The bomb pool, is that?… or was that a large part of the beck where you could swim in it. I remember on sundays as a family we’d walk along the length of the beck on the side which is overgrown and blocked off by the golfers, a bit into the journey my older brother (about 60ish now) would say there was a particular pool where everyone used to swim in that beck, I was wondering if that was it.
I too was born and bred in Billingham. As Eric Fairweather will remember we spent most summers walking to seaton snooks, the north gare, blue lagoon and anywhere else we could get to with our jam butties and bottles of pop. Eston hills and Roseberry Topping were a good days bike ride away (if you had a bike). One of our favourite haunts was billingham bottoms and the station beck. Remember the bomb pool with the huge tree over it? I believe its on the golf course and inaccessible now. I recognized a section of it that was filmed in BILLY ELLIOT. Sorry if I am rambling but I could bang on for hours reminiscing. Would be great to have a get together with Eric and the lads. I see Alan Fenton occasionally when I visit the home town.
I used to swim in Billingham beck before the war. The bomb pool happened in the early years of the war, a stick of bombs dropped accross the bottoms, one dropped right in the middle of the beck and one dropped near Norton mill damaging it badly.
Remember those pictures well – the town was packed on weekends and for the Folklore Festival or Billingham Show. The flats above had a waiting list to live in them. A very close community with people from Havo and the Port. A very good place to live. I go back to my home town now and then but like everywhere else it has changed and not all for the better.
HI JIM, INTERESTED TO READ THAT YOUR DAD USED TO PLAY FOR HEAD WRIGHTSONS BAND. MY LATE FATHER, BILL CHARLTON, USED TO GUEST FOR HEAD WRIGHTSONS MANY A TIME. WHAT DID YOUR DAD PLAY? MY OLD PIANO TEACHER, TED HUMBLE, USED TO PLAY FOR YOUR DADS BAND, HE LIVED IN MALVERN ROAD. THE BAND IN THE PICTURE IS NOT HW BAND BUT LOOKS LIKE A MILITARY BAND. I MYSELF PLAYED FOR BILLINGHAM BAND AS DID MY FATHER AND MY DAUGHTERS, MANDY AND KAREN. PLAYED IN TOWN CENTRE MANY A TIME AND ALSO AT THE FOLKLORE FESTIVAL – GREAT DAYS
Yeah I remember the budgies & fish, me and my brother used to go and look at them whenever we were over there. I always remembered rushing down stairs of Boyes to see the caged monkeys in there. My dad used to play for Head Wrightsons’s brass band so if thats who is playing in this photo he is probably in there and were probably watching from the sides as we always used to do.
I use to attend Billingham Technical College and walk across to the Town Centre in the early 60″s I use to go ice skating there too. I agree with Graham – so glad that I stumbled onto this website. It has brought back a lot of memories of living and growing up in the North East.
Just look at the crowds in “Billo” Town Centre. I remember those days so well. People would come from miles around to do their shopping. There was so much choice, whatever you wanted, you could buy it in Billingham. With the added attraction of various caged animals and birds to keep the youngsters amused.A pond with “real” fish,and even a playground where parents could leave the kids to play “safely” while they got on with the shopping.Billingham had so much going for it! I have lived in Billingham all my life! The flats above the Town Centre are all boarded up!… Im glad I stumbled onto this website, atleast now I can show my own children what a “Thriving Brilliant” Town, Billingham was when I was growing up in the 60s & 70s….. WOODY …..
Hi Woody. If you are the same person, did you live in Marsh House. My name was Lynne Vaughan, brother Graham, and my best friend was Jackie Turner. I dont live there now we moved to Hertfordshire in 1972. Jackie still lives there and she says she often sees you. X
My mum and dad in the 60s ran the Station Hotel in Billingham this has brought back nice memories
The bomb pool, is that?… or was that a large part of the beck where you could swim in it. I remember on sundays as a family we’d walk along the length of the beck on the side which is overgrown and blocked off by the golfers, a bit into the journey my older brother (about 60ish now) would say there was a particular pool where everyone used to swim in that beck, I was wondering if that was it.
I too was born and bred in Billingham. As Eric Fairweather will remember we spent most summers walking to seaton snooks, the north gare, blue lagoon and anywhere else we could get to with our jam butties and bottles of pop. Eston hills and Roseberry Topping were a good days bike ride away (if you had a bike). One of our favourite haunts was billingham bottoms and the station beck. Remember the bomb pool with the huge tree over it? I believe its on the golf course and inaccessible now. I recognized a section of it that was filmed in BILLY ELLIOT. Sorry if I am rambling but I could bang on for hours reminiscing. Would be great to have a get together with Eric and the lads. I see Alan Fenton occasionally when I visit the home town.
I used to swim in Billingham beck before the war. The bomb pool happened in the early years of the war, a stick of bombs dropped accross the bottoms, one dropped right in the middle of the beck and one dropped near Norton mill damaging it badly.
Remember those pictures well – the town was packed on weekends and for the Folklore Festival or Billingham Show. The flats above had a waiting list to live in them. A very close community with people from Havo and the Port. A very good place to live. I go back to my home town now and then but like everywhere else it has changed and not all for the better.
I am Jims brother. Our dad played the cornet and flugal horn in Head Wrightsons band and no the photo isn’t that band.
HI JIM, INTERESTED TO READ THAT YOUR DAD USED TO PLAY FOR HEAD WRIGHTSONS BAND. MY LATE FATHER, BILL CHARLTON, USED TO GUEST FOR HEAD WRIGHTSONS MANY A TIME. WHAT DID YOUR DAD PLAY? MY OLD PIANO TEACHER, TED HUMBLE, USED TO PLAY FOR YOUR DADS BAND, HE LIVED IN MALVERN ROAD. THE BAND IN THE PICTURE IS NOT HW BAND BUT LOOKS LIKE A MILITARY BAND. I MYSELF PLAYED FOR BILLINGHAM BAND AS DID MY FATHER AND MY DAUGHTERS, MANDY AND KAREN. PLAYED IN TOWN CENTRE MANY A TIME AND ALSO AT THE FOLKLORE FESTIVAL – GREAT DAYS
Yeah I remember the budgies & fish, me and my brother used to go and look at them whenever we were over there. I always remembered rushing down stairs of Boyes to see the caged monkeys in there. My dad used to play for Head Wrightsons’s brass band so if thats who is playing in this photo he is probably in there and were probably watching from the sides as we always used to do.
I use to attend Billingham Technical College and walk across to the Town Centre in the early 60″s I use to go ice skating there too. I agree with Graham – so glad that I stumbled onto this website. It has brought back a lot of memories of living and growing up in the North East.
Just look at the crowds in “Billo” Town Centre. I remember those days so well. People would come from miles around to do their shopping. There was so much choice, whatever you wanted, you could buy it in Billingham. With the added attraction of various caged animals and birds to keep the youngsters amused.A pond with “real” fish,and even a playground where parents could leave the kids to play “safely” while they got on with the shopping.Billingham had so much going for it! I have lived in Billingham all my life! The flats above the Town Centre are all boarded up!… Im glad I stumbled onto this website, atleast now I can show my own children what a “Thriving Brilliant” Town, Billingham was when I was growing up in the 60s & 70s….. WOODY …..
Hi Woody. If you are the same person, did you live in Marsh House. My name was Lynne Vaughan, brother Graham, and my best friend was Jackie Turner. I dont live there now we moved to Hertfordshire in 1972. Jackie still lives there and she says she often sees you. X