Family Life
My family was one of the first sixteen families to move onto the new council housing in Ushaw Moor in January 1947. To move from 29 Harvey Street in New Brancepeth into 38 Victoria Court, Ushaw Moor, was a cultural shock even at eight years old. An indoor flush toilet, hot and cold running water and a bath was truly out of this world. It was like winning the Lottery. The first sixteen families were housed in the last four and the first eight numbered houses in Whitehouse Court. We were housed in the last numbered four houses in Victoria Court. I could write a book about those early years in Ushaw Moor but people would not be interested. I find it odd that people do not write their memories for future generations. The first winter there was horrific. I remember waking up to find the snow drifted up to the bedroom windows. The country was at a halt for a number of weeks but the enjoyment from the snow was great for an eight year old. I watched fields being eaten up by housing as the whole of the estate was built up over the next ten years, Oakridge Road up to Ash Avenue, was the second phase, people were housed in decent housing from the colliery rows. Progress was made in strides then, everything was new and exciting after the austerity of the war years. The end of rationing, St. Josephs school and Church, the Store on Durham Road, the freedom to roam down the beck, and the companionship of boyhood friends made life happy. My Dad died in September, 1947, in the County Hospital at the top of North Road in Durham. This was a huge blow but my Mam, God Bless her, took over the responsibility of raising her five children and made a fantastic job of it. Many happy memories. I hope someone reads this and adds their own memories.
BRIAN MC LOUGHLIN
Location: Hebburn, Tyne & Wear
BRIAN MC LOUGHLIN
Location: Hebburn, Tyne & Wear
In July 1946 i started to serve
my apprenticeship as a joiner with the old Brandon And
Byshottles U D C,and my first years were spent helping
to build this estate.
That first winter really was a
severe one, the site was closed for approx. nine weeks
with only the foreman and the youngest apprentice being
kept-on from each trade,travel was very difficult and
walking from Alum Waters to the site took almost one
hour.
The building of this new housing estate was a great
social improvement for the area as well as improvement
in health and hygiene conditions once the old houses
and outside toilets were demolished, the provision
of hot water, bathrooms and modern kitchens [things that
we nowadays take for granted] were indeed a tremendous
luxury ,as a young apprentice i felt proud to be a part
of this local social renewal, so much in fact that even
today [almost sixty years later ] i still drive to the
estate to look around and recall old memories.
Of course the compulsary purchase of the land was necessary andit was inevitable that this would cause distress to some of the farmers in particular to Mr Stephenson who lost quite a lot of his land and to a lesser degree my uncle Will,Armorey atBrecon Hill farm. A high proportion of the work force lived in the Ushaw Moor/EshWinning areas and ican recall such names as Benny Chicken,Joe Howarth, Tommy Burnip,Billie [Chick]Henderson,Maurice Facey, George March and a host of others including Richard[Dickie] Dye from Bearpark ,can anyone remember Dickie,?
i really hope so,
Regards To All
GEOFF, TURNER.
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