Recent 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.

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

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.

Displaying Memories 35521 - 35600 of 36887 in total

I was Shepton Mallet Carnival Queen and it was very good to do the job.  My Granny and Grampy lived in Shepton Mallet and my dad and uncle were born in Shepton Mallet as well my mum who would've been the Shepton Mallet Carnival Queen in 1965. Pete and I are building a shed down Darshill. It used to be a pig barn and it is going to be wonderful when it is finished.  We will have to take photos of the ...see more
I was brought up in Una Rd in the 1960's and 70's. My mother still lives in the same house after more than 50 years. One thing that always strikes me now when I visit are the number of cars. I can still name the people who owned a car and the type of car it was in Una Rd when I was a child. Probably only seven cars maximum! Two Morris Minors, an Austin A35 van, Wolseley 1500, Reliant Regal van ( 3 wheeler), Ford Anglia, ...see more
I remember travelling to Southend with my family on a steam train from London.  My sister and I use to put our heads out of the windows.  More often than not when we sat down our faces would be black with soot from the smoke of the train and our mum would try to wipe us clean with her hanky. When we arrived at Southend it was off to the beach for a paddle and a play then a ride on the boats in the boating ...see more
I remember the Town Hall at Cowbridge.  In those days there was no one way system around it like today.  The school boy interest was the Merryweather Fire Engine that was kept in a garage at the side of the Town Hall. Great fun to see it being driven out bell clanging and the firemen in their then shiny helmets hanging on. A local resident and Fireman was a Mr. Bond who fought fires in the air raid on Cardiff ...see more
My mother was born at this house in Dunham Massey in sept 1910. her uncle who lived also at this house played golf with the earl. opposite lived quakers
The Belton family has a long association with Spaldwick as millers, witnessed by a hill being in the family name, (O.S. map 153), just north of the village. My mother's sister Violet Bass, from nearby Kimbolton, was married to John Belton. John, my uncle, inherited the windmill as well as a further windmill at Alconbury and a *water driven mill at Houghton, now owned by the National Trust. ...see more
Having grown up in Birstall I have a fondness for this little market town in West Yorkshire, situated approximately 8 miles from Leeds and centrally placed for easy access to other major towns Bradford, Huddersfield and Wakefield. Fifty years ago Birstall was a thriving village, where everyone knew everybody else (and their business!). There were several mills in the area, Birstall Carpet Company, ...see more
The two shops on the left of the photograph are "James the Bakers" and "Shureys Footwear". The garage also on the left was called "Sully's Garage" after the owner Cyril Sully. I used to walk along this road everyday when going to Porth Grammar School in the 1960's. The photograph brings back fond memories of my childhood in Trealaw. Robert O'Flaherty
What a treat to see this photo - presumably taken from the church tower - it brought back many happy memories of my time spent at the school between 1964 and 1970.
How strange to see cows on this picture. I remember lots and lots of sheep. The highlight of our walk across the main road and down the steep path to the beach (often through a layer of fog which blotted out the sun when you got there!) was to make baaing noises and wait for the reply!
I was born in Kings Road in 1964, and have fond memories of Cowplain. My parents still live there but I have moved to the other side of the world (New Zealand). The phone box in the picture was used to phone would be girlfriends, as the home phone was not very private, many a 2p coin was lost in there. I don't remember the concrete plant pots having plants in they were filled with concrete at some stage. I do remember ...see more
I was born in West Kirby and lived at 5 Dunraven Rd. I remember being a young choir boy at St Bridget's. My father, great grandmother, grand mother, Aunt and Uncle are all buried in St. Bridget's. Inside the Church is (was) a plaque on the wall dedicated to the soldiers from West Kirby that lost their lives in World War I. My grand father William J. Andrews is on that plaque.
Relatives of mine came from Welburn and I came on this site to see if I could find out more about where they originated. They were George Harrison b. 1806 married Susannah Butterworth in 1829. I think they both came from Welburn. Can anyone out there help me in my quest?
In the UK Census of 1881 it shows the publican of the Bridge End Inn to be a Jane Rayson aged 68 years old. She lived with her sister Margaret aged 52 and her nieces Emma aged 15 and Fanny aged 32. Fanny's occupation is shown as "invalid". Also shown as residing in the property was Jane Ashburner whose occupation is noted as a "servant".
My sister and her husband Mr. & Mrs. E. Parkinson built a bungalow and shop on the corner of the main street and Pound Road.  They kept it for many years and during that period my Mother and Father moved there and lived in Pound Road for a number of years before returning to Wales.  My wife and I visited a number of times and we sometimes went out on the river in the punts that were moored at the ...see more
The white building in the picture below the church tower was the Marlborough pub. During the war through till the early 1950s my grandmother and grandfather were licencees and my father was brought up there. I have a picture of my grandfather and myself as a small child in the back yard of the pub. I'm not sure when it stopped being a pub - my grandmother left after my grandfather died in 1953, but the last time I went to Charlbury it was a private house.
In 1943 I worked on the Great Western Railway and sent by them to Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire as a locomotive fireman.  It was here that I met a young lady whose home was Lower Heyford, Oxfordshire.  She also worked in Leamington on the GWR as a Passenger Guard. This lady was later to become my wife.  After a short period of going out together she invited me to her home. Her home 112 Freehold Street, ...see more
I recall the school was divided into two portions, the infants and the juniors. A small corridor with Seth Hughes' office alongside separated the two. The infants were in the two classrooms at the School House end of the building where the very motherly Mrs Edwards took care of the first intake and the somewhat more stern Mrs McLaren took the 2nd year. The juniors had the large classroom at ...see more
This lane has mixed memories for me, I've enjoyed some of my happiest moments running down the lane to the park at the bottom and some of the worst walking out of the church after funerals of the people I loved most but one things for sure this is one of the many pretty places in a very pretty village that always makes me smile and proud of the fact that I was born and bred here.
If my memory serves me correctly, this park was named "Eureka Park" and was situated by "Eureka Road". We would pass here when walking from Church Gresley to "Midway Grandma's " in Sandcliff Road. or further afield to "The Old Mill" on the road to Repton. During the war myself and four other kids, walking back after a visit to the "Old Mill" heard a car approaching (At that time cars were not very common ...see more
Kent College for the Careers Service was in College Road, Hextable. I was a student living in this college in 1987 and enjoyed my studies very much as the nature of the course tended towards exploring local facilities and occupations. I graduated and left in 1988 to become a school careers adviser with Hertfordshire Careers Service. I recall the college principal at that time was Alaine ...see more
We moved to Northwood in 1978 and the shops in Green Lane were pretty much like this view. Maybe there were yellow lines on the road to stop parking! Just beyond the lorry on the right of the picture was a small department store which I recall had a toy department downstairs - our young son David bought a stuffed toy rabbit there in 1980. He will be 31 next month (February 2008) and I think we still have that ...see more
I  was  brought  up  at  110  High  Street  then  at  the  top of  Backwaterside  Lane.  My  Grandparents  were William  and  Louisa  Barrenger.  My  Mum  Mabel  Barrenger (later  Mabel  Dutton)  was  born  at  9  Hurst  Green.  Many  of  my  family  were  all  born  there including  my  sister  and  two  brothers.  One  of  the  things  I  can  remember  about  the  High  Street ...see more
There was never a housing estate in those days so everyone was able to walk to school across the open fields.  There was also a farm situated near the junction of Sandbach Road North and Lodge Road
I was born in ST. Asaph and spent 7 years in Dyserth. My Nan and Taid lived there until they died in the 70's, so summer holidays were always in Dyserth. I have watched it grow from a small village to what it is now. My life and holidays there were always great. I would love visiting Nan and Taid. I remember the quarry, the siren before the blasting and the dust that would fall after. My mum would run out to ...see more
This is a favourite view of photographers taken from McIntyre's Boatyard. In the distance you can see St Bruoc's church which burnt down in 1956. In the foreground is a boat hiring station, one of three in the village. This one did not last into the 50's but the other two did. The next one along was McMillan's and there is another one on the far side of the stone pier run by Harry Stewart and Arthur ...see more
I used to live in Meadows Lea, Darby Road and you were in my class at school!   My name was Mary Treacy!
I seem to have opened up vast memory stores here! It's good to know so many people who were around at the time I was at Berwick Road are still around today. Mind you, fifty-ish isn't old these days never mind what teenagers think. Who remembers Warrington's Cafe? I do. And the OLD Black Lion (not that I ever went in there - too young) and the Railway (first mother-in-law ran that place.) It was a good place ...see more
The bank on the corner is now RBS, lovely place. I used it all the time, always overdrawn, always getting charged 38 quid, oh well its only money glad I'm out of it.
I also used to work in the butchers to the right of the photo, known as Spinx W Hittinghams then Hoyes, trained by Harold Mather. Top bloke.
I was born and lived in Alsager for over 40 years and remember Bank corner. I was a newspaper boy for Mr Dovey.  Also have a sepia photo of Hancocks store which I also recall quite well as a young boy.
The old trainyard brings back many fond memories.
As a young child, I lived at number 5 Mill Terrace. It was my grandparents' house. Their names were Stanley and Alice Timberlake and they were able to rent the house because my grandad had worked for a local landowner by the name of Fitzhugh. My mother, Jeanette, was born in that house. We moved to the midlands when I was 5 years old but continued to visit until the mid-70s when Nan and Grandad moved to nearby ...see more
Miss Canning did not have the haberdashery store, that was Mrs Graham and her shop was next door to Stows Stores.  In the back was a little tea room and a girl called Lilly Bodice worked with her.  The shop and cottage she lived in was left to Lilly when Mrs Graham passed away.  Miss Canning sold the papers, sweets, cigarettes and the stall outside had fruit and veg.  One year she sold fireworks, only the ...see more
I remember this house very well. I played with Erica and her sister - whose name was, I think, Suzanne, in Bersham. Like Erica, I was also born in 1955. My grandparents lived in the cottages at Mill Terrace. Their name was Timberlake. My grandad was Stanley and my nan was Alice. My name is Jane and my surname was Thompson. My mum and dad (Jean and Roger) and I lived for a while in the cottages with Nan and ...see more
We lived in Tooting and My Father got a job at sidcup bus garage in Febuary we moved into sidcup in March April I remember watching the world cup that year with my Mum at our new house. Great times !!!!
I was evacuated to Yalding during the war, this was to be my childhood days and as I was with a family who had a son about my age. It was fantastic and those 4 years I will never forget. My dream is to return and relive my childhood, travel to the places I remember so well, and to meet those who are still with us. I would love to have a friend from Yalding that I can stay in contact with, by email or letter.  My email ...see more
My Grandfather, Reginald Cornish, is standing in front of the car (waiting to embark) in the centre of the photo. He was County Engineer for Monmouthshire. I still live in Chepstow and the buildings to the top and left were demolished after the Severn Bridge was built directly above the slip way.
I was born in 1972 and moved to Thornaby in 1973 where I spent my life until the age of 24. People used to tease me that I was brought up in Thornaby and I was nicknamed 'the roughian'.  People would say don't get on the wrong side of her (meaning me!) as I would punch their lights out! The more I defended the town, the more I was ribbed.  So Thornaby has a reputation which I am not sure how it came about.  I ...see more
How interesting! I moved into your house when you left in 1965. Yes I have a few more memories of the area,the house no was 210 Moss Lane. I was fifteen at the time and my family were the Bentleys,I am Brian. The photographer next door were the Longson family and they had two children John and Georgina, long gone they left around 1978, across the road was Stan who owned the chip shop and adjacent was the ...see more
I lived in the cottage next to the Chapel, and played with Wendy, we used to cycle to Upware and Wicken fen. At one point we would sit on the haystacks after the farmers had finished them. I would go horse riding in the corn cut fields, wonderful thing to do. One good memory was when it snowed, Mrs Dowdswell used to pour water on the playground so we could all slide on it. Not allowed to do that ...see more
How could I forget the Cottage Hospital?  I had my tonsils out here!  Strangely enough, after all these years I can still picture parts of the Children's Ward, one or two of the nurses, and the bed that I was in.  Hospital is never the most pleasant place to be but, if I remember correctly (and I am sure that I do), the worst part of my stay was "Nil By Mouth" after the operation!
This is an unusual view of St Anselm's as I don't recall ever standing on the churchyard flowerbeds! My own routine was arriving in the last few seconds before the vicar and choir processed into church for 9.30 Parish Communion service! This meant that the view I got was a hasty glance at the church porch steps as I rushed inside - along with the many other latecomers from the church youth club! The church ...see more
My great grandparents lived in one of the houses you can just see at the right hand side right at the end, they are lovely black and white houses and are still there, offices now I think.
My brother Elwyn and myself were born in Nant-y-glyn, Penybont on 18th March 1931.  We were twins. We lived at 18 Tabernacle Road from when we were about three years old.  We left in 1953 to teach in Birmingham.  Glanaman was a lovely place to be brought up.  It was a real Welsh village, Welsh being spoken everywhere.  My father worked at the Gelli Ceidrim coal mine.  When I visited some years back I was ...see more
My mother (90) is the daughter of  Fred Goodier who was the chief cotton buyer for Horrockes between the wars.
This picture is of the Old Gate House, taken from the West Street side.  The sign over the front door was "Ye Olde Gate House".  It was a very old house and is shown on some of the old maps of Wilton. It had two addresses - The Gate House, West Street, Wilton, and No 1 St John's Square, Ditchampton.   My Grandparents, Arthur and Selina Loveless lived in the house from 1912, and my Mother Audrey Loveless was ...see more
My mum's family (Beer) owned the village shop in Fore Street, consequently my family spent many holidays in the village. I remember playing with cousins in the orchard in Yon Street where my Great Aunt Anne and Great Uncle Harry lived, playing pooh sticks in the stream by the church, getting fresh bread from the baker's in the morning (strange how there was no crust by the time I got it back!?), climbing the ...see more
From just about where the photograph was taken I was born.  The house was called Forge House obviously because of the Forge which my father used as a shed to house chickens in and then used as a workshop for his carpentry.  He was Foreman carpenter at Tilmanstone colliery. My brother and I were both born in the house which I believe now is being used as a care home.  I was 16 when that photo was taken.   Elizabeth Andrews  February 2007
Our family have a long association with the school. Our grandfather William Short born 1884 was educated there, also our mother Hilda Short born 1920. Then the school taught both primary and secondary education. My mother leaving when she was 14yrs to do a hairdressing apprenticeship. Our nana, Mary Short was one of the cooks when we were there, and no we didn't get any extra helpings of that lovely ...see more
Not 100% sure if it was 1966 or 67, but I do remember that the castle roof was covered with a tarp for quite some time after lightening hit the castle during a storm.
I remember the Queen's visit to Rutland in this year. I remember all the children from the local schools forming the shape of a horseshoe in a field/park? and the Queen being driven around the horseshoe waving to us all.
My parents were married here in August 1953. My mother was raised in the area; my father was in the RAF and had been brought up in the RAF, so had travelled widely.
I recently visited Kirdford with my mother to try and trace family history. My mother is a Pullen and all her ancestors originated from Kirdford, we visited the graveyard and lo and behold found some Pullen graves. We also visited a few of the houses mentioned in census returns where Pullens had lived. It would have been nice to talk to some older members of the community who maybe had ...see more
Summer Sunday afternoons were often spent at Boulters Lock when I was a child.  We would have a walk along the river and end up at the lock to sit and watch the boats go in and out.   There would be the people who thought they were the bee's knees in their blazers and straw boaters but who usually managed to make a mess of getting in and out of the lock.  And the dogs that would jump off the ...see more
We used to visit Dorney Reach a lot when I was a child as it was one of our favourite Sunday afternoon walks. We used to park and then walk down to the river passing the church on the way. The path was always shady and cool even in the hottest summer weather.
I lived in Old Coulsdon as a small child and can remember walking up to The Parade to visit the sweet shop.  We lived down the bottom of the hill at the bottom of The Glade and it always seemed a long hard climb up to The Parade.  We used to cut across through the churchyard. If I was very lucky I was allowed to buy a Jamboree bag in the sweet shop.  A Jamboree bag was a mix of different sweets like ...see more
This view of Goerge Street was taken before the "bottleneck" was re-developed. The store in the right in the foreground was demolished and a new Tesco was built there in the early 1960s. The "bottleneck" was not wide enough for 2 vehicles to pass but was always thronged with shoppers on a Saturday when Pontypool was the major shopping centre in the area and had a first class rugby team. Ray Prosser, Malcolm Price ...see more
The bus is parked outside the Pontypool office of the "Red & White" bus company. Their head office was in Chepstow and they ran services across the whole of Monmouthshire as Gwent was then known. Buses for Newport, Usk, Chepstow, Abergavenny and Blackwood went from the Clarence. A glass canopy ran across the whole of the front of the building which included the Carlton cafe and the Free Press newspaper ...see more
GREW UP IN CHIDD IN THE 50-60'S. HAPPY MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD DAYS' STILL "HOME" TO ME.. THOUGH NO LONGER LIVING THERE
WORKED AT KING EDWARDS SCHOOL FOR TEN YEARS IN THE 1960'S GREAT YEARS
I would like to dedicate this photo to my Mum, Sue Dykes who has worked in the restaurant at RHS Wisley Gardens since the age of 15! Starting with part time seasonal work as a waitress to full-time baking and is due to retire next year. Sue is well known for her delicious cakes and even has her own recipe cards which you can pick up at the cafeteria in Wisley Gardens. My great grandad was also employed at RHS ...see more
I always remember playing in and around the frame holding the cigarette dispenser whilst my mum was in one of the shops opposite. I used to do this everytime until I outgrew it and nearly got stuck!
At the age of 11 I lived in Steventon with my family at 103 The Causeway for the school year 1968-69.  This was a tremendous experience I have treasured all of my life.  I attended school at St. Michaels and went to church there.  My father was on a sabbatical leave as a college professor which is how we ended up there for that year. I now in 2007 am hoping to return with my family.  My friend was Howered ...see more
I lived in Rhosneigr until 1970.  I remember going on the bus from the clock to Holyhead school. Mr Lovatt was headmaster and I remember Mrs Hughes!!  Before the school buses started we went on the train, they had 2 buses from Rhosneigr going from Morris town and from the clock.  Gosh it was a long walk from my house to the station, bet kids would not do it now and we got rained on before and after getting to school in the morning.
This photo shows the home and business of John Gill Shaw my great great grandfather.  He was born 23 November 1813.  He had 12 children some of which continued his ironmonger business into at least the 1920s.  His daughter, Martha, married Henry Craven, my great grandfather, of Buckley, Wales, on 26 April 1870.  They emigrated to Red Oak, Iowa, USA, in 1874.  Sadly, she died in 1880 4 ...see more
I WAS BROUGHT UP IN BROAD HINTON AND LIVED AT 14 THE CROFT ITS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE. I HAVE SO MANY HAPPY MEMORIES FROM WHEN I WAS YOUNG PLAYING ON THE TOP BANK.
This is a picture of St. Augustine's Church, Rumney. We were married there on August 5th 1957.   It is also the resting place of my husband's Mother, Father and Sister.  All are buried in the Churchyard. We moved to Canada in 1965.
The large corner "shop" on the left was the showroom of North West Gas where you could pay your gas bill. This is now Dawsons music and instrument shop. The corner shop on the right was Hawkins tailors, on two floors. This is now a MacDonalds restaurant.
I lived here on the Grange Estate from 1964 to 1968 and attended Meadowbank primary and Winsford high school before moving to Australia 40yrs ago.  The photos I see bring back lots of good times for me. I will write other memories after confirmation of this letter. I am sure readers of this website would be very pleased and amazed.  Thank you.                                                                 Alan Bond
On the 1st May 1965 I was married to Jacqueline Bennet at St.Marys church, we then had our wedding reception at the Blue Anchor Public House. We both grew up in the village and attended local schools in the area. My father David Green was the local Scout master during the 1950s. I remember this area of the village very well. I lived in Dawson Road and my wife at The Cedars.
I was 7yrs old when I visited this place with my mum and sister which was (1973) and I was told this was going to be my home for a while because mum was too ill to look after me...it was called Springfield boarding school and although I hated it at first because I got homesick I settled in and I loved it so much.  I remember crying loads, some good memories lay there, and I'm trying to find as much information ...see more
I had the best nights out of my life in the George Inn after working at Greenfield Estate where I met my late wife Beth Connel.  We married at Hubberholme Church in 1984 and moved to Horton.  The George was full of local characters the landlord Bill Jones lived there with his mum (Mar) and Dad Elise who told you off if you messed with the log fire and made it smoke, a candle always burned on the bar.  The ...see more
While we lived in Old Harlow we used to go shopping in Epping.  
I now live in Hornchurch, since 2003, and the High Street looks nothing like this (apart from the pub, the Bull, still the same but is now the Fatlin & Furkin)  picture in 1955.
Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland is the place where my Dad was born in 1901. Born 1901 Died 1980.
We used to live in both houses as my father was the caretaker to the buildings which would have been built to the rear of the photos.
My great great great grandmother, Rebecca Law lived at Audley End Almhouses in the 1880's and 1890's.  She lived to be 102 and her final years were spent living with her grandson and his family. The place she was living caught on fire and they took her out of the house in a wheelbarrow because she was bed bound. She toiled until she was 70, when she was admitted to the Lord Braybrooke alsmhouses on the Audley End ...see more
I remember the shop where you could buy anything from and pound of nails, a gallon of Parafin, to a Ladies or Gents Raleigh Bicycle. Behind the shop was the local blacksmith, Samson Turner, and wheelwright George Cox. I spent many happy hours here watching them shoe the cart horses and making cart wheels.
Byfleet Village Hall, used as a Civic Restaurant during WWII, a good meal could be purchased for a shilling in those days of rationing and food shortage. A shilling would be about five new pence in todays currency