Why am I always so disappointed...

[LizzieW]

I found cottages, graveyards, gravestones etc. of my ancestors when I visited small villages in Norfolk, Suffolk, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and Cheshire, but the houses where my parents were brought up in North Manchester have long since disappeared and all the neighbourhoods around, to be covered with council houses, that looking at Google are in such a bad state they need pulling down.  My gran's house in N.Manchester has gone, (it was the end of a terrace), to make way for some greenery and open space.  My aunt's house in the next street is still there and all the houses have been refurbished and look very smart.

As far as I can tell from Google, my g.grandparents tobacconist/confectioners shop on Hessle Road Hull has been demolished along with neighbouring shops and a Wilkinsons store built on the land.  I think the rest of their addresses in Hull have long since been demolished - and looking at old photographs I'm not surprised.

The shop where I lived until I was 12 is still standing and still selling the same type of items as when we had it.  Most of the remaining shops have changed into restaurants, estate agents, bathroom fitting shops etc.  It is a really upmarket Cheshire village now.  Sometimes I think I'd like to go back and walk into the shop and ask if I can look around it and the living accommodation

[jenny36]

That's how I feel when I see an old-radio, but it's playing current news and music.
Why isn't it playing the songs my Grandmother sang along to while she danced with Grandfather?

[Rishile]

That's how I feel when I see an old-radio, but it's playing current news and music.
Why isn't it playing the songs my Grandmother sang along to while she danced with Grandfather?

That's strange -  I have always thought that 

Nobody I have said that to understands me though 

Rishile

[nainmaddie]

A few years ago I made my late husband drive around Anglesey, to find all the villages my ancestors lived in.  If you blinked you missed it !!!  Hardly any villages to speak of, and in the whole of the island there were 24 parishes.

Lydart. I enjoyed seeing your photo of Southampton airport !!  My husband's ancestors are buried underneath Stansted airport.

I was just about to post Bridgewater when you posted your link.  I rather like him, as they grow willow around the area.

[jenny36]

My daughter thought that a long time ago the entire world was in black, grey & white, and one day color appeared.
She got that from the fact that all old movies were black & white.  New movies are in color,......

[Kim1980]

My daughter thought that a long time ago the entire world was in black, grey & white, and one day color appeared.
She got that from the fact that all old movies were black & white.  New movies are in color,......

To be fair, I still imagine my ancestors living in a black and white world!

I agree that it is sad that so many places no longer exist but I wouldn't turn the clock back for anything. Where I live, has been built on an old brewery that was surrounded by slum housing. Poverty was everywhere, children were generally mudlarks with no education, women were prostitues or worked every hour possible raising large families and taking in odd jobs. It is now completely redeveloped, apart from a few Georgian buildings. We now have safe streets, good quality housing and a far better quality of life. I'm just glad so many places were photographed before redevelopment so we can enjoy the areas without the reality that came with it.

Kim

[Ruskie]

Housing in once low socio-economic areas are now very desirable especially in inner cities. There are ways to make improvements and keep the character of old buildings without razing an area to the ground. Because they were once slums doesn't follow that they have to continue to be so today. Look at what happened in the 60's - all the terraces were torn down, and 'modern' high rise built in their places - in turn these have now been removed. If the original terraces still remained today, they would probably be very sought after.

[jenny36]

to Kim1980,
While I like your term 'mudlarks' for children, why was your first description of 'most' of  the women as 'prostitutes'?  Do you have any factual evidence?  Unless there are prison records to prove they were  prostitutes, please let's think of our female ancestors as hardworking women with high moral standards. 

[Kim1980]

In reply, the housing was awful, I have pictures! As you say, there was some terrible rebuilding in the 60s and 70s, which is now being replaced with much nicer/practical social housing. To be fair, a lot of the original slum housing was demolished during bombing raids in WW2.

On the subject of 'most' of the women being prostitutes', it very well documented after many years of (other people's) research. I don't want to say where it is, as I don't want to give away too  much personal info, but this is a large street in Portsmouth, which has had much written about it from a lot of documented evidence (one that I found particularly interesting was a survey, much like the Charles Booth records of East London, done by a local church official). So, whilst I welcome your comments Jenny, I feel I am justified this time 

Kim