Gosforth Just After The War

A Memory of Gosforth.

I was born at the Ravensbourne Nursing Home , opposite All Saints Church in 1943. At that time my father was in the army and my mother and I lived with my grandparents in Henry Street, my oldest aunt lived next door. My uncle, who was a master bitcher at the Co-op lived in Stoneyhurst Rd another aunt lived in Audley Rd.

My parents were married at St Nicholas Parish Church on September 3rd 1939 - the day war broke out and, as he had anticipated, he was called up a few days afterwards.

My Grandmother always referred to "Going up the village" when anyone went to the High Street and "Going down the Bank" if heading for South Gosforth.

My eariest memories of the High Street were of Wilkinsons and Broughs, the grocers, Robson and Porteous and Smyths the cake shops. The fish and game shop opposirte County Buildings and Dunns the butchers.

Thorpes, the harware shop features in my early memories, as does Barclay's bank.

Much earlier my Grandad had been a fireman on the horse drawn engine from the firestation. I have a photograph of him with the crew on the engine which is now in the Castle museum in York.

I could go on for pages and pages because I lived in Gosforth until I went away to college in London in 1961, after which i married (someone I met at the grammar school) and taught in the south of England and then abroad, coming back in 1972 to live in Gosforth until we left again in 2002.