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.

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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It's easy to add your own memories and reconnect with your shared local history. Search for your favourite places and look for the 'Add Your Memory' buttons to begin

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:

  • How the location features in your personal history?
  • The memories this place inspires for you?
  • Stories about the community, its history and people?
  • People who were particularly kind or influenced your time in the community.
  • Has it changed over the years?
  • 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 36881 - 36925 of 36925 in total

This is a picture of myself with my sister and brother and my sister's friend. I was 13 years old. My sister Theo is the girl with the handbag, she was 9 years old and my brother John was 3 years old. We had been to the local store Bences and are standing outside the smallest pub in the county, The Chequers Inn. Our family home was at the top of Glovers Lane. The garden with dad's apple and cherry trees can be seen in the photograph running the full length of the lane.
The little girl is my grandmother Jane Peart born 18 September 1884. Her nickname was Ginny. Her daughter, my late Auntie was called Jennie. Beside her is my great uncle, Robert Leadley Peart who drowned at St Petersburg on 19 July 1908 aged 20 years.
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.
I was evacuated to Chester during World War II and met Romany and his dog Raq on a number of occasions when he visited our school.  He talked to us about the countryside, did beautiful simple charcoal drawings of the creatures he was discussing, told us what to wear to become 'Nature detectives' and even played tunes for us on the piano.  He was a lovely man.
The house in the photograph is The Limes and has a family connection. A great uncle on my mother's side purchased this property. He was Alfred William Reynolds, who was an innkeeper in the White Hart pub opposite the house. He combined publican and greyhound coursing trainer for a period in the early 1900s. He is said to have purchased The Limes after training the winner of the Waterloo Cup in 1908. ...see more
Here we are looking down West Street with the village school visible at the end. On the left is Tetts Farm with the milk churns, while next is Manor Farm, farmed by Reg Newick. The thatched building before the school is Old Farm, farmed by Rhesa Warry, with a little sweet shop next door. All these farms are now private houses. Behind the village cross can be seen the shop window of the Post ...see more
This cottage is in Bedford Lane. I lived in the house called Connemara which is still in Bedford Lane. My father Samuel Frederick Richardson and his brother George were both bricklayers. Both were demolishing the cottage and they were burning the thatch. My brother John was playing dare. He walked through the outer edge of the white ash and dared me to walk through the middle. Unfortunately I did ...see more
The bungalow in the centre of the photograph is called Donkey Halt as when the carts of pilchards were taken up the hill by donkeys they stopped there for a rest before tackling the very steep hill to the main road at the top.
A fine cricket ground was included within the walls where Bracknell CC played each year. There was a concert party formed from among the inmates that used to give performances in the villages around Crowthorne: the party travelled with a strong force of warders. Just after WWII there was an occasion when a notorious murderer managed to escape and the alarm was sounded. It was powerful enough to ...see more
The house in the middle is where I lived from 1972. The address is 62 Main Street and the house was called Barn Croft. The house on the right was a farm and the house that the middle house was built on was part of the farmyard. When the farm closed, one of the daughters had this built c1930. She lived there until she died c1970. Her name was Olive Clarke and was one of three girls I believe. The ...see more
The van on the left of the photograph was owned by my great-grandfather Wilfred Redman who had the butcher's shop at 41 The Triangle, Westport from the early 1900's until 1945. He died in that year and his son took over the family business. Wilfred Redman came to Malmesbury in the early 1900s from Nailsworth, Glos where his mother had a stationery shop. The van was registered to Wilfred on 30 June 1936.
The children are twin boys. Matthew Peart on the left and Robert Peart on the right. Robert was drowned at the age of twenty when he was swept overboard near St Petersburg on 19 July 1908.
I was married in this church 40 years ago. It was where the Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, worshipped. the buildings on the right have been demolished. There used to be a bank, I think it was Barclays, and a small motor repairers called Davies Bros.
On the left hand side of the photograph next to the zebra crossing is Eastwells, a greengrocers and fruiterers. My father Harold Besent who is in the window in a white coat was a partner and also the managing director from 1940 until he retired in the late 1970s. This photograph was taken before the shop was modernised, and a new door and windows fitted. The back of the premises was very large, there was a ...see more
The photograph shows a shop and house which my grandmother ran between 1931 and 1952. It was then run by my uncle until it was sold as a house in 1979. My grandmother's name was Colville and she ran the shop as a general stores. Before the building was a shop it was a public house called the Axe and Compass and part of the building was a cobblers shop. The building itself goes back to 1599.
The man standing on the bottom left hand side with the white T-shirt and quiff is my grandad!  He is now seventy.  The car next to him was his first car and his pride and joy!
I moved into these cottages with my family in 1935 and my parents were there until 1959. Originally it was a barn hence the name 'Barn Row' and was converted into cottages in 1836 as marked in the brickwork on the other side of the cottages. All the time my parents lived there, there was no sewerage and only a stand tap in the middle yard to serve all four cottages. But times have changed and the village has been renovated and one or two new houses have been built.
Mr and Mrs Raines ran an efficient postal service from this humble shed at the bottom of their garden in 1908. There was surely hardly room to swing a mail sack. The slot through which villagers poked their letters is at the left hand corner. The village was of course much smaller then: there were only four large families and no more than a dozen cottages. In the late 1940s the post office moved to a building ...see more
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 ...see more
Known as the 'John Barley Corn' children because at the Staithe where they all used to play, there is an inlet. In the 1920s, when boats came past, the children would sing 'Old John Barley Corn if you throw us a penny we will sing you a song'. Sometimes handfuls of pennies would be thrown. The people on one boat 'Nelson' were always quite generous. It was quite a scramble to each get a couple of pennies.
This is a view of the top of West Street with the Post Office on the left. The Postmaster then was Mr Herbert Winn. Opposite is Tetts Farm with the milk churns awaiting collection outside. The farmer was Henry Best. The lady coming along the pavement is Mrs Louisa Stoodley. She was widowed in the First World War and herself lost an arm while working at nearby Lopen factory.
This is the Peart family. Amelia the eldest aged 17 holds her baby brother George. Next to her on the rock is Robert Leadley Peart and at her side is Robert's twin Matthew. Next to Matthew is Jane (known as Ginny) and then Tom. Ginny was born 18th September 1884 and was six years old in this photograph. Robert (on the rock) was drowned aged 20 on 19th July 1908 after being swept overboard at St Petersburg. George ...see more
My late husband was the professional at Royal St Davids for many years and the only golfer so far to have been both Welsh Amateur Champion and Welsh Professional Champion twice. We lived at 'Plas Owain' which is the house just above the Golf Links on the curve of the road up the hill. It was built in 1907.
This view shows the junction line which linked the GWR Victoria station with the Junction station - running from left to right and opened in 1887. It must have been almost new when the photo was taken and the earthworks are still bare.
This photograph shows a Wednesday afternoon, early closing day, hence the low volume of traffic and few shoppers. The year is definitely 1951. On the left is myself and my apprentice electrician seen manhandling the long ladder outside William Timpson's shoe shop. The other people are just members of the public stopping for a chat. I worked for a company who for many years had the job of ...see more
I am certain the steamer is 'Sabrina' built in 1870 and was the steam inspection launch of the Directors and Engineer of the Gloucester and Berkeley Ship Canal, Gloucester. In 1912 'Sabrina' was owned by the Dock Company and did not leave their service until 1942. 'Sabrina' is still in regular use now on the River Thames and still in steam.
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 ...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.
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 ...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!