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Wolsingham
Wolsingham maps
Historic maps of Wolsingham and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Wolsingham maps
Wolsingham area books
Displaying 1 of 3 books about Wolsingham and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Wolsingham
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County Durham memories
James Joseph Irvine (Autobiography) 1911 - 1990
Stretching over about a mile on the A68 road to Edinburgh from Darlington, lies the small mining town of Tow Law. Approaching it from Elm Park Road Ends, on a clear day, as you pass the various openings in the terraces of the sandstone houses and cottages, at regular intervals like colour slides, you catch glimpses of the rounded moorlands and hills over and around the Wear Valley. These glimpses of the brown or purple moorland are the redemption of this land and insignificant little town. Not that it is insignificant to the people who live there because they have, especially the older ones, a fierce loyalty to this place. Nor to me either, because that is where I was born on October 30th 1911 in one of these same little colliery cottages in Baring Street, now demolished and rebuilt with the grander name of Baring Court. In the early decades of the 1900's it was a hard place to live in. Tough, because of the harsh slavish work of the pitmen, the... Read more
Frosterley Green
Still very much the same. The man riding on the bike is Dickie Slater.
2011 Wonderful People of Sunniside
If you happen upon Sunniside near Tow Law be sure to visit one of the two pubs. They are the most friendly I have ever been to. Just introduce yourself and mention this note. At one point they wanted Sunniside to die off as a village but the beautiful people that own the pubs, there are no shops, nothing but them, open their arms offering coffee, tea, and good company. The Comedian offers the best food you could ever eat and the Moss Inn offers old fashioned hospitality. The reason I am writing this is that I have never been to a community so steeped in local history, books, calendars and old men that are willing to tell you all. Please come to Sunniside and make yourself known, this is a village of wonderful people and they deserve to be recognised. The Comedian has one of the last 5's walls in the area, as I said, steeped in local history. It's a totally quality place to be, please visit and... Read more
Follansbee Aka Follingsby or Foljambe of Hamsterley, Durham, England
This isn't exactly a 'memory' as it is a fact relating to my ancestors, the Follansbee's of Hamsterley, County Durham, England. It is recorded that the Follansbee's (various spellings) in my family tree were from Rockwood Hill, in the Pish of Hamsterley, Durham dated back to c.1560. Thomas Follansbee, my 9th Great-Grandfather, is the first family member that I have been able to locate & record being from Hamsterley. Thomas was born c. 1560 and his wife, Margret, b. c.1560. Thomas & Margret had 5 sons & one dau,Alice. As an adult, one of their sons, Henry, b.1595, moved to St. Dunstans, Stepney, England where he raised his family. He had 2 known sons, Thomas, b. 1637, & William, b. 1635. Both sons came to America, however, William returned to England shortly there after & started trading in India. Thomas stayed in America & raised his family in the Portsmouth, NH / Newbury, MA area. A descendant of Thomas's, a 3rd great-grandson, Samuel Follansbee, Jr.b. 1806, married Susan Gould,b.1819 in... Read more
James Halstead Nutter
James Halstead Nutter was a Headmaster of Cockfield School, in the early 20thC, certainly after WW1. He was my Grandmother's cousin. I wonder if anyone alive today has any memories of him. If so, I would love to hear from them. What might not be known is that James received the Military Medal with Bar for gallantry in the war. His parents must have been so proud especially when no less than three of their other sons were killed in action. These boys were all going to be teachers too. They lived in Lancashire, near Burnley.
Hamsterly in The 1940s
I was born in Bishop Auckland in August 1941 and brought home to Bleakhouse,which was at the Cross Keys end of the village. My grandad,Mr Jolly was certainly a customer at the Cross Keys. I remember Bleakhouse being on its own in a field, with a well or spring. Does anyone remember Bleakhouse? We lived with my grandparents Mr & Mrs Jolly, we later lived at Hollin Hill House overlooking the village green. People I remember were the Hares, Sina? Cromwell, the Whites, Collingwoods at the farm, the Andersons, Mr Pepperdine, Kenneth Anderson, Ben the prisoner of war who stayed in Hamsterly, the Vicar was called Smith (I think). Both my grandparents are buried at the church, I am hoping to visit this summer.
Nanna's House
I remember going to my nana's house in Roddymoor, it was only a bungalow but I was so small I thought it was massive, haha. I remember jumping the little ditch near her house. I remember taking pictures of the horses.
