Site in 2005

Change in 2015

Site's Timeline

Why are we doing this?

This email from Kiran Meen sums up the reason why we started this website. Many of us have wanted to ask our deceased parents what was Walthamstow like all those years ago... Kiran writes:

"it was with great affection I was directed to your website by an old friend of mine. After the death of my father I was no longer able to ask or hear stories of what Walthamstow was like when he first emigrated to this area during the late 1950's. This has now caused for me to think back to my own youth of things I remember that are no longer standing or have been redeveloped.

The areas in particular intrest to me were of Blackhorse Lane Infants School, the old Stoneydown Park, the Jubilee street parties and the Crown Luggage factory. Any information, memories or pictures any of the website members would have on any of these topics would be fantastic as internet searches have proved difficult.

If you could make a plea on my behalf it would be greatly appreciated.
Kind Regards, Kiran."

We are happy to receive emails on your memories and items about Walthamstow, as well as those on lost relatives for both personal reasons and family history research. These will be posted in the latest "Postbag" until time permits them to be placed on to more appropriate pages of the site.

We are not able to answer any queries about the history of Walthamstow or about relatives etc..., but we do provide two pages ("Family Search" and "Lost & Found"), where your query is recorded with your email address in the hope that someone browsing the website may have an answer for you. In the past this has worked well and numerous queries have received responses and connections have been made between people. So keep them coming...!

It all started...

In year 2000, 'at the turn of the millennium', I shared with many friends a common feeling: an ancestral, almost unconscious, fear of stepping into a new era, accompanied by a sudden, strong - and quite shocking - perception that we were all leaving our past behind. The same feeling one has, individually, when an old building in your neighbourhood is pulled down, or when you lose someone close to you. You stop and wonder: "How many stories that building must have seen..." or "I wish I had asked old granny more about life at her times..."

At the closing of 1999, with the emerging new star, the WEB, quite briskly widening the opportunities of a totally new form of communication, I though I could open a little "window on the past" of my childhood hometown: Walthamstow". I soon found a valid sustainer in my old friend John Newell (his personal story/pictures you can see here, and in particular the Town Hall picture in our logo was taken by him). I was immediately surprised by the number of emails I received: Postbag 2001 is there to show...!

Over the years I've kept the site up, encouraged by the increasing number of visitors, although the scarce amount of free time I have - my business involves me in many other projects - has occasionally influenced the regular update of the site's contents. However, at the end of 2008, a new visitor, Daniel Quinn (a semi-retired calligrapher residing in Italy) offered his help in taking care of this aspect - wonders of Internet!.

Of course, this site's success is strongly tied to the great contribution that you, our visitor, bring in with your emails, stories, photographs and general feedback. Use our Contact Us section for this purpose, or email direct to John or Daniel. A great big THANKS to all of you!

The Site in 2005 [Top of Page]

Here's a "snapshot" of what the Walthamstow Memories site was back in 2005:

1 October 2015 - IMPORTANT SITE NEWS

Dear Friend & Visitors,

I have received the following communication from John H. Knowles, the creator and originator of the "Waltamstow Memories" site:

And this is my reply:

I'm sure you'll all want to join me in thanking John and wishing him all the best!

The server change-over is taking more time than initially expected - I hope all will return to normal shortly.

I will soon update the Postbag with all your emails, but I have to wait for a better internet connection than the one I borrowing from my iPhone....!!

All the best!

Daniel

Walthamstow Memories... in a time-line;

What and when it happened... in a vertical nutshell!

Contact Daniel

Daniel J Quinn
Editor of Walthamstow Memories

It's always a pleasure to receive your messages! If you have your own memories and pictures of Walthamstow you'd like to share, just drop me an email and, if you wish, I shall post it in our Current Postbag, where all visitors may read it.
This is what "Walthamstow Memories" is here for. Read our aims [HERE]

• Email Daniel