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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Search for your favourite UK places and read memories of the local area in days gone by.
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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 151 - 200 of 2029 in total
Born in the North Mid like most people my age (1931), I lived my first 25 years at Tottenham Hale, at the end of Brograve Rd., facing the Station Green. The green had a nice fence around it before the war when hundreds of people crossed the green on their way to the Lebus Furniture factory that was on the other side of the railroad tracks. Ferry Lane started at the Hale and went east, through ...see more
One of your contributors mentioned about the Edmonton Lido, near Jubilee Park. I certainly do remember it, and I too spent most of my summer there, even if it was raining. There was a shop/cafe close to the sunbathing area but I seldom had any money to spend there. I loved their Puff Candy, which was chocolate covered honeycomb, and it was a wonderful treat if I did have enough for one of those. I think I would ...see more
My father was demobbed in 1946 and soon we moved from Grandma's house in Elstree to a brand new prefab in Eldon Avenue. It was the spring of 1947, one of the coldest on record with deep snow into March. Borehamwwod was still just a village but building sites were starting up everywhere. The only infants school was in Furzehill so every morning and evening my mother and I trudged the mile or so whatever the ...see more
Hi, my name is Roy Mozley & I was born in 1948 in a prefab in Rydal Avenue, Winton. We then moved to Lambton St, Winton. This was our football pitch then, main problem was this guy who, lets say, used to visit a lady quite often in his bubble car and park it right in the middle of our street / football pitch and when we asked him could he not park it further up the road, all we got was a great ...see more
I grew up in Park Avenue, Edmonton near Pymms Park. My gran and grandad Bert and Dolly Uff owned the "oil shop" at 247 Fore Street and my sister Ginny and I used to help out in the shop on Saturdays and in the school holidays. We would pump the parafin and stack the firewood and when grandad was busy he would ask us to measure out the wire netting on the pavement outside the shop, which could be quite ...see more
The journey from our home in North Essex to my grandparents’ home in North Derbyshire took almost a full day back in the 1950s, allowing of course for periodic stops along the way. The first, usually at Melton Mowbray was to purchase the famous pork pies, which were not at that time readily available nation-wide. We would always include a couple for my grandparents who also appreciated ...see more
The Grosvenor was used as a fire (station 8 then became station B10) and ambulance station until the lease ran out in the late 1970s. The ambulance station was the first to move out, followed 12 months later by the fire service, the new station has been at its current site in west street since 1980 (then called Dyfed County Fire Brigade.). The main building was converted into 4 or so flats for fire ...see more
My mother came from Dormanstown and my grandparents, Ellen and James Mitchell, lived at 67, Broadway West. This was a Dorman-Long house as my grandfather and an uncle worked for the Dorman-Long Steel Works. I spent many a school holiday there and remember walking to the steel works with my granddad's lunch and watching the molten steel pour out and the furnaces rage. Health and safety would not allow ...see more
Half way down Garfield Road was the Recreation Ground; better know to all as simply the Rec. It was quiet a large area bounded on one side by Garfield Road and the other by the River Wandle, about which more another time.
Along the top end was the railway line and the bottom the fence dividing the Primary School from the Rec. You could see the kids clinging to the fence fingers and noses poking through the ...see more
My grandfather's family, the Barbers, who were farmers, lived in Alton House at one end of the village until my grandmother died. My mother remembered the tension on butter-churning days when the milk wouldn't 'turn.' I believe my maternal grandmother, Ethel Kitchener, was born in Soham but I am not sure where. Her sister, when married, lived at the other end from Alton House in a small semi-detached ...see more
I was born and brought up in 3 Gwendoline St Nantymoel. I went to school there, first the infants then the Secondary Modern. My childhood was wonderful with plenty of friends living in the Wauns or 'the field', as our area was called. We also played in the forestry where we dammed up the streams to paddle in. We lived in a community, everyone knew each other and if you did anything wrong by the time you ...see more
I was 19 years old when I was to move over to Newbury but at first I was roughing it until I could find cheap enough accommodation. At times, due to me being not able to get a good old scrub down and also a clean change of clothes; wearing a black double breasted Jacket and a French style beret all I needed was the string of onions around my neck and I would have passed for a Frenchman. I was something of a pitiful ...see more
I was born on 29th November 1928, and lived in Southsea in 1939, and during August my parents, little sister, and I went for a short holiday by coach to stay with an Aunt and Uncle at Overton in Hampshire. The threat of war was very imminent, and as we lived near a big Naval port, my parents decided to arrange for me to be privately evacuated with the ...see more
From 1959 to 1973 I lived at Tooting Junction. '59-69 in Glasford Street opposite the police station, then when I got married in 1969 I moved one whole road away in Renmuir Street! Many local people may remember our big, black labrador, who used to bark and throw himself at the front room window if anyone dared to walk past our downstairs flat at 2 Glasford Street. My dad used to mend cars outside in the ...see more
I was born on 8th May 1945 (the day the war ended) at 61 Trevelyan Road Tooting. My mum told me that there was a heatwave on the 8th May and whilst she was trying to get some rest there was a street party going n which she couldn't go to.
My grandmother was born at 61 Trevelyan Road in 1986 and whilst following a historical research of my grandparents I discovered that 61 Trevelyan Road and adjoining ...see more
Does anyone remember during the '40s when the Ursline Girls School got bombed and caught fire. I think it was the same night the Brentwood Senior Boys School got bombed and we all had three months off school. I put my time to good use - I used to go out blackberry picking and sell them sixpence a basket. I made half a crown per day, Jim Chalkley.
He then ran a wet fish trade from a horse and cart, but also ran a fish and chip shop. Last time I was in Houghton the fish shop was still there. In Newbottle Street, just up from the school and on the same side.
Gran was very proud of her horses and carts. As thing got better she had them made at Baileys
Joinery in East Rainton village. The carts were always light weight and hand painted with 'Margaret Wilson ...see more
WOW, I never thought that I would see this post card again. Yes, that's me doing my weekend job as a waitress at the funky new Wimpy bar on Boxhill. My name was Vanessa Howard and I lived at Ismanola, Boxhill Road.
Reputed to be one of the first in the UK, locals, mods and rockers, and day trippers flocked to buy their Wimpy and Chips and Coffee, Knickerbocker Glory, Pepsi Cola in a glass bottle and all else ...see more
Armistice.
There are more details on my History of Netherthong on the web.
The news of the armistice reached Netherthong about 11am on the Monday morning but it was not fully confirmed until the flag was raised at Deanhouse Institution by order of the master, Mr. F. E. Rowbothan. This was followed by flags being hoisted at Deanhouse Mills, the Church, the Schools, Holmleigh, the ...see more
I was born in Mundford in 1955 - when I was 18 months old my family moved to the nearby hamlet of West Tofts. We had a small wooden bungalow, one of a pair, that was directly opposite an army camp.
My father worked for his father as a farm labourer at Lynford Home Farm, but following some sort of bust-up, my dad started working for the MOD on night shifts and during the day he gradually built up a smallholding, ...see more
I have read an article by Sylvia Lock. I made me smile and bought back so many happy memories from my childhood in Edmonton. I to remember Pymms park and yes the dentist at the clinic in the center of the park. I was sent there by my mother on my own a young 11 year old and told it will not hurt - Wrong!!! I loved that park and also the Regal Saturday pictures for children. Some days entry was free if you took enough ...see more
I grew up in Cheapside Village and went to Cheapside C of E School when it was still in Cheapside Road between Mrs Clarke's house and Mrs Mc Master's house, opposite the social centre.
I remember Mr Goulding the Headmaster who was an amazing music and singing teacher. How I loved the assemblies each morning, singing our hearts out as he played the piano. Each day at the end of assembly, there was the ...see more
I very fond memories of my early school days as a child in the 1970s,the local first school,which i believe is still there,had only two teachers that i can remember,which was miss radcliff,and headmaster mr salsbury.We had wonderful school dinners,cooked on site,and two wonderful dinnerladies,mrs house and mrs mathews,who gave me a nickname of jilly-giles,where this came from i do not know.I remember two school ...see more
Just south of the entrance to the Airdries was the Methodist Church where we had summer bazaars. Adjacent to this lived Ernie Beard and his wife Betty. They had a Dalmation called Major which I used to walk for them. Mr Beard often complained about how muddy the dog was when I brought it back, but he didn’t realize how much fun we’d had climbing through streams and hedges. Further down the road ...see more
My first main job on leaving school (Shaw House) was as a tea boy-dogsbody at H C James timber and builders merchants in Pound Street. For quite a while I cycled daily from Highclere Castle, approx 4 miles, it took me just over half an hour to get there and one hour to return! Some hills!
My duties included running a mess room, making tea etc twice a day and touring the town for cakes and pasties, some of the men ...see more
I was sent to Hayling Island in 1947, I was about 7 years old and had suffered 2 bouts of Scarlett fever. This had left me in a low state of health & it was thought I would benefit from a spell in a Convalescent Home. I was taken by a nurse from London to a large house called 'Fairlite', not far from the beach. The home was run by a matron with 1 or 2 local teenage girls. I had my clothes ...see more
I recall as a young boy of 7 or 8, that I was among a group of friends playing on the siding at the bottom of Margaret Street. We, as friends, found the bomb on the Rhigos Mountain and carried it back to the siding and were throwing stones at the bomb, in an attempt to explode it!. After a short while, I had a call of nature and left the siding, went up the Gooly to my ...see more
I was at St Patricks 1948 to 1952, I loved it there! I remember Pauline Quinn, her mum ran the laundry and little Margaret who ran the uniform and sewing room...I spent hours trying to darn a sock. Rosemary Bacon, Pauline Quinn and I were friends. Our ward maid was Bridie, she was a dreadful bully, we always got our own back though. She used to hand out syrup of figs or cascara on a ...see more
I lived in Hillbrow Cottages on the Eastbourne Road from 1950 to 1970s.
My father, George Mison, worked in the sand quarry in Bletchingley and mum, Elsie, was a housewife. There are only 12 cottages at Hillbrow and so there were about 7 children around the same age. David, Susan, Michael, Wendy, Ian, David and me. We used to play up on the common or paddle in Diana's Fountain. If you went further ...see more
I remember, in what must have been June 1944, when myself and our neighbours the Brays were watching what seemed like an endless stream of lorries loaded with soldiers coming down the hill (High Road) and on to somewhere, with hindsight probably Tilbury or some other port, for embarkation to the D Day landing beaches. We kids were jumping up and down and shouting and waving and the soldiers were waving and shouting ...see more
Born Dec. 1924 Dollis Hill Ave, son of E.H.Carter who lived at Crown Terrace. In 1912 he opened his half-shop as a newsagent and tobacconist, joined-up in 1915 and left the running to his sister Florence who eventually lived in Gladstone Park Gardens. I took over in 1950 and became more of a stationer with one eye on the American scene and the new popularity for greeting cards. My memories ...see more
In the late 1950's I was the village policeman at Great Waltham. The police house was the last two-storied house at the Barrack Land end of Cherry Garden Road with my 'office'being in the kitchen and the tsble there was my desk. Next door to us was a lovely old lady - Mrs Woods and on the other side the Hornsby family, daughter's name Jenny. My duties in those days were not very onerous consisting ...see more
My family moved to Ormskirk in 1960 when I was three. My father was starting a teaching course at Edge Hill and we lived in a flat over the coal board (next door to Clarks Shoes) in Church Street. Our surname was Byard back then. I started school at Greetby Hill, early, when I was only four, in January 1961. From the beginning I hated school - when mum and I got to the school gate (we used the path that crossed ...see more
I am now in my mid 80's. I lived in Borth from the age of about three until eleven years at 23 Well St (Lon Wen). This was during the days of the depression and conditions in the port were grim. Many of the men had joined the whaling fleets and as they sailed past North Anglesey from Liverpool the families would gather on Llam Carw and wave tablecloths. At the bottom of Well Street, just above the park, there was a ...see more
At the age of nine, I had to come and live with my mother's parents, Albert and Emily Warner, at 3 Church Path (pair of cottages now pulled down, but their well - (what wonderfully tasting water, drawn up with a bucket) still remains now in the front garden of the house occupying part of the site. The reason for my evacuation from Colgate, near Horsham, was that the flat we all lived in caught fire very early one morning ...see more
My parents had what they called their 'shopping account' with Barclays in Sunningdale - the main account was in Weybridge. About once a week my mother would go into Barclays to withdraw cash, and I would love to go with her. Inside was a magnificent wooden counter which ran the length of the banking hall. It was topped with a metal grill which divided the clients from the clerks (and of course the cash). My ...see more
I was born in 1929 in my parent's house at 40 Medora Road, adjacent to the old football ground. Any time I hear the Sousa march - 'Liberty Bell' - I am reminded of Saturday there. It was played at the close of every match to get the people to leave in an orderly manner. My father worked at the Labour Exchange on North Street. In the first days/nights of the air raids we slept in the employees' air raid ...see more
Hi, I was in the Hutton Residential School from 1930 to 1939. Mr Higden was the Headmaster. We had a big dining hall where all the boys had their meals - it was more like a scene from the film, Oliver, [food glorious food]. The Headmaster and his cronies would sit above us on a stage eating roast chicken & roast potatoes while we ate whatever they dished up to us. On Saturday we got a penny ...see more
Although originally from Manchester my parents were living in Filton when I was born in Cheltenham in December 1941. My father, like the majority of men in that area worked at what was then the BAC. He worked at the Rodney Works as a sheet-metal worker and fitter. We lived in Mackie Road and I attended Shields Road School betwen 1946 and 1953 when I went on to Thornbury Grammar School before going to Teacher ...see more
The village provided labour mainly for the Meadows Pit that was opened in 1824 and also for other local pits – Adventure, Resolution, Alexandrina, Hazard, Nicholson’s, Dun Well, Glow Oe, r Em…. to name but a few.
At the Rainton Colliery, which is the property of the Marquis of Londonderry, there are three pits from which coal is raised, Adventure, Alexandrina and Meadows, sunk in the years 1817, 1824 and 1824 ...see more
As a young lad in the “swingin 60’s”, the swingin’ rather passed me by … and no regrets there. But the word puts me in mind of the swinging we did do. Just down the lane from Allsopp’s garage – the hallowed source of petrol sold in gallons for shillings and pennies, and Shell’s collectibles such as Roman coins and football cards, was a playground and sports field. This playground was inevitable site ...see more
Many happy memories of my early years living at 101 Kienton Green Road, Olton. Infants school first, just down the road with Mrs Revelle, the scary headmistress. Then to St Margaret's Church School where for one term my class was down at The Hollow in a separate run down building with loads of stinging nettles and thankfully plenty of dock leaves! Then to the main school next to the railway ...see more
My family used to live in a bungalow here until it was condemned in 1959/60. I have a picture of it with my dad in the window and my little brother, Colin sitting on the grass with his friend Keith Emery. We had an outside loo and my dad put a bath in the kitchen. The cows were always putting their heads through our bedroom windows if they were open. I have fond memories of living here. The bungalow belonged to Mr Reed who lived opposite in the farmhouse.
Growing up at Fairy Cross, Alwington and as our village school had closed in the late 1950s we had to catch the school bus daily morning and afternoon to Abbotsham Primary School. (Shown in the centre back of the picture next to St Helens Church). I started in 1963 in the "little ones class" of the two roomed school. Mrs Elston was my first teacher there and she had also taught at Alwington School ...see more
We used to live in the grounds of Riddings House in the cottage to the left of the main house. The two cottages used as accommodation for the head and assistant gardeners. I used to go with my dad up into the clock tower to wind up the clock at the weekend. There were buildings down the gardens; in one of them local people could visit and buy some of the produce that was grown. The lawns and gardens being kept ...see more
On the left of this photo you can see the famous blue lamp! Which one could see outside the local Police Stations, and made even more famous by the film, The Blue Lamp and also the TV series, Dixon Of Dock Green. Now right opposite the Police Station was a short wide pathway leading to the Church Hall, where on a Wednesday nights my friends and I would go 'rocking and rolling' and buy a Coke for one ...see more
I began my life's journey at Ty Gwyn farm in 1951 just before my 2nd birthday. I even remember climbing.the stairs at 1year 10 months. I would walk down Penywern Road to the Wern school. I remember standing on a chair in the infants at 5 years old and singing 'how much is the doggy in the window?', every time I slowed down the teacher would shake a bag of sweets at the rear of the room and I would ...see more
The Army
My call up papers came with a railway warrant for Gloucester, where I and another group of lucky lads, were picked up by army lorry and taken to the barracks of the Gloucester Regiment for our six weeks basic training. Unloaded at the barrack square, we were marched (shambled) to our huts, then to the QM stores for uniform and kit.
The Army does not give you your kit, it is yours “for the use of” during your ...see more
Chester for me, in the 1960s, was, first, the Museum. It was a full day out. The C4 or C3 bus from Overpool or the C6 from Rivacre, small pack of sandwiches and some orange squash in my school haversack and I could spend the day with the Roman Army. Having a very eidetic imagination (I think in pictures) it was easy for me to see those Roman Soldiers marching along. Later it was rowing with E Port ...see more
With big hugs from waiting family on one of the many platforms that was Central Station, we hurried though the noise and clouds of steam towards the station exit and into the sunlight...my eyes gazing in wonderment at all the the grand buildings, trams and bright yellow trolly buses, we had nothing like it in our Hampshire town, our railway station had but two platforms and ...see more
