A Trip Down Memory Lane

A Memory of New Brancepeth.

I remember living at 6 Prospect Terrace, it was a two up two down terraced house with an outside toilet & coalhouse. My mum had four children, as you can imagine the house was a bit of a squeeze. My earliest memories of living at New Brancepeth are going to Sunday School at the local Chapel with my two older sisters. My mum used to give us an old penny each to put in the collection, but children being children, we could not resist walking past Tommy Kitchen's paper shop on the way, calling in to buy a liquorice each, which only left a halfpenny for the collection. We seemed to walk for miles in those days, playing outside whenever we could, taking a bottle of water and jam sandwiches wrapped up in bread paper. I seem to remember being out most of the day in the summer, walking to Broadgate and having a picnic, eating gooseberries which were always sour.

Everyone seemed to be the same in those early days, parents struggling, times were hard but most of the time we were happy. My parents still live in the village so I still visit each week. Some things have changed and I must confess I hardly recognise anyone, apart from the odd few characters who still live there.

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