Thirsk, Sutton Bank c.1960

Photo ref: T306064

My great grandmother was Mary Ann Gowland b.1849 d.1927, married John Stephenson 1868. They lived in Gowlands yard, Kirkgate, thirsk, which was yard to left of cross keys. Mary Ann and John had 8 children.

My grandparents were married in St. Marys church in 1906 at that time my grand mother lived on Long St. with her family her maiden was Coates and her mothers maiden was Gowland and at some time in the past the Gowlands ran the Cross keys.

I grew up in Bagby, moving there around 1988 and it holds some of the fondest memories for me. I lived in the village for 15 years before moving out of the area but I always make a point of driving through whenever I visit family close by. The village seems to have grown enormously, new houses near to The Greyhound which I believe has been renamed now and my old house bears little resemblance to its former grand incarnation. ...see more

I spent my childhood in and around Thirsk, although living in the nearby village of Sowerby. Thirsk was where I went to secondary school. It is where we shopped and went to the cinema (there were two of them, The Regent and The Ritz). Teenage years saw me and my friends attending dances at the local town hall. Sometimes we had visiting well known bands such as Kenny Ball. It was a fun time to be living in.