Favourite 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.
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People who were particularly kind or influenced your time in the community.
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Has it changed over the years?
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How does it feel, seeing these places again, as they used to look?
This week's Places
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Displaying Memories 1801 - 1850 of 2029 in total
Eastry has a Roman Road through it but was also important as a place where we imagine important people stopped on the drive between Dover and Sandwich, the Cinque Ports. The Bull Pub on the left behind the trees, had a cobbled courtyard to the rear and room for horses and carriages. I assume some of the buildings date back 400 years, and perhaps the house in the distance could have been the toll house - it was ...see more
I believe this is called Lower Street and behind us is Dover Road, and a turn to the east to Northbourne and Deal or a walk to the cricket ground at Updown. Behind, to the left, is Buttsole Pond where some people broke the ice when winter sliding. It is a wetland area and the sort of place where today it would have to be on a preservation list. At 45 degrees to the left and across the ...see more
In 1960 the world's population was probably a mere 5 billion, now it is over 7 billion people. It was a bit of a shock to realise that people actually wanted to come and live in Eastry and presumably prices were slightly less than the big city. Now home owners had to live next to council house estates and this was a test of their pride or humility. A pathway was constructed between the new council house area and the village ...see more
Because we were paid we joined the choir. Boys were joined by girls in about 1959. It was a good education learning some beautiful music, reading psalms, plenty of moral direction and people to admire such as the organist, Bill Press, and the notable vicar Fred Cooper. We had choir practice on Friday evenings, and then two services on Sundays. Easter and Harvest festival saw the place festooned with flowers and harvest ...see more
The (Roman) road going down to Buttsole and then to Dover or Deal and Updown Cricket field to the left, was sometimes blocked by farmworkers guiding their sheep from one pasture to another through the village centre. The shop on the right is quite significant because it used to belong to Mr Penn who ran the butcher's. There was a big cold-room at the rear. Mr Penn was the devoted leader of ...see more
This road was one which was mainly used to pass through Eastry. We used to take the 87 to Dover or Ramsgate/Margate, or the 13a bus to Deal or Canterbury. The 76 to Deal and Staple. To the right was the big-time first ever supermarket! Of course, a brand new concept and an open invitation to shoplifters. Where the photographer is standing, was a lane to the left to the Gunpark, which was cleverly turned into a mown area ...see more
The quaint older houses on the right now faced new bungalows to our left, and on our left is another walkway to the primary school. Now Jimmy came to live in one of the bungalows and then he came to our school when he was about 10. He was from Burnley, Lancashire, somewhere up north, a long way up north and his accent certainly showed itself to be different from Kentish - very different. Opposite Jimmy's house was Mr Johnston ...see more
The area called Mill Green is behind the photgrapher and the village ahead. The Mill was working up until about 1960 or so, as we used to buy corn from there to feed the chickens. To the right of the photo is the church/chapel for Eastry Hospital which catered for all sorts of mental illness or simply for men taken in after the war. The hospital was originally a workhouse and has extensive grounds and ...see more
The 'new' primary school in Cook's Lea (a respected headteacher in Sandwich) was built in the early sixties and is well-located next to the Gunpark to the left. The old C of E Primary School was a solid building and this new school has its modern style architecture. A famous quote is "it may be a marble palace, but as far as I'm concerned it's still a bloody school" despite the propaganda of how marvellous it all is, ...see more
I'm guessing this is looking east from the Lower Street area over meadows and a cornfield with the Children's Homes to the right and the line of trees marking the brow of the hill of the Lynch. There was a pathway across that horizon. The word Lynch may even date back to old English before Anglo-Saxon times. On this chalky soil it can get very dry and the water goes down to the springs that emerge at the foot of ...see more
Eastry has an important history and this is the Roman Road which went to Woodnesborough (after the god 'Woden') and to Sandwich to the right. The village hall to the left, through the open gates was the infants' school with Mrs Pemble and Mrs Capron, not the best of friends. They did a good job of getting us to read with no problems at all. No modern gimmicks, just 'Janet and John'. Because the gates were left ...see more
Most of the names state the obvious. This is an important crossroad. Turn right to go to Mill Green along Mill Lane. Turn left to go to Vye's Stores (pre-1960) and then to the Church in Church Lane or down Brook Lane, where we assume the Brook never ran dry. We also assume that Eastry was much closer to the sea 1500 years ago. There is a view from the church of a vast flat area which we imagine has seen the sea recede. In ...see more
I was born in Arnold Avenue, just five minutes walk from the George pub, which was handy later on in my life. Also the post office opposite the pub, which was owned by Mr & Mrs Fit-Simons, who used to have rows of clear lidded biscuit tins, with sweets in such as; black jacks, halfpenny chews, fruit salad and flying saucers etc. I would often pop there for mum's 1/2 oz of Golden Virginia and pack of ...see more
Known as Stocks Hill, on the left of the photo is the Coop Drapery Shop. At the side of the shop was an alley and the Coop Bakery was there. The house facing in the picture was Ted Witneys car repair yard, along High Street was Keffords shop, Mrs Briton's drapery shop,The White Lion Pub, Mrs Thompson's shop, she used to open Sunday afternoons for us children when we came out of Sunday School. We would go to the shop ...see more
Does anyone remember the Gayways club in Northampton, High Street? I used to go there to see pop bands like Dave Dee, the Hollies and numerous other rock and pop groups! It had nothing to do with actually being Gay, it was just the name of the venue...oh times have changed. I think it was run by a man called Stan and his wife, the building was very dark and full of hidden rooms, to hide in ...see more
My brother and I were evacuated from London to Northampton for about ten months during WW2. We lived in Alma Street, me at No:21 with an elderly aunt and uncle, my brother at No: 40. I remember the meadows at the bottom end of Alma Street, the park with a stream running into a river, a cinema on the corner by the railway, I think it was called the Roxy? Opposite the top end of Alma Street was a church with ...see more
I remember this area before it became a park (for the blind?). If I was feeling adventurous I would cross the little stream that ran at the bottom where the gardens are now, sometimes there was a makeshift bridge across it. I used to run all the way down from the top of the hill and leap over it! Then carry on home up Forest Gate Road.
My wife and I spent one year ( circa 1953 ) living in an apartment at Park House Farm where Tony Warner raised sugar beets and pigs. The Manor House was built on a Roman foundation which then formed the basement of the building. I was stationed at Sculthorpe AFB in Fakenham. I joined the local rifle team in Snettisham sponsored by the Queen's husband, Prince Philip. Their residence, Sandringham, was within ...see more
I can't pinpoint the year exactly, but it was definitely a year or two before 1953 which was the year I left the UK. I and three friends, student nurses at a hospital in Essex, decided on a holiday in Scotland. We chose Dollarbeg as our base hotel and toured round the whole area, walking in the surrounding countryside and taking bus tours from Stirling - the Dukes Pass tour perhaps being the most memorable, the ...see more
Situated at the top of our road, as young children Hilly Fields was something quite magical. During winter time we would trek our home made sledges over to toboggan hill and hurtle down to the brook at the bottom of the hill at breakneck speeds. Summer time, climbing trees, fishing for stickle backs in the brook. The game known to us as "jumping dags" which entailed jumping over the brook without getting your feet wet, ...see more
Henry Waits the butchers, small shops that sold sweets from a jar and fireworks. Penny for the guy, small children waiting at bus stops with the 128, 231 and 144B to try and pry a penny towards fireworks. Girlfriend (Rose Gritty) down Drake Street. Rag and Bone merchant towards 'The Hop Poles' pub. Doing the weekly shopping on my bicycle and taking everything home in a couple of shopping bags hanging on the handlebars. ...see more
The black and white half-timbered building in the photograph was The Gable House, owned by my late grandmother, Nancy Hawkes and her sister, Hilda Cook. The house was run as a short-term residential home for patients staying in Droitwich for treatment at the brine baths. The gardens extended to about 3/4 of an acre and along the rear boundary was a timber built bungalow, where I lived with my parents and ...see more
In this photo, you can see two machines for chopping ice cream into blocks. Some blocks were small for choc ices and wafer ices. Some were larger for making 'bricks'. In the background, on the left, is my father's (Dick Sinfield) office. On the right, the large door behind the two machines is the door to the large freezer, the 'locker', where the ice creams and lollies would be ...see more
This photo shows the back of the York Jones Ice Creamery. The factory was originally used by John Corbett, who built the Chateau Impney, to mine and package salt. The salt was pumped up from the well, just to the bottom left of the photo. This photo shows one of the York-Jones delivery vans which would supply ice cream to all the shops around the Midlands, but mostly ...see more
York Jones is the correct spelling i.e. no 'e' on York! In 1955, I was ten years old and would work here during school holidays. My Great Uncle (my Grandmother's brother), was Frank York-Jones, the Managing Director. His son, Alan York-Jones, ran the factory with my father, Dick Sinfield, who was the Finance Director. In this picture, you can see the two brine tanks against the back wall in the ...see more
Here we have two holding tanks where the liquid ice cream would be pumped after being cooked in the vats down below. This is an area in the roof space where the liquid would be pumped over the hot sterilising pipes, seen here in the middle of the picture, hanging down from the roof.
When I was 18 in 1955 my Mum booked us a Chalet at Winkups Camp, Towyn. There was Mum, stepfather, myself and 3 sisters aged 5yrs, 3yrs and3 months. Off we went from Huddersfield in Yorkshire in our little Austin 7 (I think), I can remember the excitement now. I think my Mum paid £5 for the week, anyway on arrival we all piled out of the car and Mum went to register in, the lady came and looked at us in dismay and ...see more
The boats in the photo belonged to my great aunt. As a young boy my job (unpaid) was to ferry the boats across the river and pick up any stray boats. I was very small, aged probably 6, could not swim, but there was no health and safety then!! My great-aunt was a very strict Victorian lady. Her motto was "Work comes first". Happy days?
About the time that this photograph was taken the house was boarded up as being dangerous so some friends and I broke in. The inside was in a really bad state of repair but the piece of architecture that stunned us was the staircase. It was a wide semi circular thing that ran around the wall in the entrance hall which was tiled. I believe that when the house was demolished it was found to have no foundations and was just erected on bare earth - or was this just a story that I heard?
I too remember The Oaks House with fondness. Aged 12 yrs old I used to cycle there from Purley & found a hole in the boarding on a window, so crept inside. The staircase was stunning but damaged, there was a fire hose left trailed down it and I understood that there had been a fire there some time before, so I never dared climb far upstairs in case the stairs or floors above gave way. The room that really ...see more
I was born in Mitcham in 1929 and lived as a baby in Queens Road aka "rocky" or "Rocks Terrace" my Grandfather was called Truelove and had a shop in Queens Road. Hard to belive now but a horse and cart owner would stop outside his tiny terraced house, unhitch the horse, and walk it through the house out into the back garden.
Later I lived with my Grandparents at 20 Mount Road. She taught piano and I think ...see more
I always remember the Cricket Green as the lazy hazy days of summer. My father played cricket here, I don't remember the name of his team, but we had to sit and watch him. I liked it when the crocuses poked their heads out of the ground at the beginning of the season. They would appear in glorious colour in all the corners of the green, with the cricket pitch in the middle. We were never ...see more
As a small child I remember going to Wilkies fish shop in Western Road and from the counter you could see into their living room at the back. They had a huge fish tank filled with bright coloured fish and I felt very priviledged when Mr & Mrs Wilkie let me go into their living room to see the tank. I can also recall a shop called (I think) Maidments? Again in Western Road, the owner used to make fruit lollies ...see more
I am looking for the living descendants of the little known Victorian print-seller and art dealer George Love (1804-1883) of 81 Bunhill Row in Finsbury, London.
His son William Francis Love (d.1912) married Alice Buttery from Finsbury in 1883.
William Francis Love moved to Surrey with his wife and had 3 children:
1) Cecil Francis Trevelyan (b. 1885-died ...see more
Between the tree and the cinema you can see the roof and top floor of one of the blocks of flats in Armfield Crescent so we did not live far from the cinema. When we were small we were given a shilling to go to the Saturday morning pictures - The ABC Minors we were called. We even had a song we sang before the films began. Sixpence was used to get into the cinema and we had sixpence to spend on lollies or ice ...see more
I used to live up at Luccombe as a child during the begining of the war. We lived at Corydon and I have many happy memories of our time spent there. There were a lot of soldiers billeted at Luccombe. They used to park up their lorries outside my bedroom window and I can hear them now, singing, whistleing and shouting to one another. Some of them used to take time to play with my younger ...see more
I remember Mr Cherrington, the local bobby, riding his bike through the village and smiling benignly at us kids. I believe his son was in my class at school. I can remember one evening in the summer time having been just put to bed when an official police vehicle arrived at the front door - very much to my mum's consternation. It transpired that Mr Cherrington, along with a police official of some kind, had ...see more
I don't know why we called it Three King's Piece but in the mid 50's to the early 60's when I was growing up, that was what we called it. I lived in the flats in Armfield Crescent and when we went to Three Kings Piece we went the back way. Down St Marks Road to Baker Lane, on the corner was St Marks Chuch, to Hilary Avenue. At the end of the avenue was an alley-way. It had a high wall on one side with broken ...see more
Throughout the first half of the 1950's I would spend every school holiday at Linton, with my maternal grandparents. Initially my mum would accompany me from our home in Trumpington to Drummer Street bus station, where she would place me in the care of the nan would meet me as I got off the bus at The Swan; but I was soon doing the whole journey, including the change of buses, totally unaccompanied. ...see more
My grandparents, Maud and Albert Benham, lived at Rose Cottage, 1 Warbrook Lane and I have lovely memories of many happy times visiting them during WW2. I lived with my parents, Jack (Albert) and Irene, in Camberley and while my father was in the Navy I would visit my nan (grandad having died when I was quite small) on many occasions. When they first moved to Eversley from London, my grandad ...see more
I was born in London, but my Mother came from the Mumbles, so several times a year we took the train from Paddington on our journey to Swansea. With a large family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, the sea, the beaches and the freedom, I thought I was in heaven! This photo of the Mumbles in 1954 was just as I recall it. You can see Fortes ice cream parlour in the centre, now demolished. ...see more
My gran bought 3 caravans in 1957 which were on the caravan site at Lower Largo. My parents, brother, me, my aunt, my uncle and their 2 children all spent all our holidays there - summer, easter, bank hols, etc. Us children practically spent our whole summer there. When I started work in 1960, my mum and brother still stayed at Largo during the 5/6 weeks of the summer hols, and the working adults (me, dad, ...see more
As an 18 year old boy from Atlanta, Georgia (USA), I worked at the Harbour Inn during the summer of 1965. That's among my fondest memories, and one of the most enjoyable times in my life. I have fond memories of the Rodmores (who owned the Inn), Henry (head bar tender), Old Herbie, and the many fine people who visited the pub and lived there and in Seaton. I revisited Axmouth and Seaton in 1972 ...see more
This is Southcombe Terrace, Axmouth.
6-13 Southcombe Terrace was designed by the architect Frederick Kett and built by Bert Warren around 1937/8 for the Stedcombe Estate. My parents, Rock and Olive Real, then in their mid twenties, moved into what must have been, their dream home, No. 10, Southcombe Terrace. My parents would have preferred an end terrace house - and could have had one - but the extra 6d per week ...see more
Born in 1938 in Modbury, I can remember the latter years of World War II. I remember vividly the nights during the months of the heavy blitz on Plymouth, with the beams from searchlights that were based just outside the town criss-crossing the sky as German bomber formations droned overhead. The American forces had an army camp in a field across from Modbury School and as a youngster I used to wander through the camp and ...see more
I was born in Station Road, just round the corner from Cawdor St so I was familier with the shops. Kenyon's I knew quite well as I was at school with their son Roy. I was familiar with all the shops in the street especially Bob Horton, as I was sent there by my mother because he was fairly cheap. One day I went there while I had a cold. Not being able to wipe my nose I started to sniff. Twice he told me to stop ...see more
This is about Christmas Day 57 years ago, and how things have changed. Even though we had nowt it was still a very exciting time, as it is now, but money was tight and we could only have the presents that each family could afford. What I mean by this is, there wasn't such a thing as credit like today when you, 'buy now, pay later'. We always had our stockings on the end of the bed, filled with nowt fancy, just a handful of ...see more
This was 1958 the time when I seriously got into drainpipes, drapes and rock 'n roll music. I was at Walbottle Secondary Modern School. I used to take in the leg width of my jeans by hand using a needle and thread to make them as tight as I could get them, and I went to school with these drainpipes on and a Donegal jacket, along with black crepe shoes with white bars of music on the front, along with a ...see more
This memory of 1961, and me and me pal Wes Coulthard started work at the Delta Rolling Mills (this was over Scotswood Bridge towards Blaydon, left along the river by the Skiff Inn). It was hard work but the dosh was better than other places. We started on the East Mill which rolled flat bars maybe up to 60 feet long when finished through the process of the rolling. I remember Phil and Lennie Scott who were brothers, ...see more
It was about 1956. John Sample had started to change with the times and bought himself a pick up truck, him, 'Auld Jimmy' and me went to the horse sales at Gateshead just over the bridge, and I cannot for the life of me remember if it was the High Level or the Redheugh. They went to buy a horse, which they did, and it was my job to bring him home, they bought this poor sad horse showing its bones and saddle sores, it had ...see more