Do You Feel Any Fondness For The Town You Were Born In?

AZ6 said:
The station reopened some years ago; it's part of the Overground service that replaced the old East London Line. Dalston Kingsland is the station up on the A10. As for Broad st; how flipping old are you ffs?? :LOL:
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A real Londoner would know the East London line went from Shoreditch to New Cross ;)

That would have been late seventies when I was there, Broad St was very dilapidated and run down by then.
The old North London line started there, it went round to Richmond, you could change at Willesden Junction for Watford
Went that way to watch the O's play there a couple of times, dirty old trains too
 
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tijuana taxi said:
A real Londoner would know the East London line went from Shoreditch to New Cross
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You're right. But then; a real Londoner (someone who used the old ELL before it got closed down in 1995, then again in 2007), would know that the Overground service replaced the old ELL between Whitechapel and NC/NCG, in 2011, whilst also extending the route up to Highbury and Islington. See, I know this, because I've been using it for years. And because I actually live in London... ;)

I do remember Broad St signage up, but it had become Liverpool St station by then. The old Broad St station arcade is still there though. I also remember being on Metropolitan line trains, in the late 80s, that had 'Aldersgate' on the line map. This became the Barbican station in 1968, so you can imagine how old those carriages were. Remember the ones that were painted red, and were painted green inside? Loads of wood as well. All of those got decommissioned or refitted following the Kings Cross fire.

Northern Line:

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Lovely. But the new Overground trains have free WiFi and USB charging ports!
 

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Those old Northern Line trains are still in use on the Isle of Wight, date back to the 1930's
The 1960's Metropolitan line trains were a strange cross between tube and commuter train.
Got an original luggage rack with the brolly hook from one of them on my wall, keep some of my photo gear on it
Another line I remember well was the one from Stratford Low Level to North Woolwich.
Went on it as a kid to go over on the ferry then back again and home on the 69 bus, happy days
 
AZ6 said:
You're right. But then; a real Londoner (someone who used the old ELL before it got closed down in 1995, then again in 2007), would know that the Overground service replaced the old ELL between Whitechapel and NC/NCG, in 2011, whilst also extending the route up to Highbury and Islington. See, I know this, because I've been using it for years. And because I actually live in London... ;)

I do remember Broad St signage up, but it had become Liverpool St station by then. The old Broad St station arcade is still there though. I also remember being on Metropolitan line trains, in the late 80s, that had 'Aldersgate' on the line map. This became the Barbican station in 1968, so you can imagine how old those carriages were. Remember the ones that were painted red, and were painted green inside? Loads of wood as well. All of those got decommissioned or refitted following the Kings Cross fire.

Northern Line:

View attachment 279262

Lovely. But the new Overground trains have free WiFi and USB charging ports!
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Now there's a memory. I was born in Finchley and spend many a day traveling into Central London on one of those with my mum & sister.
 
Born in Grimsby. I’ll leave it at that :D
 
After a night out up west as a teen I could get the train home from broad street to dalston junction and walk home from there . Or If I missed the last one a late night/ early morning one went from Liverpool Street to hackney .. Both lines good for meeting up with local girls for a quickie on the way home to :exit:thanks for bringing the memory back LOL .. and yes the line from dalston junction used to go to Richmond we used to go there for ice skating .ah forgotten memories .
 
Marc said:
Now there's a memory. I was born in Finchley and spend many a day traveling into Central London on one of those with my mum & sister.
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Ah Finchley another set of memories Marc, used to go to the “el toro” club in Finchley as a teen the 60’s were definetly fun .
 
Ah ! More memories I went out for a while with sally Anne felber Unknown to me ,her father was sir Gordon Felber A racehorse owner . , met her in Brighton so first date in London we arranged to meet at Finchley Road station ,got there she never turned up so I phoned her ,running late was the excuse She said I,ll send someone for you . Five minutes later a brand new rolls Royce complete with uniformed chauffer turned up for me .lived in a big block of flats up the road on a corner . Posh wasn’t the word totally out of my league but fun at the time .
Looking back I should have put her up the duff ,might have had a roller myself now :coat::coat:
 
the black fox said:
Ah ! More memories I went out for a while with sally Anne felber Unknown to me ,her father was sir Gordon Felber A racehorse owner . , met her in Brighton so first date in London we arranged to meet at Finchley Road station ,got there she never turned up so I phoned her ,running late was the excuse She said I,ll send someone for you . Five minutes later a brand new rolls Royce complete with uniformed chauffer turned up for me .lived in a big block of flats up the road on a corner . Posh wasn’t the word totally out of my league but fun at the time .
Looking back I should have put her up the duff ,might have had a roller myself now :coat::coat:
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Only 1 letter different from my surname! :eek:
 
Both my Dad who died in '65 and my mum's second husband were London cabbies. Sadly my dad was a gambler so he worked all day and invariably lost most of it in the evening at the dogs. Silly man, but I knew nothing of that, nor am I a gambler. I saw very little of him due to his addiction. He was one of the first to have his Aorta removed, pioneering surgery at the time to alleviate furred up arteries, in his case the surgery wasn't successful and later modified to become the now common and successful triple heart bypass.
Mum's second husband was also a cabbie, we didn't get on too well, guess me being a teenager probably didn't help.
My club of preference was just off the Strand or the boat pub moored nearby on the Thames.
 
MatBin said:
Both my Dad who died in '65 and my mum's second husband were London cabbies. Sadly my dad was a gambler so he worked all day and invariably lost most of it in the evening at the dogs. Silly man, but I knew nothing of that, nor am I a gambler. I saw very little of him due to his addiction. He was one of the first to have his Aorta removed, pioneering surgery at the time to alleviate furred up arteries, in his case the surgery wasn't successful and later modified to become the now common and successful triple heart bypass.
Mum's second husband was also a cabbie, we didn't get on too well, guess me being a teenager probably didn't help.
My club of preference was just off the Strand or the boat pub moored nearby on the Thames.
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could tell you a story about that boat to , moored up near the discovery if my memory serves me rightly . just downstream from bodiceas statue ? as usual it involves a woman :lock:
 
MatBin said:
Muswell or Stamford Hill surely :)
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No; Muswell is too posh for cabbies; even they couldn’t stretch to buying homes there. And Stamford Hill, where we live, is mostly Frummers. Only a few secular Jews round here now. Was once an area favoured by working class Jewish families escaping the slums of Aldgate and Whitechapel, up the A10. The small minority of Orthodox Jews grew in number, and now this area has the largest population of Orthodox Jews in Europe. I love it. I go in all the shops, have a yachen with the shopkeepers and workers. I’m the only Goy in the village! :LOL:
 
i was born in a village up in Scotland...when i die my ashes are being spread in the river that runs through it
 
Still live in the same town I was born 37 years ago, so I guess it can't be too bad.
 
rick448 said:
Born in Grimsby. I’ll leave it at that :D
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Not a lot to have fond memories about then,i moved into Grimsby about 1970, born in old Waltham 1949, have very happy memories of growing up there,not a lot to like now though.

Horses and carts still used, we had a vegetable delivery, coal delivery, and rag and bone man still using horses and carts, village blacksmith to mention but a few.

Oh and Father Christmas knew where i lived then ;)
 
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AZ6 said:
No; Muswell is too posh for cabbies; even they couldn’t stretch to buying homes there. And Stamford Hill, where we live, is mostly Frummers. Only a few secular Jews round here now. Was once an area favoured by working class Jewish families escaping the slums of Aldgate and Whitechapel, up the A10. The small minority of Orthodox Jews grew in number, and now this area has the largest population of Orthodox Jews in Europe. I love it. I go in all the shops, have a yachen with the shopkeepers and workers. I’m the only Goy in the village! :LOL:
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I remember it for the mainly Hasidic Jews living there, they all seemed to drive Volvo estates.
My missus was born in Stoke Newington and later lived on Woodberry Down, all these places have changed so much.
 
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rick448 said:
Born in Grimsby. I’ll leave it at that :D
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You were lucky. I was born in Louth - Grimsby being the nearest, slightly larger, town. It was the back of beyond, at least 3 hours driving (on single-track roads full of country drivers, farm vehicles and artics) from anywhere. Especially once the railway closed. Left as soon as I could at 18 never looked back.

Lived in Portsmouth, Lewisham and Bedford since.

Now I live in Pézenas, Occitanie. Its a small market town miles from anywhere. Much like Louth really. Oh well.
 
east end of London was great as a child/teen growing up ,plenty of pubs/clubs/nightlife and work in them days you could tell your boss to stick it and 2 days later start elsewhere .. but once married you realised what a dreary s***hole it really was at 22 I moved out to rural reading and have only returned about 3 times in 50+ years for quick visits ..now in my welsh hillside retreat with views out over the wirral, cheshire, dee estuary and the Irish Sea .. 10 minutes drive and I'm on the beach or up in the mountains .you can stick London up yer bum
 
I was born in Ndola, Zambia. Moved away when I was 18 months or something, so I don’t remember it. We then lived in Bristol, Bradford, then Joburg in South Africa, then Croydon, Nottingham, Buckingham and Guildford. All over the place basically.

But the place I’ve felt most at home is north-west Scotland which is weird as I have no roots there. Whenever I’ve been there I’ve loved it - the openness, wildness, friendliness. So much so that I bought a house on Skye. It’s feeling more and more like home there now. Won‘t be long before I sell up in Guildford (large family house, kids moved out, so somewhat redundant).

But Ndola - never been back there. I should go at some point but I don’t feel any attachment to the place.
 
Since the thread has been broadened out I'll add a little biography: born in Vienna, but moved to South Norwood when I was 1 and lived there & Thornton Heath until I was 28 when we moved the family to rural Oxfordshire. That part of London was great to grow up in then, but is pretty unpleasant now (a friend from school days described Croydon as "the ghetto" a few years back). I still miss the area as it once was, but Oxfordshire is home now.
 
tijuana taxi said:
I remember it for the mainly Hasidic Jews living there, they all seemed to drive Volvo estates.
My missus was born in Stoke Newington and later lived on Woodberry Down, all these places have changed so much.
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We live on the edge of the Woodberry Down electoral ward. Much of the old estate south of Seven Sisters Road has been replaced by hideous new high rise developments, and many working class families moved out to other places. Some have got homes in the new development, but not many. And those blocks have 'poor doors'. The only people moving in now are wealthy, and overseas 'investors', meaning a large proportion of homes are empty. Shameful.

The Chasidim drove Volvos cos they were big, reliable, tough vehicles, and importantly, not German. Now, it's all people carriers and SUVs.

As for Stokey; it's all Middle Class types now, Yummy Mummies buying über expensive s*** on Church St, and not daring to go onto the High Street where the Working Class people are. Too scared. Some friends of ours bought a place on Church St itself; above some shops, right on the main road. Polluted, noisy and no outside space bar a balcony. For the same money, they could have bought a really, really lovely place up say Wood Green, Bowes Park, up that way. Nice quiet area, nice houses, tube and rail links, etc. But no; it HAD to be Stokey, it HAD to be Church st. Snobs. I think they're mad. But, y'know.

Found this yesterday:

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Really interesting. Full of stories from people who lived on the estate.
 
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the black fox said:
once married you realised what a dreary s***hole it really was
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Marriage doesn't sound great at all...


the black fox said:
now in my welsh hillside retreat with views out over the wirral, cheshire, dee estuary and the Irish Sea .. 10 minutes drive and I'm on the beach or up in the mountains .you can stick London up yer bum
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I get that, I do like that corner of Wales. You up near Llandudno? Lovely. But after a few days of that, I yearn for the big city again. Courses for horses, innit?
 
AZ6 said:
We live on the edge of the Woodberry Down electoral ward. Much of the old estate south of Seven Sisters Road has been replaced by hideous new high rise developments, and many working class families moved out to other places. Some have got homes in the new development, but not many. And those blocks have 'poor doors'. The only people moving in now are wealthy, and overseas 'investors', meaning a large proportion of homes are empty. Shameful.

The Chasidim drove Volvos cos they were big, reliable, tough vehicles, and importantly, not German. Now, it's all people carriers and SUVs.

As for Stokey; it's all Middle Class types now, Yummy Mummies buying über expensive s*** on Church St, and not daring to go onto the High Street where the Working Class people are. Too scared. Some friends of ours bought a place on Church St itself; above some shops, right on the main road. Polluted, noisy and no outside space bar a balcony. For the same money, they could have bought a really, really lovely place up say Wood Green, Bowes Park, up that way. Nice quiet area, nice houses, tube and rail links, etc. But no; it HAD to be Stokey, it HAD to be Church st. Snobs. I think they're mad. But, y'know.

Found this yesterday:

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Really interesting. Full of stories from people who lived on the estate.
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That does sound really interesting, my missus lived in Kilpeck House opposite the gates of the school.
She lived there through the 60's and 70's so know she would love to read that, any idea if its available online?
 
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I remember a gang of us getting chased off of that estate by the plod , I think his exact words were f*** off back to your own manor :thinking:
 
Born in Middlesbrough and still live there, but spent 18 years living away whilst in the RAF, including Germany. I never felt a hold in any of the 9 other places ive lived and always ventured "home" to Boro, It has changed over the years and is very "diverse". It gets a bad press but we live 15 minutes from beautiful rolling hills, and stunning coastline. Our football fans sing "Boro till I die", but cant wait to bring the area down on various internet platforms. Fickle!!
 
My family moved from the area I was born in about the time I was 5. So hardly any memories of it let alone fondness.
I do have some fondness for the area I grew up in, but can easily think of places roughly 170 degrees away on the far side of the world that I prefer! (180° away is rather wet)
 
jpgreenwood said:
Born in Middlesbrough and still live there, but spent 18 years living away whilst in the RAF, including Germany. I never felt a hold in any of the 9 other places ive lived and always ventured "home" to Boro, It has changed over the years and is very "diverse". It gets a bad press but we live 15 minutes from beautiful rolling hills, and stunning coastline. Our football fans sing "Boro till I die", but cant wait to bring the area down on various internet platforms. Fickle!!
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I can't say I feel as if I'm from Boro. I was born in South Bank which is now a shadow of what it was and now live in Normanby with a view of Eston Hills from my bedroom window. I nearly.... moved to Kazakhstan and the view from the window was of a snow covered mountain range which was maybe more dramatic but eston hills are easier to climb and there's a nice blue bell wood.
 
woof woof said:
I can't say I feel as if I'm from Boro. I was born in South Bank which is now a shadow of what it was and now live in Normanby with a view of Eston Hills from my bedroom window. I nearly.... moved to Kazakhstan and the view from the window was of a snow covered mountain range which was maybe more dramatic but eston hills are easier to climb and there's a nice blue bell wood.
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If you can see it through the arson. Daft kids need their necks wringing!!!
 
I was born in Bexleyheath in 1967. Enuff said. :hungover::ROFLMAO:

I was 4 years old when we all moved to Folkestone and have lived here since then, I have a lot of affinity for the town as that's where most of my relatives lived/live so I am happy to call it my "home town", I have stayed in Brighton during my boarding school and college years in the early 80's and I just wanted to get away from there at the earliest opportunity, the town just felt weird to me.
 
Ian D J said:
I was born in Bexleyheath in 1967. Enuff said. :hungover::ROFLMAO:

I was 4 years old when we all moved to Folkestone and have lived here since then, I have a lot of affinity for the town as that's where most of my relatives lived/live so I am happy to call it my "home town", I have stayed in Brighton during my boarding school and college years in the early 80's and I just wanted to get away from there at the earliest opportunity, the town just felt weird to me.
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Thought about buying a holiday place in Folkestone, spent some good times there
Camping on a site at the Warren and another one at Capel le-Ferne
Watched the 1990 World Cup semi between Italy and Argentine locked in a pizza place in the town.
Owners sprinkled holy water on the TV during the penalties, all to no avail
Also used to go across the channel on the Seacat, wished we had bought that flat now
Had just been built, right down the end past the fish huts just before the start of the sandy beach
 
I was born in Denbigh, we've all got a chip on our shoulders, because:

a)anyone outside the town think I was born in the asylum just outside town (the 'Mental), not the Infirmary (where I was)
b) we all get asked the same question about the @$&*ing pottery. IT IS SPELT IGH NOT Y expletive expletive expletive.

It is not an endearing town, I grew up in Ruthin, 8 miles south I am fonder of that town than Denbigh.

Moved around a lot since, Rhyl, Wallasey/Birkenhead, Huntingdon, Ripon, Munich, The Hague and Richmond.
 
Born in Cheltenham, split time between there and Hong Kong until I was about 24 ie 7 years in HK (7-10, 13-17), then lived all over the UK and in Germany and France.
I still feel at home in Cheltenham but I wouldn't choose to live there again, and I feel at home in Shropshire (Tenbury Wells/Ludlow area) because it's where my late Mum's family are/are from and we lived there briefly on the farm. But I feel most at home in Hong Kong and feel constantly drawn to it, but in having to choose somewhere now to make home, rather than moving back to my past, I would say France or Germany
 
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