Where I Live - History

The following provides a very brief history of places I have lived, been educated, or worked, going back over the years...

Born in the North West of England, my family moved to Weaverham, Cheshire when I was about 2. I lived there until I was 18, going to the local schools - Weaverham Forest Street, and Weaverham High School - then onto Sir John Deanes College in Northwich. My parents still live in Weaverham, and I visit - although not as often as I should!

Weaverham was where I grew up - it is a village, albeit a large village - with a selection of shops, schools, and pubs. It seems pretty much the same these days, with more houses, less shops and pubs, and a bypass. It even has a wine bar these days - although I've never been there!

After college, I went to University in Southampton - studying Electronic Engineering - staying on in Southampton after my degree - continuing on at the University, and living in various places around Southampton.

Southampton changed over the years, and I still occassionally visit now. The city centre used to have a few pubs on the main high street - now it's full of them! Around Southampton are places such as the New Forest, Bournemouth, Winchester and the Isle of Wight - all of which I visted fairly regularly, often for a beer or three.

I started working as a IT contractor in 1995 - working for BAe Sema in Portchester. I spend a brief time living in the outskirts of Portsmouth, before moving back to Southampton. In 1997 I moved away from Southampton, going up to Reading - renting my first flat just outside the city centre.

Reading was another city that changed dramatically even over the short period of time I lived there. The Oracle Shopping Centre and riverside pubs opened, but my favourite had to be Sweeney and Todd pie shop. Reading was also ideally located for travelling around the country - with excellent rail links to London, Bristol, Southampton and north to Birmingham and beyond. It also has a regular coach service to Heathrow - which I often used on my travels.

My next move was a little further - going up to Edinburgh - easily my favourite city of anywhere I have lived or visited. Unfortunately soon after moving there my sister was taken ill, and I was in a position to stop working and help her recovery - so my time living and working in Edinburgh was cut short, looking to move somewhere less than 7 hours drive from Leicester! I still try to visit Edinburgh each year, and it's the city where I proposed to my wife.

Towards the end of 1999 I moved down to Cambridge - and worked at Addenbrooke's Hospital. I didn't expect to stay too long there, but ended up buying my first house in Cherry Hinton on the outskirts of the city in 2000. Cambridge also turned out to be a good place to travel into London - with a fairly quick train service into Kings Cross, or a slower one to Liverpool Street - which I used during a brief spell of working in the City. Never again! London is OK is small doses, but commuting on overcrowded trains just isn't for me.

In 2000 I also met Sandra, and after we travelled between Cambridge and Swindon for many month, she moved up to Cambridge in 2001 - having successfully applied for a job with Cambridge City Council. In 2002 we bought a house together in the village of Wilburton, Cambridgeshire - which is where we still live today.

So I grew up in a village, lived in various cities across the country, and ended up back in a village. Where I live now we have one pub, a post office/shop, and a garden center - but it also has a fantastic community with people willing to give up a lot of their spare time to put on events that are hugely popular. We are now part of this, helping out with the beer festival and fireworks - and no doubt as our daughter grows up we'll be involved in other groups within the village.