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West Auckland
West Auckland photos
Displaying the first of 1 old photos of West Auckland. View all West Auckland photos
West Auckland maps
Historic maps of West Auckland and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all West Auckland maps
West Auckland area books
Displaying 1 of 3 books about West Auckland and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of West Auckland
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of West Auckland.
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or of a photo of West Auckland.
The Nursery
I was born in 4 The Nursery in 1944. My gran Elizabeth Bayles, my mother Emma Bayles. I went to Millbank School at age 4yrs. I can remember my first teacher there Miss Watkins. My Mother worked at Lockeys buses as a bus conductor. I remember Walter Wilsons shop. Reas my half cousins had an ice cream shop next to the WMC. The Nursery was Gaunless Terrace. It was changed due to the amount of children that lived there. There was a picture house which was called The Ranch and sometimes the Loprey Opera. At the back of the Fleece Pub on Front St some of the pit men had their pigeon crees forbidden area for noisy children. At the back of houses in the Nursery is the Beck (river gaunless) Over the beck via a small wooden bridge there were the allotments. Here us bairns would get a stick of rhubarb and armed with a small bag of sugar relish this treat. Further... Read more
My Aunt
I wasn't from West Auckland, my dad was. My Aunt Belle lived there, who still wore a long black dress in the 1940s and 1950s. She made and sold vinegar, she also kept hens at the back of the house, she had names for them too like Hetty and Dolly. She would give me a can to go over the road for milk. She would say "If you don't behave, I'll get Mary Cotten to you".
Swanson Store
Bob and Sarah O'Neil owned a store at Swanson back in1927 to 19?, they died in the 1950s, apparently they lived there too. I think the old homestead is still there. Does anyone have old pics ofthe store, perhaps even pics of the shops back then? There weren't many.
County Durham memories
Tindale Warriors
I remember going down the field when there was swings, a roundabout and a slide just by the little woods and further up the pit heaps were the so-called big woods. We used to all go up to the little woods and play foxes and hounds and some of the games we had were memories that stay with me even now. I ran away from a childrens' home in 1990 and my mates from Tindale kitted out a shed in an empty house opposite the chippy and converted it into my own little bedroom. Eight months I was in that shed and even had a hand in building the little wall that runs by the West Auckland bus stop next to the club. Aah, to be kids again...
Infants School
Born and bred in Red Houses (then Red House Estate) at a time when everyone took time and effort to keep their home and gardens beautiful. Everyone knew everybody and it was a community that looked after each other. I remember going down to the infants' school (just off from cricket field) having a birthday and being given a cardboard cake by the teacher to open and take out sweets. Before Dale View was built that field had a lovely bank and at Easter we used to roll our paste eggs down the bank. Going over quarry heads and picking all the rosehips and taking them to Mrs. Hart in South Road to cash in.
Atkinson From Evenwood
I am trying to follow my family history and I am trying to find out more about John Alfred Atkinson and Minnie. I was told that they might have owned or rented a shop, and they had a few children, one who was my grandad Alan. If anyone has any pitcures or even information I would love to hear about it . Thank you for your time.
New Moors Potteries
My family, the Lees, lived at New Moors although the houses are long gone. If anyone has any photos of the area we would love to see them. My father's uncle Billy Lee is still alive and now in his 90s and would love have some info. Thanks. Lynne Adamson, was Bowles.
