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Willington
Willington maps
Historic maps of Willington and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Willington maps
Willington area books
Displaying 1 of 3 books about Willington and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Willington
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memories of Willington.
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Pop-Pop Hodgson
My Great-grandfather William Edward Hodgson was born in Willington, Durham, England, 7 October 1860. He emigrated to the United States around his 21st birthday. He lived in Elizabeth, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. He died 4 April 1947. At the time of his death, he still had a brother living in England.
Childhood
I spent many happy days in Willington with my grandparents Billy and Hilda Davison who lived in Brown Avenue. I can remember my grandad taking me to the park on the estate and going on summer trips with the working mens club. I was absoluetly gutted when, after 20 years away i returned for my grans funeral to see Brown Ave and the rest of the estate had been demolished and felt that part of my childhood had gone.
Willington.Co. Durham.
I was brought up by my parents, Tom and Norah Hill in Willington, along with my 5 siblings. We moved from North Terrace to Brown Avenue on Dene Estate. I often went to play on the swings and top-hat just outside the Miners Welfare Hall. Sometimes I would sit and watch the men play bowls on the green, or the tennis players in the courts. My father would play billiards in the Welfare Hall on his days of leisure and mam would sit at home at her sewing machine making dresses for us 5 girls. My dearest memory was of my school days was my friend Anne Law, whom i'm ashamed to say I lost contact with after leaving school. I have a school photograph taken of Mrs. Whittles' class of Jackie Snowdon when Willington won the FA cup.
The Sweet Shop, Hight Street, Willington.
My grandmother, Joan Hobson (nee Charlton) owned the sweet shop here and ran it from about 1945 onwards, until the early 1960s. Her mother, Mrs Charlton, ran it before her. Joan was in the WAAF as a young woman, whilst her mother resided in Willington. After the Second World War she returned and lived with her mother in High Street, along with her husband. She went on to have 2 children, Elizabeth and Harry (Henry). Does anyone remember them at all? My mother, Elizabeth, has fond memories of playing out with local children, going down the burn and other things. She remembers going to a farm and helping with horses - can't recall the name however. I think they all moved away in the 1960s, sometime, about 1964. Joan died in 1980. It would be great to locate anyone who remembers her.
Born In Byers Green
I was born in Byers Green ( at the vicarage) in 1950, my dad was the Rector, Arthur Russen. I had four siblings, Margaret, John, Barbara & Michael (Deceased). We then moved to Hunwick where my dad became the Vicar & in 1956 we moved to Warham a small village in Nth Norfolk.
Listers of Willington
My mother told me about her great-uncle who was schoolmaster at Willington during 1850's,'60's or '70's before moving on to a school at Tudhoe. He was John Lister and his wife was Sarah Lister. Are there any Coates or Lister families still there?
County Durham memories
The Back House
I was born in Sedgefield and lived in North Bitchburn until I was 7 years old, me and my twin sister Elizabeth and my mam amd dad who worked at the pipe yard. We lived in no 1a Constantine Terrace, it was the back half of the house. Our cousins lived in Low Row, so did my granda and mother Coates (my nana). I have some happy memories of Bitchburn as when we moved away we came back every six weeks holiday, we played down the Naxy, were chased by the pit ponies and climbed the monkey trees. All the kids played out until it was dark, we played hide and seek along Low Row from no 1 which was Grants End as we called it to no 20 which was Peaks End. We used to take our granda's beer bottles back to Martha in the Red Lion and buy crisps with the money then run round the back and get the beer bottles back and go in and buy more... Read more
