‘Camberley: Photographs from the 1880s to the 1980s’ is a page on Facebook that attracts plenty of interaction and can boast close to 15,000 followers/likers. Remarkably, though, the page’s creator, who wishes to stay anonymous, tells CommunityAd the page was created almost by accident.
“Originally I just wanted to keep a record of photos that would confidently give me an accurate record of my distant childhood memories that had become a blur. I wanted to remember exactly the layout and look of the town in the 1960s when I was a young child. From here, the site just grew and grew as I found that others had similar interests. Later, I also wanted to collate photographs of schools in the area as the website Friends Reunited had closed down and all the school photos had been lost”.
The page has almost 15,000 likes, what has made it so popular?
I am not surprised that the page has become so popular. I was confident that I wouldn’t be the only person who was fascinated by all the changes over the years, like seeing different eras such as Victorian and Edwardian and the changes in the various shops and businesses, and reliving such memorable experiences as seeing Camberley Kate and the Blue Pool again. A whirlwind of memories which has been a joy to many people, I’m sure.
Could you explain to our readers what the main use of the page is?
To my mind the main use of the page with its various albums is to allow the user to find their own memories and reflections on their earlier lives as well as being able to look at the history of this great town.
While browsing the page, I see people are using it to identify past relatives/friends and places. Do you know of any successful examples of this? Do you know of anyone within the group that has broken through the confines of the internet and actually met up in real life?
I read every comment and what keeps me going is the way people find other people and where they reminisce about past events they were involved in. I am confident that people have met up after finding each other via the page but have no confirmation of this actually happening. I would love to think this has happened, especially family members who have lost touch.
What makes Camberley and its surrounding areas such a fascinating area?
Due to its history Camberley is indeed a fascinating town. Camberley became a popular place to move to during Victorian and Edwardian times not only due to the Royal Military College but also the pine forests which were believed to have health benefits. Indeed, the decision to build the sanatorium near Frimley was evidence of this. The military history is especially poignant and there are a huge amount of photos contained within the album dedicated to this.
The creator shared with us that their personal favourite era of our local area was the 60s and 70s as this coincided with when they were growing up. Having grown up and lived locally for 21 years, the person behind this page now lives in the West Country. So, the page acts a time machine back to fond memories.