Category Archives: Archives & local studies

Jessy Emma Scott’s Journal

Posted on March 8, 2022 by LBHF Libraries

In 1964 I came across an old journal in Thorps second hand bookshop at the top of Guildford High Street. I found it in a pile of books in the corridor waiting to be sorted out. It cost me 7/6d.  … Continue reading →

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Christmas Cards

Posted on January 3, 2022 by LBHF Libraries

At this time of year many of us are busy noting what Christmas Cards we received. This is a small collection of cards kept in my family for over one hundred years. We tend to think that our distant relatives … Continue reading →

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The Swinging Sixties

Posted on October 20, 2021 by LBHF Libraries

I dedicate this blog to my friend Colin Levy who passed away on 12 October after a short battle with cancer. May he rest in peace. On 12 April 1961 Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space and for … Continue reading →

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The School Year (1950s and 1960s): On little or no money

Posted on January 13, 2021 by LBHF Libraries

The post war and baby boomer years were pretty tough for many Shepherds Bush families. Money was tight and younger children would often wear hand-me-down clothes. Sometimes both parents worked, or the father would have to do extra work. Neighbours … Continue reading →

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Free Access to Ancestry Online

Posted on May 11, 2020 by LBHF Libraries

LBHF Library staff member, Karen Blackwell, explains how easy it is to use this free online resource This is really something to get excited about! Ancestry (library edition), usually only available in our library buildings, is now accessible from home … Continue reading →

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School Memories (from the 1960s)

Posted on November 14, 2019 by LBHF Libraries

Christopher Wren Secondary Modern School Years 4 to 6 Having left behind the Victorian built Ellerslie Road School my early years at Christopher Wren School were spent in the modern 1950s building. However, we did have a few lessons in … Continue reading →

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School Memories from the 1960s

Posted on August 5, 2019 by LBHF Libraries

Christopher Wren Secondary Modern School. Years 1 to 3 The plans for two new interconnected schools in Shepherds Bush were revealed in 1952 with a projected cost of £633,000. The old North Hammersmith Secondary School on Bryony Road would be … Continue reading →

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A Walk along the Towpath: Hammersmith Bridge to Putney Bridge

Posted on July 23, 2019 by LBHF Libraries

Last year I wrote about the section of the towpath that passes through Hammersmith. Today we walk from Hammersmith Bridge to Putney Bridge. In the early days, the Fulham riverside was farm land, mainly orchards and market gardens, owned by … Continue reading →

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The Riverside Studios

Posted on April 25, 2019 by LBHF Libraries

The Riverside Studios in Crisp Road are due to reopen in August this year following the closure of the old studios in 2014. The former Studios and the neighbouring Queen’s Wharf have been replaced by a new state of the … Continue reading →

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Shopping in the 1950s

Posted on April 11, 2019 by LBHF Libraries

I recently watched an old Steptoe and Son Christmas special in which Albert says he would go down to Shepherds Bush Market on Christmas Eve and pick up a cheap turkey at the auction.  I remember my parents telling me … Continue reading →

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