Willington memories
Here are memories of Willington and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Willington or a Willington photo.
Memories
Recently visited for first time in 10 years and High Street is a shadow of what it used to be, quite sad.
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?
Memories of County Durham
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
Rumbyhill
My grandparents, John and Ginny Loftus, lived at Rumbyhill farm from the 1920's until they retired about 1950. This was the old Rumbyhill farm, subsequently the name was given to the farm across the road.
My mother grew up at the farm and has many happy memories. Granddad used to give out oranges and apples to the children at Christmas. Rumbyhill was a proper little village in those days.
Does anyone remember the Loftus family or have any old photos of Rumbyhill? My mother would love to get in touch or see the photos.
From Childhood Onward,
South-end villas, that was my world in them days as a child, it was like the whole world revolved around it. I was born and brought up there, if I had to write a story about the things we had to do as kids,or should I say found to do it would take forever. This story will only be recognised by the people of that time in that place, but I wouldn't change a thing; people involved in this story are Kevin Bainbridge and his sister Mag, her friend Linda, Greg, Martin, Keith, now I know there were more people later on but this was the early days, Tony, Kim, comes to mind. Where do we start with memorys, bony night, well I loved that night collecting, you would get jail for burning tyres now but we got wagon tyres from Tarans by the dozen. I would like to bring in now John Chedd, a lovely lad, I would get inside a wagon tyre and John would roll it down... Read more
Up The Heaps
well lads and lasses can you remember going up the heaps sometimes to roll a tyre back down again ,boy that was exercise, or sometimes to slide back down on a tin sheet or car bonnet or anything that would slide , we didnt need a gym in those days you had to be fit to do what we did, anybody up for a game of kick the can down the garages,if you were part of this gang you will know what its like to get hit on the back of the head with a flinger in the back field specialy if it had a knott on it .well im off to willobys now for some kett and a bottle of that new pop its only a tanner, i will carry on with this story as things come back to me ,.
Ice-Cream Cart
Can anyone remember the horse-drawn ice-cream cart, the guy had as I remember a green cart, a white coat and a whistle. His ice-cream was really good proper stuff, then soft ice-cream came along and that was it, he must have just packed up. It's the old story, you don't know what you've got till its gone. Some names have come to mind, Mrs Hosey, Larnicks, Mrs Bond, Mr Woodhall, Susan Harker, John Hall, I think his dad drove the broughs wagon, have I mentioned Keith and Phil Hansom, and Carol their sister, Mable and Frank were their parents. Frank always had some paraffin on hand to light the bony. Funny how things like that come back to you. I would say that our main meeting points would be on the green, on the seat outside Mag and Kev's house. I can only think of one year when the top half of the green had their own bonfire, there must have been a bit rivalry just coming to an end,... Read more
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