Costessey Memories "The Mugshots"

Below, you will see the wonderful & knowledgeable contributors (maybe you will recognise some or all of them) to Costessey Memories. It's been so entertaining so far to listen to their fondness of Costessey as a village & now a suburb of Norwich City itself. Without these fantastic people the group would not exist & we thank them for giving up their spare time to offer you, the public, their knowledge & insight about Costessey from yesteryear!

Costessey Memories Archiving

Today's session was to archive any extra photographs, books, documents etc which the members have brought in. These latest items sparked numerous new conversations, particularly the changing infrastructure around the roads and housing. Bunkers Hill has changed quite dramatically from the odd wooden cottage to now numerous modern homes. Many roads in Costessey back then were just dirt tracks but of course now are more established.

Doctors & Nurses

Sarah and Stephen brought along numerous items, including photos, advertising, nurses hats, to loosen the memories of the group with regard to Costessey's local GP surgery, the local nurse and midwife. A questionnaire has been distributed around the group, asking for each members' input. Many members had vivid memories of a stern Nurse Mason, working from her own home close to the oval public house, and of Dr Henchellwood's surgery on the Norwich Road and how he remembered each patients' records, and wrote nothing down. Most babies were born at home, many again being delivered by Nurse Mason. Very few members can remember paying for the doctor before the introduction of the NHS, but those who could, or parents did, remember paying into a private insurance scheme.