Warminster memories
Here are memories of Warminster and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Warminster or a Warminster photo.
Race You to The Water
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 filled with laughter. We would giggle at anything and everything. From peering through the holes in the wood partitions separating the cubicles at the end of the pool. To laughing at how courting teenagers behaved. I remember us nearly wetting ourselves laughing at dog ends and kinky boots. We once dared each other to wear our swimming hats through the town on our homeward journey from the park. Not a good idea as we both had long hair and removing the rubber hats later was very... Read more
Warminster 1963
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 the smashing old codgers with their cider. By this time the fire was nice and hot and so was the poker that they used to mull their pints with. As you may imagine I have very fond memories of this old pub and have tried to find it on the net no luck, no luck that is until today when I found a pub called The Snooty Fox, this place looks like how I remember the globe and would dearly love to think that I have... Read more
Halcyon Days
I spent many happy hours in the park at Warminster in the early 1950s. I went to the Close Junior School and then to Trowbridge High School. The park was lovely and so well kept. We went swimming in the pool and rowed on the lake. My brother Bruce used to play tennis. I often met Mollie, Janet and Carol Whitmarsh. My friend Pat Smithers also used to go there. I also remember going for walks with my childhood friend Christine Reynolds.
Warminster is Home!
I was born in Warminster, in 1972, in what was known at the time as The Strawberry House! My Dad had painted it quite a deep pink, when he bought it.
44 Boreham Rd, that's where I was actually born, my lovely family home.
My Dad was a well known painter and decorator, Bob 'The Brush' Woollard, and my Mum, Peg, worked in Luxfords Fruit & Veg shop. I went to St. John's School, where my teacher when I started, was Sybil Fuller who lived next door to me in no. 46.
One of my favourite places was Warminster Park, where in the winter, when it snowed, my friends and I would sledge down the hill, on black bin liners, and go home soaked and frozen!
I remember Paynes, the newsagent, where I used to get the Twinkle magazine, and some sweets from my Mum, on Saturdays.
I remember Pleasures toy shop, where I loved to walk around and pick out what Santa could bring me if I was... Read more
The Town Park
As a child in the late 1950's and early 1960's, I and a whole bunch of mates used to go to the Regal cinema on Saturday mornings. We went through the town park as the most direct route and would often stop off on the way back to fish for minnows and sticklebacks in the lake.
During the winter of the big freeze (1963 I think) the lake froze over and the sight of all that frozen water acted like a magnet. Before long we were out in the middle, completely ignoring the ominous creaking noises all around us. When the creaking started to sound more like cracking we finally started to take notice. It's strange how ice only seems to become slippery when you are frantically trying to get off it. Fortunately we all made it to the other side unscathed and dry.
Great Meal & Lovely Landlord
The Tea Rooms are charming and re thatching has taken place (every 10 years), the food served by the charming lady was superb and affordable. I glanced into the lovers nook and it is very cosy, afterwards a pleasant walk around Shearwater which is but a few yards out of the front door. Food for the soul and eye !!
Warminster Community Website ( www.warminster-forum.co.uk )
The Old Bell Hotel
Well not my memories exactly, but those from my father's diaries. He was John Welch and married a Peggie Richens who had grown up in Warminster. They married in the Minster Church and he left immediately for the war. When he came back he was stationed in Westbury for a while and wanted to make the area his home. He spoke of having tea and going to dances at the Old Bell. The entries stopped and in his next diary he was back in Essex, but we stayed at the Old Bell in the early 50's and although small I can remember coming out of the door and walking through the colums, which seemed huge then. We visited the Jeffries, Audrey Jeffries still lives there and an Aunty Biddy came to see us and we visited The Frazers who ran a small school in the area. She had married and remarried but we still called them by that name. They had a small girl called Nicola but I don't know... Read more
Crickets & Formaldehyde
My mother lived in Warminster as a child and had lots of friends in the area. One worked at Longleat and she lived in what was called 'The Inkwell House' in the grounds. We went for tea. There were lots of very strange things pickled in jars & they weren't onions! The long grass outside was full of crickets. What happened to crickets in England and what happened to my mother's friend and the ink well house?
Memories of Wiltshire
My Memories of Living in Westbury Leigh 1940-1944
The house shown in the foreground of this photograph was the home of my Uncle, Percy Drury. This was sometime around 1940/42, I do not know how long he resided there. I lived at 115 Westbury Leigh with my grandparents Percy & Annie Drury. My grandfather was a flower pot maker and worked at the local brickyard. Why my grandparents went to live in Westbury remains a mystery to me, they originally came from Nottingham. I went to live with them just after the outbreak of the 2nd World War. I understand it was because my Father who was a regular in the Royal Navy and my Mother was engaged on War work it was felt I would be better looked after by my grandparents. I have wonderful memories of Westbury Leigh, Tanyard Lane, Sandhole Lane where it was reputed a horse & cart and the driver were buried in a fall of sand perhaps a local myth.
Correction to Earlier Comment.
On my previous comment I said that Sandy Hole lane was opposite the Bell pub, sorry this of course should have been the Phipps Arms pub.
Bob Porter
Choir Boy/Organ Pumping
I remember being in the choir at the church during the time of my evacuation to Westbury Leigh sometime during the 1939-45 war. I also pumped the organ which was at that time quite hard work for a young lad (but I think the pay was better). The fun was to watch the tell tale small lead weight that showed how much air there was left to play the organ, there was also a similar tell tale that the organist could see. The game was to nearly let the air run out especially on air hungry hymns such as 'Onward Christian Soldiers'. Needless to say I did not last very long pumping the organ!
An Evacuee in 1940
I remember my first home in Westbury Leigh was with a family called Rowe, they seemed fairly old people to me (then a ten year old boy) but now I am eighty I don't suppose they were. One of the brothers, a Charles Rowe, owned two cinemas, the Vista in Westbury and the Palace in Warminster, and I was allowed as a treat to go to the Saturday morning children's show. The second family was Mr and Mrs Sampson, he owned the barber's shop next to the road leading to Dents glove factory and near to Elkins garage, so I got free haircuts from Mr Sampson, not so good as free pictures. I was then moved again, I was too much I suppose for Mrs Sampson, to a family called Cornish, he was a train driver on the Great Western Railway, they were good old steam trains then, no free train rides on the footplate though. My next home was with a family called Mead. Mrs Mead had two dissimilar twin... Read more
Evacuated From London to Westbury.
I too was evacuated to Westbury when I was about 7 years old, some time around 1940 to 1941. I lived on Warminster Road. We stayed with a family originally from Sydney, Australia. I remember when the street lights came back on, I was with my mother and we followed a man on his bike, lighting up the street gas lights. At that time it was as good as going to today's Disney World. I was so thrilled. The simple things back then were so nice, unlike today where the kids have all the high tech items. I also remember all the Americans stationed there, as well as a lot of Italian POW's. We all seemed to get along well. I was back there about 10 years ago, and things had not changed a whole lot. It's nice to look back on all the memories. Trips to Warminster and Bath caused big excitement. I also remember a cafe in town in Westbury called "The Witches Calderon Tea Room" which... Read more
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