 o'clock the bomb squad arrived from Plymouth ...see more
When the Beatles took off in the early sixties, me and my friends couldn't believe it in those dark rainy school days mornings, something to brighten them up, so we used to pretend to be the Beatles. I was John Lennon. Every morning before we went in school, West Liverpool St, we went on the reck, sat on the swings and used to sing Beatles songs, always making us late for school. For xmas that same ...see more
My family lived 7 Newport Road, my sister was even born there. As a kid in the 1950s I would go to Saturday morning pictures at the Essoldo, on Leyton High Road, it cost 7 pence. That's also where the library was. I had to get up earlier to visit the Rialto cinema but could get in for sixpence, afterwards it was into Bearmans to listen to the latest pop singles from America. Newport Road seemed to be ...see more
As a child I lived in Earl St Hanky Park then moved to Cottrill St off Ellor St.   I attended John St school in the Ellor St area. I never really knew my dad.  He went in the army when I was 4 years old in 1939 and returned in 1946 when I was 9 years of age.  During the Blitz of Manchester and Salford in 1940, when the sirens sounded we all had to go to Unwin St shelters for the night but me and my brother Jack ...see more
I have many happy memories from when I was younger, through to my teenage years holidaying in Nelson Village. I always went with my nana and grandad, to visit my aunty Maggie Carruthers. She lived at the back of the local club in Nelson Village, and I always loved the pickled onion crisps from there. I made some friends, one in particular Micky Greaves, he lived just round the corner ...see more
What a delight to find this site. It reminded me of so much. My grandparents did a moonlight flit from Bethnel Green, walking to Tooting with four boys, one girl and a pram carrying Gran's pride and joy, a mangle. Three weeks later my father was born in Selkirk Street. They later moved to Thurso Street and Gran lived the rest of her life there. My father remembers playing in the fields of the Bell Farm ...see more
I remember living at no 6 Clyde Street and at the end of the street was Mrs Grant's shop. I was the eldest of four (me) Mandy Derbyshire, my brothers Jason and Paul, and my sister Kelly. I remember being part of the filming that took place about 1970, or maybe a bit later. I remember my friend Boo Boo (Madeline) who sadly drowned in the River Irwell after reaching in to catch her shoe. Our next door ...see more
The tall building at the bottom left hand side of the slipway leading down to the beach was used by a Mr Axford who had two or three wooden rowing boats that he hired out by the hour.  He would sit on a bench outside the boathouse and having paid the appropriate monies one was issued with a pair of oars and allocated a boat.  My dad bought one of Charlie's boats in the early '50's which we kept on ...see more
I was born in 1946 and went to live on Sutton Flats when I was 5. We lived there in various flats until I was 21! By then, each block was known by a name rather than just a number and we lived at the top of Littlegreen House, though many people called it Little Greenhouse! When I was 11 I went to Pendleton High School, now a housing estate, as a scholarship girl. It was sometimes difficult ...see more
I was born in Salford in 1954, except for a brief spell of 4 years in Newton Heath in the late fifties, I have lived there ever since. When I was 11 years old my friend and I were playing digging on the old nursery croft on Brighouse Street when we thought we discovered an old 2nd world war bomb. Most of it was buried, just the nose end showing, so out of exitment we thought we had better tell our dads. On ...see more
I remember going to Slough on a Saturday night in 1958. I was fifteen years old. My hair was well greased and combed back at the sides and ending in a D.A. at the back together a quiff at the front. I was dressed in my best jacket, which was far too big for me, but that was the style then, and with very tight drainpipe trousers. This had been done by a woman who charged me a mere five shillings for ...see more
I first discovered Jaywick when I was just ten years old in 1954. I was taken there by my parents in a 1936 Bedford Van to stay with my uncle Bill, aunt Flo and cousin Bill who was 6 months younger than me. This would be my first holiday and the first time I spent time away from my parents. We stayed in a tiny chalet just across the way from the Casino amusement arcade and skating rink. What fun we ...see more
My grandmother used to live in a house called The Brambles in Church Street, as a young girl during the 1920`s when she was about 8 or 9. The family name was Abel- relating to Bobby Abel the famous cricketer. My great grandfather, Thomas Earnest Abel, worked for a Mr Anson who lived at the old Itchell Manor. The family only stayed a short time at The Brambles as it was reputed to be haunted, and a ghost ...see more
My Grandma, Grandad and Auntie Annie lived on Market Street all their lives. They moved into the houses when they were brand new - they had a building at the bottom of the little garden which incorporated a flushing toilet and a coal bunker. However, they didn't have a bathroom and I remember sitting in the tin bath in front of the fire hiding behind the washing-maiden. We used to make ...see more
There was a huge house with 5 acres of land, about 1/4 mile up Itchel Lane, on the left hand side as one walked up. The house had a 'wendy house' that looked down the road and was just visible through the hedge up the side of the property. The wendy house was used for the Army to stay in during WW2, such a shame they broke the stove. As a girl I spent many happy hours playing there. The big house was ...see more
I was a boarder at WGS from 1957 to 1964 and it doesn't live in my mind as the happiest place in the world - but there were plenty of girls who did love it, I remember. I was only thinking of it yesterday, Remembrance Sunday, because that was the one Sunday of the year we were arranged around the War Memorial in the centre of the town to sing "Oh God our Help in Ages Past"... same thing every ...see more
Knutsford holds a special place in my heart as I was born there in 1956 and spent nearly eight years of my childhood growing up in this then safe and close community. I have very strong memories of family, home, school and friends and the environment during these years up until late 1963 when we emigrated to Western Australia as "10 pound poms". Our family home was 65 Mobberley Rd., Crosstown right next door to ...see more
I was born in 1946 and spent the first 3 years living in a curved un-insulated "nissen" hut next to the gunsight in Adel. We then moved to 71 Raynel Way in 1949. I attended Cookridge School and used to walk up Farrer Lane, on my own, even in the dead of winter with snowdrifts bigger than myself. We were told never to go on the embankment of the reservoir, 3 of us did one day and were caught ...see more
Dear reader, I have received some lovely messages since writing a few memories I thought I would add a few more. The Rock Inn I use to stay with my great uncle/aunty's public house, namely the Rock Inn, in 1958- 1965. The Pub was split into three rooms, the Snug, the Lounge Bar and the restaurant. There (Jim and Florence Pyle) were the landlord of the the Rock. At the time we the Bishop Family lived ...see more
My parents both grew up in Hanwell - both living in Hillyard Road during the War years. After they married my mum and dad actually had to live in a pre-fab in Braybrook Street, just backing on to the prison in Hammersmith, but eventually when I was 6 months old they were allocated a council house in Browning Avenue in 1955. I will add many memories in here, but this is specifically in regards to The Bunny ...see more
I was born in 1924 in Salford. My parents moved to 254 Barton Lane, Eccles, corner of Barton Lane and Fairless Road when I was 4 years old. Dad was an electrical engineer and fitter with Eccles Corporation. In 1927 my sister Olive was born. My first school in 1929 was Lewis Street School, Patricroft, where I met my first friend, Joyce Locket. I went for a time to St Catherine's School at ...see more
My parents moved to Twycross from London in the early 1960s. We lived on Sheepy Road next door to Mr Charlie Brooks and Louie Jones. On the opposite side were Stan and Ilma Jones and Len Gibbs and his daughter Joan. I remember there being a family whose surname was Talbot in the big house opposite us, but they moved away and a family called Turner moved in. We went to school in Congerstone, followed ...see more
I'm as sure as I can be, that the little boy in the picture with the black coat is me. I would have been three to four years old (depending what time of year the picture was taken). I was the youngest at the home at that time, and left in 1965. I certainly remember the little black coat, of which I was very proud. My name then was Peter Marshall, known as 'pudding' or 'mop-head' - I still have the hair. ...see more
My late father, Rowland Leslie Williams, served with the Royal Artillery as a driver during the second world war. He served, in particular, with a Scottish Commando Regiment, although he was Welsh not Scottish, and at 40+ years of age, what now would be considered a bit 'long in the tooth' for a commando. He took part in the Normandy D-Day landings but quickly suffered gunshot wounds ...see more
My great-grandfather, Thomas Newton Croft, a member of the family that founded the Fleetwood to Knott End ferry, managed it for the local council from c.1896 to his death in 1915. I am told that my grandmother, Alice, used to do cartwheels to entertain the passengers waiting for the boat to come in. The service was re-privatised a few years ago.  Being involved in marine business myself I like to refer to it as "the family shipping line"!
I was born in Northwich in 1966, however I moved here to Lancashire in 1980 but I still consider time in Northwich as being the best days of my life. I moved here when I was 14, I lived in Greenhall Road and my best friend Tracey lived on Victoria Road. We were great friends then and still remain friends now even though we both moved away from the area. Most of my best memories were boys boys boys... probably ...see more
I remember Peter went in one day for a cup of tea, and stayed chatting. The horse got fed up waiting and came home five miles away. Peter was fuming; he had to walk home, and lost half a day’s earnings. He was ribbed rotten about this. History: The name “Rainton” derives from a monk called Reynton who allegedly helped to carry the body of St Cuthbert from Lindisfarne to Durham, and halted near here for a rest ...see more
We used to go down the rock on our home made trolleys on a Saturday afternoon to the Grand Cinema to watch stuff like; Hoppalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers, Flash Gorden and the Three Stooges. They were the good old days, no street corner yobs and muggers, life was great then, pity it ain't like that now.
The Carey's were one of the first families to move into Clay Green. Dad was in St. Wulstan's T.B. Hospital (it was an American Army Hospital during the war). Mum, Billy, Sheila and myself moved into No 5. A brand new Council House. The Griffin's in No.4 and the Atkin's in No.6 - lovely neighbours. The Village hall was completed by l953 and we all congregated to watch the Coronation in the hall on ...see more
We didn't go to the cinema all that often and when we did it was a real treat. Fish and chip supper in the cafe upstairs, then into the cinema with its newsreels, local advertisements on slides, supporting 'B' film, forthcoming attractions and finally - The Big Film. And then out again, usually late at night (for us children) and the walk back up Front Street to where we lived close to the station. We only once ...see more
My memories of St Peter’s school South Weald - starting in 1956(?) I started, in what I seem to remember as the ‘pre-fab’ classroom in the lower playground with, I believe, Mrs Fox as my first teacher. We had slates and chalks to start with before being allowed to use pencils. There were rubber mats which we took outside for PE and ‘bean bags’ for throwing and catching. There was a small wall and steps up ...see more
My name is Andrew Tate, I was born in Thornlaw South at my grandparents house in 1944. I was a twin and my brother was called Alexander [Aleck]. I have quite a few memories of Thornley, I remember watching a cricket match in the Illey Owley. The players asked my father Billy, to be the umpire and during the game a dog ran onto the pitch and cocked it`s leg on the wicket and ran off, can`t remember the score. We used ...see more
As I was approaching my 7th birthday at the end of November 1943, my mother (Nan Mackie) was taken from our row house home at 34, Briar Edge, Forest Hall, nr Newcastle-on-Tyne to Dilston Hall, Corbridge, where she gave birth to my sister Dorothy, November 1st. As my dad (Tommy Mackie) had to go to his work as a miner in a local colliery, I was in the care of an elderly, family spinster friend, who was staying ...see more
It was so interesting to find a few photos of old Astwood Bank on here. I moved to the village when my mother married my step father, Jesse Bradley, in 1964. We lived at 21 High Street and I got a job at the Co-operative grocery store on Evesham Road. The manager then was Harry Pearson and he lived with his sister and brother-in-law in the little cottage next to the shop. Gladys Harman was ...see more
The shop on the left - with the awning down - was known as 'Capanini's' (spelling?) and obviously Italian. They sold the most wonderful ice-ceams, sodas and coffees as well as tea. I remember the daughter there - her name was Bella, and she was a fiery one too, older than me, and by all accounts, typically Italian (as in temper..). Last heard of in Florida somewhere - if info was correct - as family had all died ...see more
I worked at Avery's in Foundry Lane. The Avery's "bull" used to blow for start of work and lunch time and could be heard for miles. Soho Road was full of great shops including Woolworths, Tibbits, Pendries, Wilkinsons, The little red shop, The fish and chip shop (opposite Murdock Road). The best one was the Chicken Inn though a bit further up past the police station. On Murdock Road, my mom remembered ...see more
It may seem strange for a male to offer these memories but boys were accepted in junior forms and I was at Shute School from the summer of 1939 until the Easter term 1941. I and my sister, known as Ba Gauld, joined after returning from three years in India. During that first term I remember lunch on the lawn sitting on benches and eating at low tables, discovering the foul taste of beetroot which had ...see more
I was born at Danbury Palace in Danbury and lived at Marks Farm bungalow in Rettendon. I remember getting frightened of the storms on the way home from Rettendon School. I remember walking home from school up Chalk Street. My Grandmother used to live in Chalk Street but her and Auntie Ruth emigrated to New Zealand during the war we think. We are not sure yet as we want to find out the year and the boat they went ...see more
As I told you, in Millfield there was only one shop, 'Jacksons', and two houses, Sewells and Gribbles, both in Victoria Terace where they turned their front parlour into shops. Sewells was run by Anne Veitche's mother, a nice lady, who lived straight opposite in Albert Terrace. All main shoppping was done in Newburn. There were two shops on Warkworth Crescent, Coffees and Lewins who I believe were related. I can't ...see more