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.
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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 36961 - 37003 of 37003 in total
I attended the local Pelham County Secondary Boys School which was close by. A number of my friends who attended came from outlying districts such as Carshalton, Chessington, Tolworth and Walton on Thames, travelling by Southern Railway services to the main line station further up the Broadway. The photograph must have been taken around 4pm as some of the pedestrians are in school uniform walking towards the ...see more
My parents ran the Central Stores from 1951 to 1955, their names were Tony and Eunice Jeanes. The date of c1955 is about right as this was the year that my father and mother sold the business to Mr Dean, whose sign appears in the photograph. I was two years old when my parents took over the business and my earliest childhood memories are of life in this Dorset village. It was from these premises that at the ...see more
My father was a greengrocer and his shop appears in this photograph on the left side going into the Rex Cinema arcade, a butchers shop was on the right side. During the war years and into the very early 1950s, he was the largest greengrocer in Bridgwater, having the Eastover shop and one in Taunton Road, my parents looking after one each. They also had a third shop which my sister ran for several years. That ...see more
I lived with my family in St Athan village from the time of my first birthday in 1946 to my marriage in 1970. My wife and I were married at the church shown in the photograph. The church is dedicated to an Irish saint by the name of Tathan. The village was once known as Llandathan, then Saint Tathen and finally St Athan(s). At this church I was a choirboy, Sunday School teacher and bellringer too. There are six ...see more
My grandfather bought Smiths Car Showroom after the war when it was the Green Dolphin Cafe. I can remember going to the cafe in the 1950s when I was small. I think it is now a windows showroom.
My grandfather, William Simpson Bruchshaw, is the man coming out of the greenhouse with the plant in his hand. He was head gardener to Mr Munro Walker until Mr Walker died. My grandfather's youngest brother, Henry, was farm manager on the estate. While at Pell Wall, my grandfather experimented in growing tomatoes on potatoes in about 1908 I think. We still have the photos in the family. After he left Pell Wall my grandfather lived in Little Drayton. He died aged 91 in 1952.
I understand my great grandfather worked in this forge. He was born Charles Holness around 1830 and married Ann Marsh in the 1850s. My father's mother Agnes Annie Holness was one of their children. She had an older sister Alice, brothers Fred and Bert and William Henry who died of smallpox in May 1902. He worked on boats at Fordwich. My father's father was Charles Albert Tucker who was a blacksmith in ...see more
As a boy of 11 or 12, I left school everyday at 3.30pm. I then drove the cows to Mr Goodings Mill about 30 or 40 yards away from Mr Shepherd's shop. After being milked I drove them back again. In wintertime I'd grind up mangolds. I was paid 1/6 for this. Then I worked at Mr Shepherd's shop running errands and did odd jobs etc. I remember very well he had fowl houses under the Bridge road but the Council made ...see more
This is the Paardeburg Memorial (the Green Howards). Due to the amalgamation of the East and West Yorkshire Regt. our name is now what the regiment has always called itself. The Green Howards Regt Association carry out the service of remembrance on the Saturday before the national day in the area of the Paardeburg Memorial and lay their wreath there.
As a former resident of Bath I recall that this building was not particularly liked. In 1959 the hotel was demolished and a block of 33 flats at 1st, 2nd and 3rd floor level with shops at the ground floor was built. The quality of building work and the amenities of the building was exceptional and included electric underfloor heating beneath parquet floors in the main living room and an air extractor system to ...see more
The property on the left of the photograph marked 'Printing Office' is where I grew up and lived until my student days. My parents operated a bakers and confectionery business from the premises. In 1890, when a printing works, it was owned by the Brookes family as can be seen from the sign over the door. Their ownership continued until about 1918, at which time two sisters opened a cafe (Fells Cafe) and ...see more
The building on the left is a carriage shed, used for holding spare passenger vehicles under cover. It is from the North Devon Railway in the 1850s and still appears to have broad gauge track (7ft gauge - not removed until 1877) laid into it. Access was by means of a small turntable just off the picture to the left. The Ilfracombe Railway is being built - the low embankment can just be seen with what appears to be ...see more
Date of this photograph is c1874/75 as the railway viaduct is complete.
The gentleman laying on the ground in the front is my great grandfather John 'Teapot' West. He was a fisherman and lifeboatman but also well known for being a 'Fisherman Evangelist'. Together with William Craske and William Long he was a Methodist Preacher for over 50 years. They travelled throughout the county preaching and after visitors heard them they appeared at rallies in such places as London, ...see more
The house on the far right of the terrace was no 9 which together with no 8 formed the premises of Brighton Teacher Training College, which I attended in 1956-58. The road on the left hand side of the picture (just visible) is Paston Place. This eastern area of Brighton is known as Kemp Town.
My father and grandfather both served with Henry Blogg on the 'Louisa Hartwell' and my dad was one of the pallbearers when Henry Blogg died.
The children in the boat are Leslie (boy), Harry (his brother), Noel (his sister) Wren. His other sister Millie Wren is sitting on the riverbank. The other child is a neighbour. For many years Millie Wren was a teacher at Lightburn School, Ulverston.
I noticed with some surprise a photo of myself aged about 12 years. I am the girl on the left with the ponytail the year being about 1960. I don't recall the boys name but it looks as if we are standing by the machine that used to print letters of the alphabet. I think it cost one old penny for 20/25 letters. There was a metal dial with a brass pointer like the hour hand on a clock and when it was pointing to ...see more
I built the boat shown on the right hand side of the photograph.
Bailey Bridge pontoon MKVI N0.19053 was manufactured by Gee Walker & Slater Ltd, Uttoxeter Road, Derby and sent to Engineers Stores, US Army Depot, Newbury, Berkshire on 29/9/1944. At post-war WD surplus sales, a considerable number of these Bailey Bridge pontoons were bought by Levesley's International and stored at ...see more
My father Oliver Hiinwood was postmaster here from 1903 to 1961. He used to take photographs of the village and send them to Frith's to be developed and then sold the postcards in the shop. The photograph shows the garage where we kept our car and to the side of that was a bakehouse where bread was baked daily. The person walking towards the shop is the Revd Frank Walter Hyne-Davy who was vicar of Nether Wallop.
The photograph was probably taken from the top of the Odeon cinema which was demolished in about 1983. On the skyline can be seen the Lyceum Theatre, the Corn Exchange (now demolished), the Market Hall clock tower, the Town Hall and the Mechanics Institute with Library and Ballroom below (now demolished). Traffic is still running in both directions along Market Street, which became 'one way' in 1963 in the week I took my ...see more
The lady on the left by the railings of King's College is my older sister then aged 22. We lived in Cambridge until 1922 and I was a pupil at Cambridge High School during the First World War. I am now 93.
My great grandfather worked as a lock keeper at Tyrley at the time of my grandmother's birth in 1883. My great grandfather named William Nixon married an Elizabeth Timmis whose father and brothers also worked as lock keepers at Tyrley and lived there. My grandmother Eva Nixon married Henry Thacker and he too lived near Tyrley and worked as a 'lengthsman' on the canal.
This was my grandfathers favourite inn at the time the photograph was taken. He was coachman at the Manor House at Long Wittenham a short walk along the 'Maddy' (a road from the inn to Long Wittenham following the river and very prone to flooding). Its a family story that he would often spend too long here and Granny would have to prepare the horse and coach and dress up in his clothes to fetch the master ...see more
In my early teens I spent the war years living in this hotel, when my grandfather was the licensee. I believe he held the licence from 1874 to 1943 - a time record I suspect but I cannot confirm this. He was well known in his time for being an alderman for, I gather, some 40 years. He died still Chairman of the Council's Finance Committee. But he was never mayor as he believed that a licensed victualler ...see more
My father Mr Jim Rush is at the far right of this photo in a light shirt, looking rather windswept. At this time he was the proprietor of the Pavilion Hotel and also for a short time the owner of the Alexander Hall which he ran as a dance hall.
The cottage used to be called Whitlands Cottages. In 1881 my great grandparents Mr & Mrs French lived at no 3, next door to Mrs Gapper.
I was born in Axmouth and most Sundays we would have to walk out to Landslip Cottage. We all knew it as Anne's Cottage because the lady who lived there was called Annie Gapper. She would give my late Mum and Dad a cup of tea. I was one of nine in the family.
The gentleman fishing in the foreground is the late Mr Eric Sewell. He was a very keen fisherman and lived with his sister in a mansion flat in Twickenham Road overlooking Tough's boatyard. He was a very nice quiet man who always, when he was out of doors, wore a trilby hat and a light fawn coat whatever he was doing. I knew him for a long time and in the later years of his life he lost most of his ...see more
By this time Seeboard have taken over the Uptons building but Caffyns still have their garage premises which finally became a furniture salesroom in about 1982. the one way system has still not been created (see H252069), the restaurant is still 'Haywards' and the bank is the National Provincial.
This neat little Standard 8 Tourer (DNJ 785 - an East Sussex registration from 1947) could then get down nearly to the pavilion.
This is taken from outside the Star and shows (as does H252583) the system that prevailed before the Star became not just a pub but a roundabout eg things could turn right down the Broadway and Muster Green North was still a through road. The 36 bus is going to East Grinstead (although the 30 only went to Chelwood Common to connect with another bus).
This is the Broadway as I knew it. Both the Middlesex registered Driving School Morris 1000 and the East Sussex registered Morris 1000 truck MPN556 date this to after 1958. On the right beyond Eastman's the cleaners were WF Measor (haberdashers), JD Neal (who took over the business of F Butcher, jewellers), James Langridge (the Sussex Cricketer) who ran a toy shop, and beyond that was Ballards the grocers. ...see more
It could be an AEC double decker that is running into the bus station in this picture. I think it could be a little later than 1950 because of the 'embryo' roundabout, but not much because of the single decker leyland on the station forecourt. 'The Burrell Arms' (centre left), revamped in the 1930s, was once run by the father of cricketer Maurice Tate.
I cannot recall this single-decker Leyland bus on the 29 Route from Lewes. It is worth noting that up to the 1950s most of the local bus routes were serviced by single and double decker laylands (with even a few pre-war 'Gilfords') but the Haywards Heath circular route (no 84) was always serviced by 'utility' GUY double deckers.
'The Hayward' sign was outside 'Haywards Cafe & Restaurant' which flourished until the 1960s when it successively became 'Delmontes', 'Pieros', 'La Ferola' and now 'The Blue India'. Going down the right hand side of the Broadway facing north, one had immediately The National Provincial Bank (with flats over; Mr Bill Lowings was the last manager to live 'over the shop' in the 1950s), then Evans (electrical) and ...see more
The men on the wall are (looking from left to right): Charles Matthews, William Matthews and Sydney Matthews (Charles's son who died quite young). The little girl in the background was a Miss Jones who lived at No 1 West End.
Before George Hilton and Sons took over the buildings on the right as a furniture store (now Robert Dyas) it was Dinnages Toy Shop (a subsidiary of the garage company) where I bought my "Dinky" toys in the 1940's. The shop on this side was J Norton - bespoke outfitters.
It is possible that amongst the spectators of cricket on the lower tier maybe boys from "Sharrow School" in Heath Road, which I attended from 1945-50 because we played cricket there (see also H252587). If so, it is also possible that the lady standing in the foreground could be Miss Irwin (later Mrs Singer) a mistress at the school.
As can be seen (also in 252002 & 252006), the 1930's "Psuedo Tudor" block on the corner then contained "Dewhursts" the multiple butchers, 2 (later 3) frontages for "Edward Hodges" an independent tailor and outfitter, then "Sussex Stationers" (manager Bruce Gillett?), The "Copper Kettle Cafe" (owned and run by Mr and Mrs Hyslop) and "Scilla" (hairdresser). The offices of "Vincent Penfold" estate agent, ...see more
I suspect this is a little earlier than 1960 (but after 1956) the first building on the right was the offices of "Waugh Brummell and Barron" later Waugh & Co Solicitors and still going strong. The original Waughs were prominent in the C19 not only as solicitors but clerks to the Local Board, Magistrates and the newly formed Council. Further down on the right, up to the 1960's were "Jacksons Ironmongers", "Hoadley and ...see more
I was a fairly regular customer at "The Serg" from about 1955 to 1967. Mr Turner was the first landlord I knew and he was succeeded by Stan and Betty Allen who came from "The Charter" at Epsom.
The "Park" - known to us as "The Rec". I walked across this daily to and from my prep school 1945-50 and our scout troup did it's woodcraft here!
