Kidlington 1948 1962
A Memory of Kidlington.
Oh my, I love all those photographs...so many memories...The new school baffled me as I wasn't sure which one it was. I went to the infants school in Blenheim Rd, the the New Junior School Oxford Rd (Near Garden City) the Gosford Hill Secondary Modern (just pre comp.) It was built but not ready for us to use...which meant we would have to travel through Oxford to Littlemore everyday on city buses...we were not happy...so we went on strike - featured in the newspapers and TV news....As a result we got a schoolbus from Hambridges in the village...Old Mr Hambridge used to drive it...with his pork pie hat and smoking his pipe! I lived at 68 Oxford Road (opposite Yarnton Lane) with my grandmother. I remember the Saturday matinees at the cinema, Fish and chips from Mrs Patrick, buying blocks of Walls Ice cream (which we wrapped in newspaper to keep it cold) from the Tuck shop on a Sunday for a treat! Shopping from the grocery shop opposite the Black Horse, biscuits from tins in brown paper bags, the dried fruit and sugar in blue paper bags and the money in a cannister whizzed up on a wire up to the cashiers office. The butchers shop with sawdust on the floor. Swimming in the river behind the church.....bike rides to Begbroke and Islip woods, walking along the canal and fishing for mussels with sticks. Playing in the field along School Road ...making slides on the puddles on the path that crossed it in the winter and on the waste land at the end of Green Road. we had a camp in the bramble bushes....
A couple of other things, the baker delivering his fresh bread parked on the corner of Yarnton Lane, the coal being delivered from the horse and cart, and the Corona fizzy pop being delivered (the bottles had the now fashionable ceramic swivel tops)....it's amazing what has come into my mind just looking at these photos. (I was Jennifer Browning back in those days!)
Add your comment
You must be signed-in to your Frith account to post a comment.
Add to Album
You must be signed in to save to an album
Sign inSparked a Memory for you?
If this has sparked a memory, why not share it here?
Comments & Feedback
I moved to Garden City in 1955 with my parents and remember Blenheim Road school (Miss White) and I also remember having to go to Bicester Road Primary school, now Edward Feild, until the new West Kidlington Primary school was ready. I remember Mr.Elsmore was the head and Mr.Martin was his deputy, my teacher I think was Miss Clapton. Mrs Wiggins was the playground supervisor and Mr Coggins was the caretaker.
I have very vivid memories of my initial few years living in Kidlington but we moved to Wootton, Woodstock in 1961 and then to Yarnton in 1964. I did attend Gosford Hill School for my sixth year in 1966/7 but didn't like it as the group of us that had been at Marlborough School Woodstock were really treated as aliens by the teachers I left home and moved to Kidlington in 1986 in the then newish Grovelands near Lyne Road and later in 2002 moved to Mill Street where I still live with my family. I worked for City of Oxford Motor Services for 41 years and most of my bus driving was on 2's which plied between Barton an Kidlington, I loved it. Unfortunately now the Kidlington bus service has deteriorated and COMS, now known as Oxford Bus Company, came off the route in January last year as the County Council deemed that there were too many buses using the Banbury road from different operators.
On occasional Friday's a small group of us get together in the Kings Arms, The Moors and discuss the old days in Kidlington, amongst the oldies are Gerald 'Judder' Justice, Bob Dee, Steve Danbury, Simon Hopkins and anyone else who joins in...........it is great and I always look forward to it!
I think it is great to look back at the good old days because I thnk they were good!