Nostalgic memories of Corby's local history
Share your own memories of Corby and read what others have said
For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our web site to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was when the photographs in our archive were taken. From brief one-liners explaining a little bit more about the image depicted, to great, in-depth accounts of a childhood when things were rather different than today (and everything inbetween!). We've had many contributors recognising themselves or loved ones in our photographs.
Why not add your memory today and become part of our Memories Community to help others in the future delve back into their past.
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Displaying Memories 61 - 70 of 82 in total
We came to Corby in 1956 from Staffordshire and I attended Samuel Lloyds girls school. We used to spend our dinner money in Tipaldis. My dad, Ted Simmons, was the groundsman for Stuarts and Lloyds Recreation Club and we lived on Thoroughsale Road (which was hard to spell when you were small). I remember dances at the "Bin", Thoroughsale Woods, which I thought were huge, the Saturday Morning club at the pictures. I ...see more
Hi,
I was born in Kettering in 1954 and lived there until we moved to Weymouth in 1963. My grandparents lived in Corby and I remember a fair bit about Corby, especially around where they lived in Studfall Avenue. Grandad worked at Stewarts and Lloyds as a truck driver, and my Nana worked at Smiths crisp factory. My Dad, Derrick Samways, was the manager of the Odeon Corby in the 1950s. He has
many memories (and photos) of his ...see more
I was born in Kettering hospital and lived in Corby until my marriage aged 20 in 1974. I married in St. Andrew's Church of Scotland, Occupation Road. I can remember West Glebe swing park as we cut through there to go to the Grammar School Annexe. I also remember playing in Thoroughsale Woods and picking bunches and bunches of blue bells and taking them home. The Doctors surgery was on Kipling Road, my ballet ...see more
A large underground air raid shelter was built on the roundabout on Studfall Avenue near the Open Hearth pub. I'm not sure the shelter was ever used. When playing on it with friends I used a very mild swear word. I was overheard by a lady who knew my parents. She threatened to tell my parents. She didn't, but as a ten year old I had a pretty worrying day or two. Boyhood was wonderful. We were given a huge amount of freedom.
I wonder if any reader remembers a bizarre experiment which took place in 1941/2. Large containers of diesel, or some sort of oil, were placed at intervals outside houses on the grass verge. a short chimney was attached & topped by a disc with 3 prongs. at night members of the Pioneer Corps lit a plug, which caused a black, smelly cloud to roll out. If the idea was to blank out the blast furnaces it was completely ...see more
I have a vivid memory as a 9 year old of coming across in West Glebe a large circle of men one Sunday morning, who were laughing and shouting. They were playing an illegal game of 'pitch & toss'. A lookout must have sent a signal for suddenly the men ran off before a policeman arrived. The grass had all disappeared leaving a large bare circle littered with cigarette butts. Later I noticed a similar scene in the grounds ...see more
Just to the left of the picture, the junction of Elizabeth Street with Cottingham Road had a bollard in the middle. Coming home from band practice by bike (Corby Silver Band used an old stone building, perhaps once a barn in the 'old village'), I witnessed a low-slung open top sports car turn sharply into Elizabeth Street and knock the bollard over. Upright, I went to the police station - on Elizabeth Street at the top of this ...see more
From what I can remember a very good library. I lost a lot of my course work when it burned down. I had been finishing my essays off and forgot to pack them in my bag before leaving to retire to the Corinthian. This was the days before computers and saved electronic data. These went up in flames with the rest of the library. I got my extension but my tutor said it was the best lie he had heard for late esays for a decade.
I lived with my family in Burns Drive, Corby, until I was about six. Our house backed onto the playing fields of Rowlett Road School and my grandparents lived on the corner of Rowlett Road and Tanfields Grove. I can remember walking down to the Studfall Avenue shops and also some of the shops in old Corby. I particularly remember an ironmongers with one of those old-fashioned systems for sending the cash whizzing ...see more
This photo must have been taken early in the morning because that play area was always packed with wee yins in the 1960s. I know because I was one of them. There were lots of what I used to call swing parks in Corby in the 1960s. Corby was a very young place in 1965, not just the new town but its people as well. The expanding steelworks attracted thousands of young migrants, mainly from Scotland. I ...see more