Seacroft has a wealth of interesting history from the 19th and 20th century. Today, in the 21st century residents and ex residents are keen to relate their recollections, memories and opinions on a central site. The LS14 trust has joined with a number of local groups and individuals to document and share their memories. On the site these are collected in various sections.
The information on this site is gleaned from the personal memories of residents who have taken part in the Seacroft Story project. As such they are views, opinions and individual stories and may provide differing recollections of events and the history of the area. We would like to thank all our contributors both individuals and groups who have kindly given their time and knowledge to the project. Special mention to the Seacroft Community Literary and Arts Society for the copyright to their local publications and to the Thoresby society for permission to use extracts from their work.
If you feel you could contribute then we welcome your own memories which can be added by contacting us and sending them via e-mail or by making an appointment with us. We have recorded interviews with residents and added their personal photographs, which is also always welcome. We are keen to have as many people involved as possible to write their own history of the area. The work already produced has been accessed by the Universities of Leeds and Cardiff to contribute to the National Family archive project.
You can access and browse a wide collection of memories and local history, whether it concerns Personal Recollections, Landmarks, Local history, Play, Family History, and Events. (Understandably the site is still under construction so minor edits and new content will be constant.) As mentioned above, we are keen to hear from as many residents, ex residents and interested parties to further develop the site If you'd like contact us:www.ls14trust.org
Tales of Old Seacroft
By R.J. Shoesmith-Taylor-Marshall
I’m going to tell you about old Seacroft and about the time, which seems not so long ago, when I was playing with my childhood friend Kevin in the old gate house yard. We played on the old horse drawn wagons and farm carts, both four and two wheeled, which had been stored there for ever and forgotten until our discovery. Oh, the amazement we both felt on finding such treasure!
As I look back in my mind on this, it is hard to believe that those old wagons of all types had been collected and left there after the estate farms had been broken up sometime on from the forties and I had often wondered what had happened to them all. As I remember, I counted at least twenty of them at the time.
I remember an old man coming out of the gate house and shouting at us to “get over here before I call a policeman”.
With trepidation we went over to him and stood there as he asked us our names.
“Kevin” said my friend, “Robert” said I.
“Where do you live?” he demanded and out spilled our home addresses.
“Redmire Drive” said kevin.
“Same as me” I said.
The man looked at me closely “I know you, you’re James’s lad, Robert” he said.
“Yes I am, don’t tell my mum will you or I will get into trouble” I replied.
“By gum, I remember when your mother were born - in 1918 that was”.
He shouted for his wife who came to the door. She knew me straight away.
“How’s your mum Robert? she asked. “I was talking to her in your gran’s shop this morning as she was sorting out some vegetables”.
This was of course my grand mother’s shop, Marshall’s Stores, originally called