The Francis Frith Collection.
You are here:

Lake Pleasure Ground c1965, Warminster

Lake Pleasure Ground c1965, Warminster
 
 

Lake Pleasure Ground c1965, Warminster Ref: W261062

Send photo as an E-card Send this photo as an E-Card

| More

Warminster's local area

View all memories

Memories of Lake Pleasure Ground c1965, Warminster

Race You to The Water

Lake Pleasure Ground c1965
Enlarge photo |  More about this photo

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 & local memories

Read and share memories of Warminster and Wiltshire inspired by Frith photos.

Halcyon Days

The Pleasure Ground c1950
Enlarge photo |  More about this photo

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!

The Pleasure Ground c1950
Enlarge photo |  More about this photo

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

The Pleasure Ground c1950
Enlarge photo |  More about this photo

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

Shearwater Café c1960
Enlarge photo |  More about this photo

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

The Market Place 1949
Enlarge photo |  More about this photo

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

Longleat House c1955
Enlarge photo |  More about this photo

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?

Explore your past > Warminster > Photos of Warminster > Photo of Lake Pleasure Ground c1965, Warminster

© Copyright 1998-2012 Frith Content Inc. All rights reserved.