Favourite 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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Tips & Ideas
Not sure what to write? It's easy - just think of a place that brings back a memory for you and write about:
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How the location features in your personal history?
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The memories this place inspires for you?
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Stories about the community, its history and people?
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People who were particularly kind or influenced your time in the community.
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Has it changed over the years?
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How does it feel, seeing these places again, as they used to look?
This week's Places
Here are some of the places people are talking about in our Share Your Memories community this week:
...and hundreds more!
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Displaying Memories 1501 - 1550 of 2029 in total
In 1958 when I was 3 year old, we moved from a small flat on the London Road, near the bank where my father was branch manager (TSB), to Belton Road off Church Hill. I watched our new house being built on a sloping plot of land. My parents lived in that same house until their recent peaceful deaths. The roads around Church Hill became my childhood play places, especially on long summer days - often in large plots of ...see more
Does anyone remember the old swimming baths at Redhill? I started swimming there in the 1970s when it was still a Victorian building. The steps in the pool were of stone and the changing rooms were around the poolsides with wooden doors. You could pay to have a slipper bath! There was a young lady who gave you a box to put your clothes in and you had to remember the number on it to get it back ...see more
Stafford W Brown was a boarder at Beccles College during WW1. The last three Sundays of every term each had a special feature.
First came One Button Sunday, when every boy undid the top button of his jacket for the day.
The second was Pinch Pudding Sunday. At lunch, after the main course, jam tart was served, and the custom was for boys to steal each others portion by stabbing with their ...see more
We used to love looking in the stream for cray fish, minnows and small creatures. We were fascinated by the clear water as we had no streams in London,where we lived. I remember telling my mum about the small creatures that looked like sticks and had bits of gravel and sticks on them, like a coat. She didn't believe me, but I later (many years later) found out they were larvae - I think of the Caddis ...see more
I would go swimming In this lower lake at Earlswood Common from about the age of 8 with a few friends. No adults were present or needed, we had all been taught how to take care of ourselves and help our friends. Even so, parts of the lake were about 8 feet deep in places so the rule was "stay in the shallows if you can't swim". We didn't take a towel just stripped off to our underpants and dived in and ...see more
Benenden was my home for the first 5 years of my life. We lived in Greenwood, a lovely white Kentish weather-boarded house on the Cranbrook Road, sadly knocked down and modernised a couple of years ago. I was born on February 14, 1940 in a glorious country house in Langley called Rumwood Court, which is still there. It was a maternity home in the War. Of course my mum called me ...see more
In the 50's my grandmother and uncle moved to Pardlestone Farm near the top of Pardlestone Lane. My uncle kept a small herd of pedigree Ayrshires. I remember picking lavender flowers from the garden and sewing them in muslin bags and tying them with blue ribbons with my grandmother for the fete in celebration of the Coronation. This was held in the grounds of Mrs Cooke-Hurle who lived at Kilve Court. Another ...see more
St John's Church has its own peculiar smell which I used to appreciate during "the long kneel" (communion). Once a month, (or every week) an army of children would be frogmarched from The Langsmead School to attend Sunday Worship. The Langsmead Room now is the only reminder of the now defunct Boarding School which the pupils funded by collecting a mile of threepenny bits.
My friends ...see more
We moved from Southampton to Trefriw on 5th November 1973. Mum & Dad bought the house 'Llys Llewelyn' opposite the village hall, Mrs Williams' Hair Salon (Harold Gas' wife) and the dreaded entrance to the coal yard. They stripped out the house and turned it into a B&B until we moved to Glan Conwy in Sept 1978. During renos of Llys Llewelyn they found a beautiful kitchen range that you could stand up in and ...see more
Hi All. Den from St. Helens. Summer in Anglesey, first car, first boat, first meetings with young ladies of Llangefni. It could have been 1969, I'm not sure now, a group of mates from St Helens set out on holiday in a Triumph Courier Van in grey, Reg No 837 EDM. On top was a polystyrene white boat and inside a top of the range tent, all belonging to Prescot Camping. The weather then was always ...see more
My frandfather, Ernest Thomas Sloane, was the Editor of the Shrewsberry Chronicle for many years. During this time he was approached by someone from the BBC who asked if he had a local story of interest. Grandad mentioned how a young gardener by the name of Percy Thrower whho had designed and made The Dingle the place of beauty it is today. As Ernest Sloane was unavailable on the day, my father, ...see more
My dad was posted from Strensall in Yorkshire to Nescliffe in the beginning of 1959. We took a steam train to Shrewsbury, then a bus to Nescliffe. At night the family of 3, plus cat in a basket, plodded across a field to the married quarters there. It was a hot summer and the Everly Brothers were playing "wake up little Suzy". We had a charabang to Lake Verny - 12 of us. We also went to the ...see more
My family moved from Woking to Tongham in 1942 into Springpond Cottage in Grange Road - a farm worker’s cottage belonging to Ben Ceasar. Dad was a lorry driver delivering the farm’s vegetables. There was only cold running water and I remember Mum boiling kettles to fill the tin bath where we had to take turns in the same water! The toilet was a bucket in the outhouse and my job was to cut up squares of ...see more
We lived at Bridge Stores for several years during which time I went to the Infants and Primary School before going across the border to Heron Wood School. I remember playing in the Rec and making dens in the wooded area at the top. Each autumn we would dice with death by throwing sticks at the conker trees that were on the other side of the road by the BT depot. Dashing across the road to pick up any ...see more
My granddad, Arthur Walker, was a miner at South Kirkby colliery until his retirement around 1960; and my dad, Richard Edwin Walker, known as Ted to his mates, was a blacksmith.
Dad started at the colliery when he left school aged 14, in 1936, as a blacksmith's striker, eventually becoming a blacksmith himself. I visited the colliery many times with my dad, and I remember the noises of the colliery: the ...see more
My grandad used to work at South Kirkby pit for many years, so growing up I was forever hearing stories of his days down the mine. Being a very inquisitive child I would spend hours exploring, even though my grandad used to tell me how dangerous it could be round the colliery. He used to also live on the Northfield estate, which was also known as Little Wigan. I am told this is because of the miners that moved ...see more
In the late 1950's and early 60's we as a family used to carry all our bags from Currock to Carlisle station to catch the train to Silloth. We didn't seem to mind the distance as we were on a rare day away, and together. My memories are rosetinted. The sun always shone and we went swimming in the sea whatever the weather; it was too good to miss. We spent all day on the beach at West Silloth and us kids made dens by ...see more
I lived in Crib-y-mor with my grandmother, Emily Roberts, and my mother Patricia Jones (both originally Williamson). I lived opposite Tom Roberts and at an early age developed my own system of visiting everyone. First I would go across to Tom's and follow him around watching him weld or milk the cows or help with plucking chickens. One day we came across a snake and he despatched it very quickly. Most days ...see more
I can remember playing with my friends on this viaduct as a 10 year old. We used to run along the two walkways running under the track and, if we were feeling really brave/crazy, we would race across the viaduct at track level, hoping that a train wasn't on its way!
I was just 3 yrs. old staying in my aunt and uncle's bungalow in Newdigate, (they were working in a local munitions factory). My mother and baby sister were there from Sth. London with me.
It was a lovely sunny day, I was in the garden playing when the Doodlebug engines cut out and it came down in the field next to the bungalow. The lady(Emily) in the next bungalow gathered me up from the ...see more
We went to stay at Plas-Y-Nant, Easter, Whit and Summer every year in the 50s. It was simply wonderful. Yes, I remember Auntie Lena and the whole range of little customs and practices we willingly engaged in. Not the least important of these was the evening 'down and up' - the group walk down the drive, along the road and up the bridle path. The bridle path was, of course, only wide enough for two to walk up ...see more
St, Ives born and bred, my family had lived in a couple of houses upalong before moving to 22 The Digey ( the middle door ) sometime in 1967. I remember having my 6th birthday there. At the time there was a credit squeeze on and my parents could only afford a tiny downalong cottage even though they had sold a large house in Alexandra Road. Back then the cheapest properties were around the harbour and my ...see more
My father studied at De Havilland Technical School before the war and was employed from 1938 to 1946 and 1953 to 1955 as an Inpector at De Hav's. We lived in Rodney Court, one of 'the flats' across the road from the De Havillands' main administration building shown in your 1951 pic. Thankfully, following the dismantling and destruction of this historic place, this building remains...as the Hatfield ...see more
As a young child I can remember several holidays taken at the Warners holiday camp at Seaton.
The serious business of 'motoring down to Devon' was never taken lightly, lunch was prepared the night before to be eaten at Stonehenge, where one was free to sit upon the stones then, the Consul Mk2 was serviced or at least washed and polished, suitcases on the roof were wrapped in plastic, which made a noise all the way down! ...see more
In 1962 I was in Cledwyn Evan's class at the primary school. In the Summer terms Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother used to visit King Edward's School in Witley, and Mr. Evans led his class to the roundabout to see her go by. He was enthusiastically ragged about it by the other teachers! We all stood just by the walnut tree on the left of the picture. We waited, but not for long. The Rolls-Royce came whispering ...see more
My grandma's unmarried brother and sisters lived in Knott End. Me and my many cousins - all post-war boom babies - would spend many days there in summer. The biggest buzz of all was when the 'Wyresdale' was operating. How I loved that boat! With its double deck and hissing steam pipes (doomed to meet with a tragic end ..) it was to all of us just like another comment said -'Better than any cruise liner'. A ...see more
I was born at home in Hartley St in 1944. In our childhood we had fields and a bit of countryside to play in. Everywhere one looked there were textile mill chimneys. At one pm each working day, the workers were called back to work from thier dinners (not lunches in Morley) by hooters that sounded like air raid warnings. There was always the smell of wool in the air and the clattering of the weaving looms. It was a different ...see more
In the photo forground is a Morris Minor which my mother bought for my sister and me to lern to drive in, we allways parked it under the old wooden street lamp as we lived in White Hart Cottage just a little lower down on the other side of the street, which had no parking. The was Bings garage opposite just out of this picture on the left. Lots of fond memories as I was born at White Hart Cottage, which is an old ...see more
Born In Nairn, now living In New Zealand. Memories include: the putting green, picking rasps and brambles in the Links bushes, hot orange at Morganti's after Bible Class on a Sunday night, the wishing well in the "big valley" at the links, the rope swing in the "small valley" at the links, swinging on the old bridges up the river, playing and catching starfish at the rocks on the beach, jumping of the groynes, ...see more
My earliest memories are of East Harlsey where my father was an undergardener at the Hall. The owners were the Constantine family, whose business was something to do with shipping in the North East. We lived in a tied cottage one of four near the Hall and Church. Before I was old enough to go to school we used to go to Osmotherly, I think on a Tuesday, to the clinic and to get the orange juice which came ...see more
I was born in East Harlsey in 1946 and was educated in the village school which of course is now a private house, or is it two. I remember there being two classrooms and, if my memory is correct, the teacher was a Mrs Lyle?? I seem to remember we called her "jam pot". At that time the shop was run by a Mrs Topham, not sure of the spelling. My grandmother was the caretaker of the village hall as she was for about ...see more
I was 4 years old when my parents moved to 17 New Road, Chatham. It was 1937 - my father had a Radio and Electrical Business (Wholesale) he had been a traveller previously and wanted to have a more settled existance - he was still delivering but locally around Kent, instead of all around the South of England! It was a grand house quite a museum with knockers on all the (7) bedroom doors - we had ...see more
We were one of the early families to have a caravan at Bovi. This was what the campers called it back then. Caravans were positioned randomly before terraces were excavated in the field over the fence from the green above Sandy Parlour (Bovisand's third beach).
There was a community of campers and Christmas parties each year were fabulous for us kids. A good present could be depended on.
We spent all ...see more
My 2nd daughter Deborah was born in Frimley Hospital June 24, 1964 on a night when 6 babies were born (when normally only 1 would be born). The nurses were run off their feet. One came and asked me where my husband was because she said that he could have helped! Unfortunately,or fortunately for her, he had gone home. June 24 was Midsummers Day and the tradition was that strawberries and cream were served for tea; ...see more
I remember the rickety bridge over the River Mole here, when I was very small my mother used to take me over it to eat sandwiches by the 'splash' and go for a paddle. The bridge was really scary with wobbly planks and I was afraid of falling through where the missing one was. When I was old enough to go on my own I learned to swim in the river, hanging on to the water weeds and ...see more
I also remember the 'Splash'. We were told that some time in the past a Queen had crossed here with her ladies-in-waiting and that one of them had fallen in? Well, it's a good story. As a very horrible little boy, we used to catch minows in the pool, and then drag them across from one side of the river to the other, on the way across they would be followed by crayfish that we would shoot with our air ...see more
A South Londoner, I was 12+ when WWII started in September 1939. I was evacuated with Wandsworth Central School to Farncombe, and remember sitting on the floor in a large hall waiting for someone to 'adopt' me. Eventually, I found myself with the Gorringe family who were the local Builders, Decorators, Undertakers etc, in Hare Lane. I have nothing but very happy memories of my time with them which lasted ...see more
I used to live in Maultway North - the turning directly to the right of the Jolly Farmer - in the mid 1980's, so I have hazy memories of the pub as a customer. But I remember feeling the place to be cut off from the rest of the world - it was always a challenge crossing the London Road as the pub is smack bang in the middle of a busy roundabout. A million miles away from this tranquil image.
The legend of the ...see more
I was born in Bagshot but moved to Camberley in 1955 when I was 8. I attended York Town Primary School which was, and on checking the maps still appears to be, located on the other side of the London Road, a bit further down from what was once the Odeon cinema. Later on, like Gaynor Henderson (Smith), I went to France Hill School and in 1966 also married a soldier from the RMA. I moved to ...see more
To the left of the little girls in the photograph of Churt Post Office there is a large house that was called Threeways in the 50's and 60's, perhaps it was always called this, I do not know. After WWII my parents, Norman and Leila Middlehurst, lived there in a flat with my brother Robert. They moved to Lower Bourne sometime just before I was born in early 1953. A small barn can be seen in the ...see more
As a boy in the 1930s and 1940s I often visited Auchmountain Glen. It was a fascinating place with a pleasant walk and many plants and flowers together with statues and even some ships' figureheads. There was a clubhouse which was used by the Auchmountain Boys. These were the local men who created and looked after the glen as part of their leisure activity, especially during the depression of the 1930s. They ...see more
My family have been in Eastwood Road Bramley for almost 100 years and some are still there. I grew up in Eastwood road; most of my family have lived there. My Great Great Grandmother,my Great Grand Mother and my Grandmother and my two great Aunts lived in the house on the corner of the picture (73) and that is my two Great Aunts Hilda and Nelly in the picture with (I think) their friend May. ...see more
Because my father, and later on my mother and brother, shot at Bisley, every summer holiday was spent on the ranges. We would catch a train to Woking, then another to Brookwood and then board the "Bisley Bullet" which would take us to The Ranges. The last time the Bullet ran, we all put pennies on the line and the little engine ran over them and flattened them. At first we hired a caravan and then we bought a big ...see more
I remember going with my mum to visit some old aunt who lived over the Heath, and chasing the geese until they turned and chased me back! I was so frightened of them after that. Sometimes we would stop at the shop by the Pond to buy some sweets, which were a real treat back then. Mother told me to keep clear of the pond as there was a well in it, and some old gentleman who had drunk too much, waded out into the pond ...see more
I was born on Room's Lane in one of three cottages near to the train station. My father worked for Roland Humphry. We moved to St Bernard's not long after I was born, the house was the previous horseman's home, My dad worked with his horse most of the time and I would sit at the end of the field and wait for dad to finish, when I was able to have a ride home on her. St Bernards had two rows of houses ...see more
My Grandparents William Garside and Evelyn Bowden were married on 29th February 1896 in Cardiff and Grandad lived in Roath prior to his marriage. I imagine they may have also stood in this spot when courting, looking quite similar.
It is indeed Hunshelf Bank, and the school was probably Stocksbridge County Primary, although there were a couple of church schools as well.
I spent my first 17 years on Unsliven Road, Stocksbridge. It wasn't until I was 11 and stepped off the 'Barnsley Bus' into the silence of Silkstone that I realised just how much 'Sammy Fox's' was part of my very existence. Home was in a beautiful wooded ...see more
I 'lived' in Clarence Park for years when I was a kid. It became my magic Kingdom! I knew every bush and tree and secret trail through the bushes. I would lurk in the bushes and spy on people walking past. I had a favourite tree - a huge beech next to the bowling green. I would climb high in it and sit quietly watching them bowl, hidden by dense leaves. I'd whistle and call to them and put them off ...see more
I have fond memories of Winchmore Hill where I was born in 1937. We lived in Hadley Way till about 1949, then moved to Slades Hill in Enfield. I went to St Pauls School (Mr Gayler) then Minchenden. I well remember The Intimate Theatre where a 'waitress' with white apron served tea from a trolley in the interval! Also The Capitol cinema and Palmers Green shops - especially Evans and Davies where your money went ...see more
I was evacuated to Compton, West Sussex, in September 1939. My brother Geff, was with me at the Manor house. Also there were the Gregory brothers; their mother had volunteed to help, and looked after us. The Manor was owned by the Langdale sisters. When we arrived at the village hall, we had to wait to be selected. The Vicar, acting for the Langdales, chose us - how lucky we were. Such a wonderful time in our ...see more