Church in Abington Park
Northampton.
In the church is buried a member of William Shakespeare family.
Anne Thursby and David Garrick, Actor took a piece of a mulberry tree in Shakespeares garden in Stratford upon Avon.It was planted in 1778 on the east lawn of the house in Abington Park.As of 2014 it is still standing with some help to keep it upright.
Photo. Rich Lewis
in 1950-1960-1970s I made many visits to Abington Park.
As children we visited the park on a Sunday to sit and listen to the band and eat an ice cream with our parents.
As my second full time job i was employed at the Brook dress Manufactoring factory. we made ladies dresses for well known firms including Marks and Spencers. iI had studied two years full time at Northampton College of Technology in dress design. To work in a factory you had to start at the bottom.
My first job was to machine sew buttons onto dresses for Marks and Spencers, this was a very boring job. I progressed to overlooking of hems to pattern cutting in the cutting room. This job entailed laying many layers of material upon one another and pinning the patterns on , using the minimum of material. the rolls of material were so heavy the men had to bring them to the large tables for us and cut round the patterns with saws.
I had trained as a dress designer and the only job i could have got was by moving to London, something i wasnt prepared to do.
For our lunch hour in the spring and summer days a group of us would walk to Abington Park and eat out sandwiches, this made us feel better as in the factory we had one frosted window and was unable to see the outside unless it was open. One day there was loud speakers and a few cars out side , it was Reg Paget our M.P asking us to vote for him. we all tried to look out of the window to see him.He was Labour M.P for Northampton from 1945-1974.http://abington park northampton
Years later we would take some of our children to enjoy the park.
abington park bandstand. northampton.
photo darren martin.
Barratt Shoe Factory.
Kingsthorpe Hollow.
Northampton
They had a seconds shoe shop from where we brought good seconds Northampton made shoes.
I also had friends who worked for Mansfields Shoe Factory Wellingborough Road and was able to buy Northampton made shoes at discount prices
Photo. Rich Lewis
Kingsthorpe Northampton.
While living in Kingsthorpe Northampton . i helped out with many different charities.
Once a week i worked at Relate charity shop in the main shopping street. locals called it[ The Front].
We was busy with customers who enjoyed chatting with the staff and browsing among the items on display. nearly always purchasing goods before leaving the shop.
Not only people with children but older people and people who had enough money to buy new if they desired. In other words , people from all walks of life.
When the shop was closed black sacks of clothes were left outside the shop door. When the shop opened the sacks were taken to the back room and sorted. Good items were steamed and ironed , not so good items were offered cheap or put in the rag bag for collection. the shop was paid money per sack of rags. nothing was wasted.
One customer that came in each week was a local man . Mr Agutter, he told us he was the uncle of Jenny Agutter the actress who stared in the Railway Children film. He was an very nice man . he also had the same shaped nose as she has.
Jenny Agutter.
Carlsberg Brewery.
Northampton
Living in Far Cotton we got use to to the smell of a brewery.
From 1817 -1959 the brewery belonged to Phipps
1960 Watney Mann[Red Barrel] brought out Phipps NBC Brewery.
During the 1960`s a group of us was able to visit the brewery and learn how beer was made.
1973 Carlsberg Brewery was built
1974 Bridge Street Brewery closed down
Photo. Rich Lewis
Delapre Abbey .
It was founded in 1145 by Simon de Senlis
This had been a covent for the Nunns.
Later on became a family home .Home to Miss Mary Bouverie. Whom Mr Jim Fraser looked after in her last years. He was my mothers cousins husband.
It was a place we visited regularly. My mothers first cousin lived in the cottages near the stable block. Her husband was head gardener at the Abbey.My father was shown around the empty Delapre Abbey and taken to see the locked door to the passage that leads to All Saints Church in Northampton Town Centre. The passage runs under the River Nene.
Photo Rich Lewis
Greenhouses in walled garden .
Delapre Abbey Northampton.
Mr James Fraser was gardener at Delapre.
He was married to Ida Mortimer my mothers first cousin.
We used to visit for tea and a walk round the beautiful gardens.
See more information in my book. GULLIVER TRAVELS AGAIN.
Photo Rich Lewis
Northampton General Hospital.
built on this site 1793
The old hospital building entrance . Billing Road , Northampton
This was the entrance used by everyone including the ambulances and patients before the new part of the hospital was built in Cliftonville, Northampton
All Saint Church.
Northampton Town Centre
This a church in the centre of Northampton. It was used on occasions by the Spencer family . They had a special seat. we used to attend services after walking from Far Cotton. We used the gallery to sit in and could see every one that attended church.The Royal family have visited Northampton over the years. Including King George and Queen Elizabeth .Princess Margaret Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Princess Diana. Prince William visited Althorp House with his parents.
Photo. Rich Lewis
The Drapery. Northampton
At the top of the road was a Lady Bird childrens clothes shop. Now a cancer charity shop.
Other shops have changed since . Johnsons the cleaners still there. Macfisheries fish shop now a charity shop. Further down was jeyes the chemist , richardsons the hair dressers,H.Samuels jewellery shop.
On the left hand side was Adnitts department store before being taken over by Debenhams.
On the right hand side was a few public houses and banks and shops that have changed many times. including Khttp:// RECENT HISTORY NORTHAMPTONinghams grocery store.
Photo Darren Martin
bridge street northampton
north and roper chemist
billingham printer and music seller.
the shop was at the front of the building and the back was where the stores and printing was done.
my boss at jeyes chemist was mrs kirchmeier ,it was her fathers business. when her father died she ran it with her mother and staff . keeping a full time job as a chemist and having a family of three children. it was there that i was allowed to have my wedding invitations printed for free as a wedding present. i was taken of a tour around the workshop by one of the employees. little did i know that the billingham family who owned the business where from harpole as was my grandmothers family the blackwells. maria blackwells sister , mary married john cory and their son married elizabeth billingham. she died early in the mariage and he married again.
as my mother said we are all related.
Northampton 2015 celebrating the Magna Carta 1215 Wood knights are placed all around the town centre of Northampton.They are most impressive.Having been carved out of wood.
