Happy Days Or Rose Tinted Glasses

A Memory of Esh Winning.

I was born in Esh Winning in 1949, dad Bob White and mum Alice Eddy. Mum's family had 2 of the chip shops and the garage, but dad's family were from Hamilton Row. I remember living in South Terrace before getting our first house with an inside toilet in Fir Terrace and then in Dene Park, which I left in 1968. My mum continued to live there through till her death in 1995. Our neighbours there were the Reid family...George and Edie and I also remember Bernadette Cutmore from 3 doors along. Passed my 11plus at Durham Road school and went to both Chester le Street and Durham Girls Grammar School. First job however was in the plastic factory near the cinema in Esh Winning. I'm sure things were tough for us. Remember the penny dips from Leonard's butchers? Also a bag of scraps kept you going for ages. Camping over the whinneys or walking over the monkey were happy memories. Dr Dickie or Dr Millyard conjure up things better forgotten. I seem to think the Royal Train was at Esh Winning station, something to do with Princess Alexandra's wedding...could be wrong. Olwyn Griffiths and Ann Stevenson were friends I remember.