The Square And Town Hall c1955, Wantage
The Square And Town Hall c1955, Wantage Ref: W251011
Memories of The Square And Town Hall c1955, Wantage
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Wantage & local memories
Read and share memories of Wantage and Oxfordshire inspired by Frith photos.
Motorbikes in The Square
My mate John Lavois (known as Johnny Dustman) had a BSA Super Rocket and frequented the square. Also memories of the late Wilbur Wallace on his Manx Norton and "Flash" on his BSA Gold Flash, Chris Embling (Douglas Dragonfly), Ray Gibbs (Ariel Arrow), Mervyn Joyce (Norman B4), the Wiltshre brothers (Triumph 500s), Me (350 Matchless) and loads of great British bikes.
Courtenay Road 1953
I moved to Wantage with my parents Ted and Phyllis Willey and my brother Ken and sister Susan. At Garston Lane school one of my first friends was John Campbell who lived in Courtenay Road. We were aged 8. Another friend was Jim "Limmy" Lynch who became well known as guitarist in local bands. We still keep in touch and he still plays guitar at local gigs after 50 years! As a teenager and in my 20's my best mates were Johnny Shepherd, Ken Galvin, Dave 'Pumpkin' Stimpson, Paddy Roche and 'Polly' Perkins. I was one of the boys who frequented the Windmill Cafe on the corner of Grove and Mill Streets. I lived at 32 Wallingford Street which became Youngs House Chinese takeaway. Me and my mates used to go to The Regent Cinema and sometimes got up to mischief there. I worked on the building site at Larkdown for A C Carter then later as a driver for E.R. Miller in Grove Road. I had also... Read more
All Grown Up
Being of a young age by this time, twelve years old, I remember the market square being filled with motorbikes, with each the bike riders wearing leather jackets topped with a cut-off denim with this being decorated with many a metal stud, either coloured brass or silver, and sometimes framing what was a stencilled picture of perhaps an evil looking face or else something of another bizarre description. This congregation of these bikers held a friend and myself in so much fascination that even with our both being at this early age, every evening my friend and myself would be found sitting at the foot of King Alfred's statue joining this party, he wearing his leather-looking jacket and I in my denim jacket covered with a variety of studs purchased from one the local shops and chains used for plugs, either bought or else retrieved by some other means. On the back of my jacket was painted a scull with lightning drawn through its entirety, so making the complete diagram... Read more
Tirrold Way
We lived at 5 Tirrold Way on the Charlton Estate at Wantage just after I was born in 1949. My father George Nicholas worked at the Atomic Energy at Harwell and my parents were also the first occupants of these houses. My mother who is 83 years old feels sure that the Robinson family lived next door and that Susan and I played together and that she went on to become a nurse. If this is fact would love to hear from you!
TIRROLD WAY
My parents lived in the house on the right, the end semi-detached house, I can just be seen in the photograph as the light coloured blob in the front garden. Normally I would have been at Garston Lane School, but in the late spring of 1955 I had to have my tonsils removed at Wantage Cottage Hospital, so I had extra time off school. My parents were the first occupants of the house in 1949, we moved to a bigger house on Foliat Drive in 1956. My maiden name is Robinson, and my father worked at Harwell moving to Winfrith in 1958.
