Francis Frith logo

The Francis Frith Collection Francis Frith

An Historical Photographic Archive of National Importance

Call: +44 (0)1722 716 376
Sign-in or Register
Contact Us
Trustpilot
Sign-in or Register
Delivery Info Help Contact Us
US ($)
Choose A Francis Frith Shop
 UK (£) For UK & International delivery US ($) For US/Canada delivery
Call +44 (0)1722 716376
0 Items: View Basket
Shopping Basket
Trustpilot
  1. Home
  2. Share Your Memories

Share Your Memories

Reconnecting with our shared local history.

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.

Search for Local Memories

Search for your favourite UK places and read memories of the local area in days gone by.

A couple at a laptop

Add a Memory!

It's easy to add your own memories and reconnect with your shared local history. Search for your favourite places and look for the 'Add Your Memory' buttons to begin

You can also Browse By County

Tips & Ideas

Not sure what to write? It's easy - just think of a place that brings back a memory for you and write about:

  • How the location features in your personal history?
  • The memories this place inspires for you?
  • Stories about the community, its history and people?
  • People who were particularly kind or influenced your time in the community.
  • Has it changed over the years?
  • How does it feel, seeing these places again, as they used to look?

This week's Places

Here are some of the places people are talking about in our Share Your Memories community this week:

...and hundreds more!

Enjoy browsing more recent contributions now.

Subscribe

Join the thousands who receive our regular doses of warming nostalgia! Have our latest blog posts and archive news delivered directly to your inbox. Absolutely free. Unsubscribe anytime.

Here are a few of our favourites

Visitors to this website have so far contributed 86,662 memories inspired by the Frith photographs. Join in, and take a moment to remember the places that have been important in your life. Where your family comes from, where you were born, went to school and got married; the towns and villages where you've lived and worked since. Recapture and rekindle those precious memories with this special part of our website.

Displaying all 8 Memories

Brands Hatch
Soon after I began motorcycling in the mid fifties I began to take what has been a lifelong interest in motorcycle racing. In those days it was a good trek to Brands Hatch as there were no M1 or M25 motorways and the journey from Bedfordshire was made through the center of London taking in Euston, Blackfriars Bridge and out through New Cross to West Kingsdown on the A20 and eventually to the Brands Hatch ...see more
Brands Hatch, c1960
Contact Contributor
Read Comments 3
Added 19 June 2016

Fish Meadow Fun
The Fish Meadow is just North and East of the river bridge, and in my youth, (as now) was prone to flooding. I remember a year when the still water, stretching across the meadow (as opposed to the main river flow) froze over. Then, while the temperature remained below freezing, the water subsided, allowing the ice sheet to settle back on to the surface of the meadow and actually bend to the shape of the ...see more
Upton upon Severn, the Church Tower c1960
Add Comment
Added 29 December 2015

Bicycle Shop In Denmark Street

When I lived in Wokingham in the 1950s, I remember a double fronted cycle shop on Denmark Street (next door to the entrance to some sort of meeting hall?) - you can just see part of the hanging sign for the shop in picture number W123016. To me then the shop seemed quite large and was certainly stuffed full of bikes and accessories that I coveted. I can still remember the wood flooring and smell of ...see more
Contact Contributor
Read Comments 2
Added 15 June 2020

Gaslight 1954
In the early 50's many streets in Uxbridge were still lit by gas. So "lighting up time" had a whole different meaning. The iron lampposts were much lower than the lighting masts of today and were more widely placed along the streets. Street lighting then had a different function because the lights were to illuminate the pavement, not so much the roadway. I lived in Frays Waye which was entirely lit by gas and there ...see more
Contact Contributor
Read Comment 1
Added 31 October 2012

Gillingham In The Forties
I lived in Medway Road from 1934-1956. I also remember the doodle bugs (as did Gordon Savage, I remember him), the dockyard heavy guns, and school. I was due to start school on the day war started and finally went to Richmond Road Infants two years later. All the teachers were evacuated with the local area evacuees so there was no one to teach us. I went for 1 hour, then 2 hours, an afternoon, and ...see more
Contact Contributor
Read Comment 1
Added 24 September 2012

Wannock Tea Gardens
I worked at Wannock Tea Gardens during the school holidays. I remember all the slices of Bread we had to butter and I still make sure that it reaches out to each corner. We really had to work hard carrying heavy crockery to the many out-building where the parties were fed. I remember that all the workers would sit down after the gardens closed and clear up the food - and how much us youngest looked forward to ...see more
Contact Contributor
Read Comments 2
Added 06 March 2015

War Time In The Heights Northolt
We moved from New Cross, Deptford just before the war to The Heights Northolt. As a child then, memories are now somewhat fragmented but that reflects the conditions that parents faced. As a child there seemed much freedom, school was intermittent, lots of time, putting pennies onto the rails of the trains (I still go over those rails on way to Bucks), building a camp near the arch way into the ...see more
Contact Contributor
Read Comment 1
Added 26 April 2013