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.
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People who were particularly kind or influenced your time in the community.
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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 24481 - 24560 of 36955 in total
I loved going fishing with my father there, real fun times.
I loved every day there with my mother and father, I went to the school at 5 years till 11 years old.
My father Douglas Graham Lewis was born at 10 Norton Terrace Glyncorrwg in 1918 until he moved to Surrey in 1938 with his parents John & Mabel and brother Eli. As far as I know they lived in the same house until they moved away. Would be nice if some one remembers the family.
I remember playing "houses" in the wood with the twins Jean and Betty. Also great friends with Anne French, Jean Gardener and also Eileen Wolfington who sadly passed away many years ago. We lived in View Terrace (the ducketts) and my brother Tom Lee still lives in the area at Chopwell. My grandad and grandma Matt and Jessie Lee lived in Victoria Terrace along with Aunty Audrey, ...see more
Does anyone remember The Tramp. It's quite likely that he wasn't a tramp at all but that's what we called him, although we never spoke to him nor did he ever speak to us. He became an almost daily fixture adding to the intrigue of our Wartime village. Riding his bicycle the length of Epping New Road back in the early 1940's. This 'tramp' was possibly a retired policeman, as he rode a bicycle with a double ...see more
I often wondered who Hubert was. Other road names around were obvious. Bank Street was on a bank; School street had a school at the end of it. But Hubert Terrace? One side of my street was brick and the other was stone; something else I wondered about because all of the streets down from us towards the river were brick. Just this one terrace in stone. I say my street but in fact we lived on the corner of Bank ...see more
I also went to Fedsden at Parndon Hall, but quite a bit later (around 1963), as a boarder. Great happy memories of this place. Remember Mrs Clare very well and though she seemed a bit severe I liked her a lot. Fabulous old house with painted ceilings, rambling old grounds and woods, and outside ramshackle buildings used for domestic science and woodwork. Happy, happy days :)
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 ...see more
My late father Bob Bird served with Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment Rhu during World War 11. MAEE was a secret wing of the RAF that that tested flying boats and seaplanes. It lost several crew but their sacrifice is not widely known. I hope to place a Poppy Cross on Rhu war memorial in their memory. Does anyone have stories of the MAEE for me as I am writing a book on the subject. I can be contacted on 0151 639 6851
I often sit now in the town centre and ponder on the days gone by .. not that I'm that old but Billingham has sadly aged quicker than a tired old dog. The Forum Theatre, and the big name stars that visited it then, are now faded memories, just like the Forum's splendour. I can remember the fish pond and fountains that were adjacent to Woolworths, the monkey cages and glass reptile houses ...see more
My grandmother, whose name was Beth Parris, lived at 29 Wish Hill, the row of cottages just before the Red Lion which is on the left as you look at the photo, with sister Eva and brother Ken The whole family were well known to all. By the way, II am researching the family history so anyone who has info on the Parris family or old photos, please drop me an e-mail to: daveparris977@btinternet.com
Thank you.
To Mary Muir, I remember you very well. Those were the days. I started school then in February aged 4 and a half years old. I remember all my teachers. I wonder if these names ring a bell, Miss Todd, Miss Taylor, Miss Cuthbert, Mrs Watson, Mrs McCauly, she used to wet her breeks, and Miss Venters. Mckennas chip shop was where we got a poke of chips for some newspapers. I was too small to see over the counter, ...see more
I was at Marton Boarding School (if memory serves me well) from 1966 to 1968. What a place, when I arrived I was petrified, the oddball kid from Africa. I remember Taylor telling me to go back to Africa and play with my spears and also Pert Peter, who liked to lift us up by our sideburns mimicking our Gordi accent saying "Why haven't you your homework" and then replying for us "I don't know sir ". I can't ...see more
THE KITE FLYERS
The Second World War had just ended before I started school. In that summer the craze in the council estate was for kite flying. Me and my pal Brian used to watch the big lads, Sam,Teddy, Bobby and Ian, flying kites on the Green, just above Murray Road. The kites were made of garden canes split in two, or orange box laths split and shaved down, tied in the middle to form a cross, and the ...see more
In 1940, we were evacuated to the village of Metfield, with my mother and brothers. A Mr and Mrs Godbold let us move into one of their cottages on the farm. On going to school, the local children would call us 'the Bomb Dodgers', but the shoe was soon on the other foot, as they built a USA airfield just outside the village, and we all soon saw action in the village. The Americans looked after us ...see more
As a child in the fifties I remember staying at 'Elasrofton' on West Front Road and getting very tired pedalling the pedaloes shown around the lagoon. For a small boy they definitely had 'windage' and the Lagoon often had lots of wind. I like the fact that the name of the bungalow I stayed in has not changed and I wonder how many people have understood the name (read it backwards). We now stay at the family bungalow on East Front Road.
I lived at Denham Court from 1958-62. Although we were not supposed to go via the village, I used to go this way and look at the trout in the stream by the bridge. It brings wonderful memories back!
I was at Denham Court from 1958 - 1962. I remember Mr.& Mrs. Hill clearly and they had a son called Stephen and an older daughter whose name escapes me. I remember wheeling barrowloads of coke from near the rose gardens to the boiler house, for punishment. I also recall the work we had to do in the mornings before school and sometimes in the evening. Despite some memories of the bad times, it taught me to look after myself and not have to rely on others!
I was evacuated to Borth in 1944 from London. I woke up in the morning in an air raid shelter in Shepherds Bush and went to bed in Benfleet, Borth having been taken in along with my brother by Mrs Bennet who owned the Grand Hotel. I lived in Borth with Mrs Bennet until I was 13 and came to love the village and its surroundings. Sadly for me, when I last visited three years ago it was clear that Borth is no longer the place ...see more
My grandmother, Lillian Kemp, lived at 9 Howard Close. We visited regularly and had the best days running all over the village. Fishing sticklebacks out of the pond, looking for rats at the rubbish dump (!), trying to catch the wild kittens, riding various ponies bare back, raiding orchards for apples, watching the shire horses pulling the brewery dray on Derby Day as they set off from the ...see more
This is where the sea water baths were situated
We were always told as children that she was pointing to the public toilets just below. We know now that she was pointing out to sea!
Does anyone remember when this was a huge hole in the ground? It used to be called Shorefields I think.
I learned to swim here in the 1950s. The water was freezing, every day there was a notice showing the supposed water temperature, taken with a warmed thermometer I think!
We used to queue up at the beginning of the swimming season to aquire a season ticket. My brothers always managed to have enough swims to get their money back by July.
There was a Water Ballet show in the summer, every time I hear the music 'Sleepy Lagoon' I think of the Westcliff Baths.
I remember Cwmbach carnival with all the men dressed as Zulus and what seemed to be dozens of jazz bands and floats, which used to walk all around Cwmbach. It seemed like the whole of Cwmbach would be there.Ggreat community spirit, where has it gone?
This photograph brings back many memories of the Coleford of my childhood. The area round the Town Clock has changed a few times over the years mainly to accomodate the increase in traffic.
The building on the far side of the clock in the High Street was a huge ironmongers called Terrett Taylor & Co. It was owned in the 1950s by Mr H. J. Walker and my father Fred Fowler was the Manager, having ...see more
WOW, I never thought that I would see this post card again. Yes, that's me doing my weekend job as a waitress at the funky new Wimpy bar on Boxhill. My name was Vanessa Howard and I lived at Ismanola, Boxhill Road.
Reputed to be one of the first in the UK, locals, mods and rockers, and day trippers flocked to buy their Wimpy and Chips and Coffee, Knickerbocker Glory, Pepsi Cola in a glass bottle and all else ...see more
I have two separate enquiries for my family history research in Upper and Lower Belvedere. In Upper Belvedere there was a sweet and paper shop which also sold toys called Derrett & Dorman's. I believe that I have a connection with either the owner or an employee who worked there in the late forties and early fifties. I think that their surname was either Adams or Back. In Lower Belvedere my ...see more
Since summer 1972 I visited Bigbury a couple of times, sometimes together with friends, sometimes with my son Thomas. The last time we have been there in 1998 for a short visit just to keep up memories.
We always used to stay in the Korniloff-Hotel, which was owned by Ken and Sheila and we felt like being home because of the great hospitality. It was there the first time that I could taste English ...see more
Does anyone remember the Raynor family who live at the old mill in Toddington? They were living there in 1945, and later in Culls Meadow. Henry, known as Harry and Rebecca Raynor had 6 children, Alec, Norman, Doris, Ralph, Louisa and Brenda who died as a baby in 1931. Audrey Littlewood.
I have never seen Hempsted Street but my Grandparents lived at 70 in 1891. Wish I could help with your picture request but sadly there are none in my fathers belongings. Betty Canada
I attended Binbrook Church of England Primary School from 1952 to 1959. In this time I was in Mrs Lamming's class first, moving to Mrs Wilky, Mrs Foster's (nee Miss Walton), Mrs Sharpe's, Mr Holgarth and not forgetting the really scary head master Mr Alfred Gordon. Most memorable things were the May Queen coronation and playing foot ball among the cow pats on the school field.
My father was Mr Oscar Cook and I can remember over dosing on the home made ice cream that was made by my granny Cook in the early to mid 50's.
I am wondering if anyone has any old picutures of the above schools, I went to both of them. Sadly the old infants class rooms have gone now and approx. 10 years ago the original junior school was burnt down. Can anyone remember any of the teachers? The teachers I can remember as follows: Infant School ... Miss Lavender, Mrs Langford, (Mrs Crow but I wasn't in Mrs Ccrow's ...see more
John Lee lived in Frodingham in the 17th century (poss16th century), he was a cabinet maker.
I have not been to Whitestone, but my great-great-grandmother...Susannah Bond was born there in 1799. She moved to Newton St. Cyres and married Thomas Crump there. Are there any Bond's still in Whitestone who might be distant relatives ?
I can remember running along this road from Tidworth Down Boys School to the Ram pub and back to the school with the PE teacher a Mr Williams shouting at us from his car. This would have been in the late 1960s.
I lived in Sidbury Circular Road but when we moved in it was Nuns Walk and we lived in the last house, then they built the estate and renamed the road.
My first school was the Garrison school opposite the Garrison theatre
We found a telephone when I was ten. The family moved to steep Ashfield Avenue in 1935 and there, in the hall by the front door and sitting on top of a little triangular table that fitted snugly into the corner, was a telephone. The only telephones we had ever used were either the bright red public ones on the street or in one or two friends' homes. We called the house 'West View'; the Google Street picture today ...see more
I wasn't a resident in Minster Way, but as a small boy I used to visit my St Ethelberts School friend Adrian Kenny there every weekend. About 1960 it would have been. This road and its housing was really a relic of the Second World War - emergency housing made from prefabricated materials (the buildings were known as 'prefabs') As usual, they lasted for much longer than was envisaged and would have eventually been cleared some years later. Lovely and warm they were!
Year after year my family had our summer holidays in Jaywick Sands, we used to stay in the same small chalet in Meadow Way, Jaywick Sands. How we all used to fit in there I'll never know. It had tiny windows, an outside toilet, a small front garden with double gates at the front leading out to the long road, Meadow Way. Across the road about 300 yards away was the sea and the beach, and just about 100 ...see more
Hi, I'm trying to find some information about my granda's mam. My granda is John Southern and he was born 14th November - I think it was in 1926. He had 2 older brothers. His mother Jane Southern died when he was about 10 years old from cancer - his father then remarried. He lived in Windy Nook all of his young life.
Please get in touch if you or anybody you know could help me.
I was in this place, it was not the best of places to live but i am here to tell you of my time in the home. We were a family of 5, there were 3 sisters, me and my brother. I would like to know if Tony Savage is still alive, he was a good friend to me as well as Roger Low and Charles Rawling. I would like to hear from others who were in the home at the same time. I was in there until it closed down then I was sent ...see more
My grandfather Eddie Williams lived in no.2 right opposite the hut where he played darts. He was the pianist for the Dorian singers.
Oh yes, wonderful evenings spent waiting for the invitation to dance. I have photos of the exciting evening when the TV cameras came and televised us jiving. I even remember the site when it was a skating rink.
In winter time the fog and smog could last several days, and never clear. Coming from a seaside town, I found the first winter very depressing, but after 3 years I did not want to leave. The mills were very impressive, as were the number of churches around the town; and I recall the latter being well attended on Sundays. What about the tripe shop at the front of the Red Lion, facing the Market Place? ...see more
I went to Dovercourt Convent in 1953, I can remember it very clearly my first day there. My dad took me and I was very sad when he left. There was a very big tree in the garden and a wall we used to run up to have a look over the wall to see what was on the other side. When we went back to England in 1979 we managed to find the convent and the wall was not very high at all. I wish I could remember the name ...see more
The Barley Mow, we went up there for my sister's hen night, and ended up at the caravan park down Green Lane. I have just visited it, well last year actually, and didn't realize it was such a lovely park, I just remember it being very dark and cold. It is very well run caravan site, with fishing, and from all accounts was a school, they still have a huge lake, with a walkway in the middle ...see more
My mother was born at 5 Quality Street in 1944, her name is Sheila Morris. Does anyone have any memories of this area or photos? Thanks.
My family, the Lees, lived at New Moors although the houses are long gone. If anyone has any photos of the area we would love to see them. My father's uncle Billy Lee is still alive and now in his 90s and would love have some info. Thanks.
Lynne Adamson, was Bowles.
I was born at St Hilliers, Carlshalton and lived in Pelham Road for the first 5 years. I started school at 4 in Pelham Road School. Then we moved to Mayfield Road and I went to Dundonald School. We moved away in 1961 in the London overspill scheme. I still am homesick after 50 years and go back whenever I can. We get the train and go to the theatre. I love just walking around, looking at the houses our family ...see more
We were taken from Leicester on a Sunday School Outing to the Zoo Park. I have very little recollection of the place as I was quite little at the time! I do remember that we were given 'high tea' for which we were offered a choice of fish and chips or ham salad. I also remember being bought an embroidered badge which had on it a picture of a tiger with Wellingborough Zoo Park emblazoned across the ...see more
I lived in Sanderstead up until 1968 then worked for the forces with the NAAFI. I came home in 1972 then came to Canada. I came upon this site accident. I used to live behind the Sanderstead fire station. My father Jo Germaney retird as sub officer after 25 years, then went back in the merchant navy
I moved to Nelson in 1962 aged 3 with my mother, father and brother from Rhydfelin, near Pontypridd. We lived in Tawelfan until 1970 when we moved to the dreaded England because my dad got a job in London. I remember nostalgically what the earlier contibutor Denise wrote about, including her mention of the three teachers at Llanfabon School, Mrs Carlick, Miss Edwards and Miss Evans, three of the ...see more
I was born in Brook Street, Brown Lees, within the civil parish of Biddulph. The village is situated about half a mile north of the site of the former Biddulph Valley Ironworks and the Brown Lees and Victoria Collieries, where many of the residents would have worked in the past. The Ironworks ceased in the 1920s and coal mining finished in 1982. I went to school in 1938 at Knypersley, walking through the ...see more
I was 11 years old in 1965 and had moved to Wetherby in 1963. I walked around Bernards store several times. The shop across the side street from Bernards Store was a small Newsagent. The lampost in front of it was the pick up point for Tadcaster Grammar School pupils school bus. When this photograph was taken I was a pupil at Wetherby High School, but from 1970 I went to Tadcaster Grammar School and was ...see more
This, I believe, is me as an 8-year-old shopping. This road is now so busy you can hardly get across it. The pub in the background has gone and so has the shop I am walking towards. At the time of this photo there were 5 shops, a butchers, a baker's, two pubs and a garage. Now there are two shops and a pub.
I spent many happy hours here, and our house was just up the road from here so I didn't have far to go and have great fun.
I am researching my husband's family tree and have found out that his great-great-grandfather John Kyte was the innkeeper of The Black Horse Pub in 1901 (listed on the Census for that year). He was a widower at that time, his wife was Isabella (nee Neate). His son, Eglon Sylvanus Kyte, was my husband's great-grandfather. My husband's gran, Edith Naome Kyte, Eglon's a Edith's daughter, died in July 2010 in Long ...see more
I am researching my family history and found that my great-grandfather John Futtit was a pupil and boarder at the Besthorpe boys' school, the family had moved from Askern to Cottam in Nottinghamshire to farm, but even though John was born in Askern his life was spent in Cottam, but his father sent him to private school in Askern.
At this time Askern was a spa village I gather and was quite famous for people taking the water, but the coming of the coal Mmne changed the dynamics of the village.
I remember visiting my Aunty Pat and all my cousins, they lived at the top of Wellhall Road just down from the old pictures opposite them. She had lots of girls, some blond, and one son, David or Michael I think, their dad was a Scotsman. My mum was Sheila Gillespie, she was born in that house and all her sisters, Maureen, Bertha, and Eileen. She went to Gordon School. Their dad was called John ...see more
I was a bakery student at Wrexham Tech. in the early 1960s and worked two holiday jobs in Rhyl. The first was at a bakery run by a Polish baker and he had a real Vienna oven, baked lovely crispy bread! The second was at Harry Brereton's bakery which had a shop out front that was also a grocers run by his brother. The foreman we always called 'Tubby' (he was thin)! . We worked very early mornings and long hours but I ...see more
I attended the Bakery Department Denbighshire Tech. from 1960 to 1962. Mr Nash and Mr Hawkins were the tutors. I went to the Tech rather than getting a job in a bakery because my Youth Employment officer said I was too small for bakery work and needed to gain weight and strength!
I won the Burton cup and the Renshaw cup during my time there. I can remember all my classmates but not all their names! Tom Dooley ...see more
I remember when I was a young lad, playing down Johnnas Bank, we used to play Duffers "Dares", like jumping the widest part of the burn, seeing how many friends would fit on a swing and swing across the burn, sometimes the rope snapped. And we would dare each other to sit on the Devils Chair in the Low Dean, we used to climb and sit on the flat part, and someone would say "The Devil will get you", which was very ...see more
Can anyone emember my grandad, Harold Brook of Coalburn, he was a hairdresser?
I remember my parents swinging me between them along a fir tree'd lane to the sea, singing 'Sailor Boy-oh'.
We were camping at a site run by a man called 'Roly' (Rowlandson perhaps). Imagine my parents' delight at camping under the stars after the Blitz and London. Their happy memories stayed with them always.
And I remember my first experience of the smell of the pine trees - I was three!
My uncle used to live in Cranborne Avenue, Tolworth. We would visit and all troop across the fields - many with remains of war time crashed bombers etc. - to the delightful Bonesgate Pub. Happy days!
I worked at the butchers, Rotherhams, delivering meat on a bike. My wife workd at Laidlers the chemist. Does anyone have any photos, or any info on when Waugh Bakery started and where?
I was raised in Broadway during the 1920s and 1930s. I had an idyllic childhood with freedom to explore the surrounding countryside including free access to the tower. I went to the village school and was in the church choir. Part of my job as choirboy was to walk alongside the wooden bier carrying coffins at funerals, particularly those of children who had died. It made me feel terribly unhappy. Sadly, ...see more
I lived in Wigpool after the Second World War with my new wife and baby son. There were no proper roads to the village, just mud tracks which became impassable in the winter for vehicles. This meant we had to buy our coal in the summer and store it - if we ran out we had to burn wood. We had no bathroom and no flushing toilet. There was no running water either. We had a well a good couple of ...see more
My friend lived at the Queens Head pub shown in the Bell Street photo, when we were cold and hungry we used to go to the Bank Chip shop (just out of shot at the top right of the picture, on the curve of the road opposite the pub), we never bought anything, we had a portion of scratchings (batter bits) in newspaper with lots of salt and vinegar for free!
Early memory of my Father-in-law Maurice Garvey was of Monica Sullivan. He missed getting in contact with her when she was back in the UK 6 or so years ago. He is currently in Australia and would love to contact her. If you can help contact me on copycatsmossman@bigpond.com
This is what I know about my late aunt, Miss Margaret J.A. Urquhart,( 1898 -1977).
Miss Urquhart spent 39 years nursing. When she retired, Miss Urquhart was Superintendent in the Domiciliary Service of the National Public Health for the County of Angus. Apparently the domiciliary service came into being with the nationalisation of the health services in 1948. Miss Urquhart supervised a staff of ...see more
The one and only time Ive been to Swanage was in 1959, when my friend Judith and I were sent on a Social Christian Movement Holiday! Neither of us were very religeous, but had mums who thought we should be. I cant remember much about it, except that we stayed in a Church Hall, that had a stone floor. We were given palliases (we didnt know what they were either) to fill with straw, when we first arrived and showed ...see more
Wasn't this an indoor swimming pool?
I lived in Ryder Street, my maiden name was Healey. I have two brothers, Ry and Alf . My mam used to go to the wash house. My brothers used to go to the old St James and I used to go there before I went to the new one, I can't remember how old I was but I remember we moved to a new house in Miles Platting, for how long I don't know, then we moved to 51 Kingsley Crescent, Collyhurst Flats. Most of our family ...see more
The Seven Stars pub & Mr Kiplings across the road, just before the dip into Apperley Bridge.
I was probably in my last year in 1972 sitting in a class room at Ysgol Hirraddug when the rocks rained down. The explosion, at the time, did not seem that dissimilar to a normal explosion but within seconds everything changed. Like Andrew said, there was a slow motional downfall of rocks, some of which bounced between the H-shaped school buildings and from memory smashed through some of our classroom ...see more
One of My Employments of Yesteryear:
Did you know that this public house has a corner where George Elliot used to write some of her famous books?
Situated right opposite the War Memorial and next door to where Harry Swallow, who I believe was the head master of Witley School.
I used to work there as a waitress in the 1950s and loved being part of Arthur Newland's team...a great boss to work for.
I remember sitting on top of this tank as a kid.
