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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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:
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Displaying Memories 1701 - 1750 of 2029 in total
The Ferryman in this photo of Blackwater Ferry is my two times great grandfather; Edward Gregory. Former Hampshire County Police Constable, Edward took over the running of the Ferry and the Tea Rooms (it used to sell beer too) on his retirement from the Police force, along with his wife Jane. The Ferry was an important quick route into Bournemouth, via Holdenhurst.
During the years of 1959-1960 I worked as secretary in the Education Centre at RAF Mildenhall. One of my favourite memories of that time was having lunch at Tillys Pantry every Friday. Another secretary at the air base had just passed her driving licence exam - quite a feat for a young girl at that time as it was a thorough examination and not too many passed on the first attempt, and ...see more
I remember this paddling pool so well, when I was about 8 years old I would be there with my nana {in fact in looks like me in the pic}. She would sit on the bench in the pic and eat her rich tea biscuits. I begged her to let me swim every time we were there, I would mostly paddle though. One day the pool was empty and I was playing around the drain and I got my big toe stuck in it, I was really ...see more
I was a policeman in Newmarket from 1962 -1970 and well remember having to stand in the glass tower in the middle of the roundabout controlling the traffic using the part-time traffic lights on each of the 5 entrances to the roundabout. This caper was mainly carried out on Summer weekends when the traffic coming back from the coast would be particularly heavy coming down the ...see more
I lived in Ashford Road for the first 20 years of my life and my mother still lives in the same house; she has lived there since 1933. I was born in 1950 in the new cottage hospital at the top of the road. I went to school at Fordingbridge Primary and Burgate Secondary. I remember the snow of Boxing day 1962; we were playing in the field next to the river at Ashford Road when it began in the late ...see more
A few days after starting school, I paid my first remembered visit to Fordingbridge Fair. A funfair visited Fordingbridge every year during the first week in September. It was situated in Church Square and in the land opposite and a few stalls were placed in the open space at the junction with Back Street, now called West Street. Cars park there now! The fair was already a shadow of its pre-war self in ...see more
The picture house was nicknamed the Swimming Pool, because of all the breaststrokers. Ritchies ferry was great and could be depended upon unlike the farce of a ferry which now only operates when there is no wind and no waves. I remember when Rab Ritchie would stop for a wee bit of fishing if he was quiet! Nowadays a rowing boat would provide a better service. (well nearly). They have even emasculated the formerly reliable service to Dunoon, never mind Blairmore! Progress backwards.
I was brought up in Blaenau Ffestiniog and lived there until 1971. The High Street photograph brings it all back. The shop on the extreme left of the photo was my mum's hairdressing shop and we lived in the flat above. My dad was the Superintendant Registrar and he used to marry people, usually on Saturday mornings. I well remember the lobby to his office always had bits of ...see more
My strongest memories of Lewisham is there being three cinemas there. The Gaumont (where I saw the Beatles live in the 1960s) - I went to Saturday morning pictures there. The Rex cinema, just by the bridge opposite The Duke of Clarence pub, also opposite the best restaraunt in Lewisham, 'The Saville'. And the Prince of Wales which was further up Lewisham High Street almost opposite the ...see more
My mother, then called Billie Gwilliam, was living in New Cross in South London with her parents Bill and Connie Gwilliam during the Blitz of the Second World War, and has many memories of what it was like to be a young child living through this terrifying time.
‘I remember a group of us coming up the hill from our school, which was at the bottom of the road, and the air-raid siren ...see more
I was born in Carlton Road in 1937. Got bombed out when a landmine dropped down the road and we were evacuated to Clacton while my Dad worked down the Underground tunnel when his factory and the machines were moved away from the air raids. Went to a boarding school in Surrey because I got very good at forging notes to my teacher and playing hookey. Forgot one thing - the attendance officer. Family ...see more
I have some lovely memories of Mansfield market place. My dad, George Fisher, my mum, Margaret, and my lovely Uncle Johnny stood the market for many years. My grandad started the business many years before selling fruit & veg. I spotted the picture of Mansfield and was amazed to see the photo of my grandad next to his wagon. If you look carefully you can see the name Fisher on the side of the wagon. I was ...see more
During the early years after the Second World War my mother would take me to Woolwich as a special treat. I was about 8 year old then. We would catch the 696 trolleybus from Dartford market and arrive at the Woolwich Arsenal around lunch time. Our first stop was Manzie's Pie and Eel shop - absolutely delicious after the wartime food. From there we would walk past Woolwich Empire on our way to the ferry. On ...see more
Woolwich Market ..what a hoot ! I can hear the stallkeeper at the far left there now back in 1959... 'ere y'are luv..step right up...step right up..see these 'ere brand new silk bloomers ...never seen dayloit, never seen moonloit and never seen Aunt Fanny by gasloit 'aven't these 'ere bloomers...wot'lyer give me then...three pairs a shilling then...come on nah.... I lived on Mill Lane up by the barracks...used to love wandering around the market on a Saturday, I did.
As a very young lad I lived on Ankerdine Crescent on Shooter's Hill, but Mum frequently took me down to Woolwich for shopping on the market. I can clearly remember a butcher's stall close to Powis Street where the cry related to 'Lamb's tickers' (lamb's hearts), something I sorely miss these days, living here in Sweden. What the Swedes do with the lamb's tickers I'll never know.
We also took ...see more
There has been a ferry at Woolwich for many centuries but the people of Woolwich complained in the 1880s that West London had free access across the River Thames by bridges so why couldn't they have free travel? The river was too busy to put a bridge over and there was not room to put in a tunnel so the newly formed London County Council decided to provide a free ferry service with boats large enough to accomodate ...see more
The Woolwich Ferry was the only way I can remember in the 1950s and 60s that we could go 'over the water ' from South to North London. I can remember trips with my Nannie as a child , catching a bus from Eltham to Woolwich and then on the Ferry when she went to visit a Methodist Church on the other side of the Thames. The Thames at that time was so smelly she used to give me a hankie with lavender water to hold to ...see more
My first posting as as an L.A.C. Chef in the R.A.F. was to 22 Group H.Q. at the hall in May 1953. I was eighteen at the time and was to become chef to A.V.M. Merton in his residence, Farcroft in Market Drayton. I reported to the guardroom and was then whisked up to meet the A.V.M. by his P.A. F/Lt. Jan Badini who I was told was a Polish Count. I think he must have been as he later told us ...see more
This shelter/seat was built by my grandfather, Ezra Dowsing Cotton, in I believe the 1930s to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of George V. At least I think so. As a child I thought it was in memory of those who fell in the First World War .
Ezra Cotton was a carpenter, builder, and importantly the village undertaker, in the early years of the 20th century, and possibly the late 19th century. His daughters ...see more
Although living in Chislehurst, I visited Sidcup often on the single deck 228 bus. The pupose of the visit was to dine in the "British Resturant" in (I think), Hatherly Road. The choice of meals was very limited but they were filling and cheap. My mother worked in the Royal Artillery Record Office in Foots Cray, opposite the bus garage. Next door was Kolster Brands who made radios. The cafe over the garage at ...see more
My father came up from Wales to work at Blenheim as a youngster.He was born in 1922 and he started work as a teenager, I think. His first name was Edward, but as there was another already in post, so they called him by another name. Apparently the staff were responsible for taking him for his first pint! I do not know how long he was there, but he had tales of swimming in the lake, of the family going to Scotland leaving a skeleton staff with a deliciously full pantry. I wish I knew more!
I was born in the "White Horse" on 7th October 1937. Mrs Woolard helped in the pub and looked after me when my Mum and Dad were busy. Mrs Woolard and her husband Alf lived on the other side of the Green. There were lots of her relatives in the village and everyone was very friendly. We moved to Hare Street, Great Parndon in the early 1940's and I started at Great Parndon Primary School which was near to St. ...see more
The Great Orme Tramway is split into an upper and lower section at Halfway station. This photo is taken on the lower section at the middle passing place, situated on Ty Gwyn Road just above Black Gate. At this point, car 4 takes the outer rails to pass car 5 which passes on the hillward side. The roadway here is 'pinched' [ie it suddenly narrows] and has on occasion been the scene of ...see more
I just loved Surbiton Lagoon. Me and my twin sister lived in Alexandra Drive, just around the corner and we were good friends with the manager's son Vaughan Hancock. In the scorching hot summer of 1976 we were 14. My mum worked at the Lagoon so we got in free. We spent all the summer holidays there and 'bagged' our sun bathing spot on the stairs at the 5ft marker. This is because me, my twin (Nicola) and our ...see more
This photograph features someone sitting on a bench in the foreground of Orford Castle. It is a strong possibility that it is my Uncle Jim (James Ellis) Smy. This was his favourite spot and he could be found sitting there catching up with his friends. There are several legends attached to Orford Castle. The most famous is that of the Merman. Villagers allegedly caught him in fishing nets and imprisoned him in the ...see more
My parents took over The Chocolate Box, a little general store which sold mostly sweets in 1946. I lived there in the old thatched cottage and the attached house, which was called the new house, as it was only two hundred years old (which also included the shop). I always thought the house we lived in was haunted, and my dad, Russell Oddy, thought so too. In fact, he used to swear ...see more
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I saw this photo and the year it was taken. I was born in 1960 and my mam already had my two older brothers to look after, one was 3 and the other 1. She took us all to the shops one day, this would have only been a short walk from South Street, which was at the back of the shops, my two brothers had her mithered all round the shops, she says, so she just got a few things ...see more
My parents Angela and Leslie Jecks-Wright bought the house in the picture, on the right, and made a successful business called the Moat Tea Room of it! Our house was at 64 Fore Street. We used to get coaches visiting the castle, and we were kept very busy when that happened. We used to let the college boys use the upstairs room as a sort of "clubhouse". A lot of GIs used to visit and eat there.
I currently ...see more
I only have great sunny memories of Halifax as a child.
A lot of these photos in the 1960's show the sunshine... just how I remember it. My granddad worked on the buses and in the photos he may have been on one of those! His mate on the buses was called Arthur Crowther and me and my brothers used to call him "Half A Crown". I went to Trinity School and the teachers were great. Much more humane than the ones I ...see more
When I was a small child in the 1950's my father had a toy stall in Halifax Borough Market. It was a wondrous place for a child in those days, a family, a community, with all the market children growing up together. I remember a cafe run by the Sullivan family that sold the cold fish (Halifax Fish) which I can honestly say was the best I have ever tasted. The market was full of interesting characters ...see more
My Dad was born and lived in Halifax. When he was young a family firm which had a stall in the market hall delivered a fish speciality on bicycles with baskets. We all called it "Halifax Fish" and it was a piece of haddock in a round patty covered in batter. They were sold cold and could be eaten cold or re-heated and eaten hot. As a child I went to the market hall with my Dad to buy Halifax Fish ...see more
I lived in Dunston from 1946-1964. This area of Dunston was a place I knew quite well. The lamp post on the left was almost outside a dental surgery. I well remember the experience of having a tooth extracted here, and the staff's struggle to administer the gas anesthetic to knock me out! I learned to dislike visiting the dentist from here. To the right there were the "bankyfields". There used to be a ...see more
I was born in Barnsley in 1950 and lived in Hemsworth. I use to go to the pictures on a Saturday morning with my pals and ride my pretend horse home afterwards. I don't know the name of our street but you could walk out of the front door, cross over and go down the dirt path to the main road. I think the market was there and on the other side was the picture house with chippy close by. My dad, who was Polish, worked ...see more
From my childhood in Welshpool in the 1940s and 50s I have fond memories of the little steam train which crossed over Church Street, originally on a daily basis then later on Mondays only, carrying livestock from farms in the Llanfair Caereinion area to and from the Smithfield Market in Welshpool. My grandfather was one of the engine drivers who drove the train and often when I came out of ...see more
I was with the USAF and had just spent a year in Morocco. We were assigned to RAF Bentwaters but worked at RAF Woodbridge with the 79th. Coming into the country we first stayed at the White Hart Inn in Wickham Market and learned that we spoke American, the English speak English, similar for sure but different. Alhough we finally settled in Felixstowe for our tour, we really enjoyed ...see more
This photo is significant to me since I attended this school in the late 1930s/early 1940s. I was a member of Hanson House and played football on the sports field to the right of the pool. I rode a bicycle to school from Weyhill. I was a volunteer student air raid warden at the school. The male students spent the night in the male teachers room, the women in the female teachers room. We were never hit! The school's ...see more
I too, was in Copley House with my sister Sheila. Our surname was Youngs (the sister in charge of the house was Sister Ada Fitzjohn). I was at first, in the nursery school on Chester Road until I was five and went up to the 'big' home. Many happy memories of Sutton Park, the lakes, the trees and the heather. We sometimes played truant from Sunday school, and went to the park ...see more
I can remember a POW camp just inside Boldmere Gates. The Americans used the inmates to destroy lots of things at Jubillee Hill(?) at the sand pits, when war ended. This was material from the Streetly Camp area. Lots of it was parcels from their sorting office of men who couldn't be traced, including bedding. The local women were up in arms, but the G.I's kept them back from the site by rifle point. I was 16 at that time.
My brother Douglas and I were there 1945 to 1953, he was in Beatrice House and I was in Copley House. For the first year I only saw Douglas in chapel on Sundays and on our birthday's when our mother visited. I can remember Ronald and his twin sister loved to talk to our mother as she wore her blonde hair pinned up. I loved sports and animals so I spent a lot of time on the farm we were allowed pet mice which ...see more
I moved to Andover in 1940 with my mum and sister, to live with my grandparents, my dad was all over the place in the RAF. My grandad owned a riding stable in Anton Road, towards the town. The side of the stable building had a huge painted sign 'Reddings Riding Stables' and I spent many happy hours there mucking out and polishing tack. I went to New Street Primary school, then when I was 11 went to the Senior School on ...see more
Running parallel at the back of this church [St James] runs High street, where I was born as generations of my family were. The two pot banks on the right represent a fraction of the "Belcher's" that existed in Longton in the 30s/4os, they dominated everyone who lived amongst them with their endless stream of black smoke belching six days a week and covering all the buildings with soot and dirt. Night time brought ...see more
I was born in Longton in 1933 at 151 High Street Post Office, Longton. All my childhood was spent there with my grandmother, Sarah Wright and my great aunt Matilda Ward (my grandmother's sister). Between them they ran the Post Office until the middle years of the Second World War.
Before it was a Post Office, my great grandfather William Ward had a tailoring business there, from 1871 ...see more
One of my earliest memories was as a child on a Sunday morning, still in my pyjamas, being driven to Madeley by my Dad to watch the trains go by. Standing on the footbridge, which is still there, and looking along the line in the distance for the appearance of smoke, so you knew a train was coming. Being only little, it was possible (until electrification) to see through the girder bridge quite a way ...see more
The young man on the outside of the pavement is me, the group standing in the distance are family members and the two on my right are demanding to know where I am going, as it happened I was going to see my Gran. Did not know who the kids were and still don't but if you look at the picture my fists are clenched I was ready for a fight but they backed off, I still walk with clenched fists to this day! If you ...see more
In the mid and late sixties my family would travel from Glasgow to Kent every summer to visit relatives. Our overnight stop was always at the Old England Hotel and I have fond memories of walking round the village and finding it so different to where I lived in Glasgow. My memory is also of Mr Pike bringing a pre breakfast cup of tea in the morning, and greeting me with a very cheerful, ...see more
My great grandfather Henry Braun owned the Vale of Health Hotel (shown in the right of this photo) overlooking the lake, from 1877 until the early 1900's. The hotel was used as an Anglo German club called the Athenaeum and by 1908 had 1200 members - 500 English, 700 German, including many political radicals. The hotel became a factory during World War I and then remained derelict for some years. The hotel ...see more
I bought my favourite car in Hatch End from the Cornwall Garage in 1970. It is on the right of this view beyond the row of shops and the crossroads of Uxbridge Road and Cornwall Road. It was a 1966 Triumph Spitfire, pale blue with two black "racing stripes" up the long bonnet over the hard top and down the boot! It cost me all of £465 in April 1970. I rather ...see more
I lived in Hatch End from 1956 until I went up to Manchester in 1966, so I got to know my local shops both as a helpful schoolboy running errands for my mum to MacPhails the greengrocer and later as a teenager buying my records in Giles and my half pints of Benskins in "The Railway".
This view on the left side shows Payantake Supermarket, Signal Service radio shop, Woolworths and Spurlings ...see more
My parents lived with my grandfather - Harry Fiddleman, at 41 Lower Addiscombe Road. Grandfather was a hairdresser so we lived behind and above the shop. I was born at St Mary's Maternity Home. I cannot find any references to this 'Home' anywhere, although I'd love to know more about it. When I was a baby my 'cot' was a drawer - evidently quite common in the fifties. My father worked for his father in the early days, ...see more
It is ironic that these massive buildings that dominate the ridge at Ashley Down were known for generations as the Muller Homes. Their founder, German immigrant George Muller, was insistent on the title 'The New Orphan House' as he did not want his name to be prominent, for he considered himself merely an instrument in the venture. In fact, in his youth he must have seemed an unlikely candidate for such benevolent ...see more
