Born 1946 14 Bolingbroke Walk Memories Of Battersea From Across The Sea

A Memory of Battersea.

In my 70th year, currently living in Canada, enjoying fond memories of my first 24 formative years , spent in Battersea: Bolingbroke Walk; Montefiore St; Elcho St and mostly in Westbridge House. Consider myself lucky with location, brother, friends and bicycle. Battersea and bikes and youngsters went together so well. easy to enjoy Battersea Park at one end and the shopping mecca of Clapham Junction at the other. The street stalls of Battersea High St. Two wonderful schools, Bolingbroke Walk and Sinjuns. the thames "beach" at St Mary's church. The bomb debris "playgrounds". The magic of bike shops in Battersea Square, Clapham Junction and Battersea Rise. Army surplus and radio parts shops to feed hobbies and imagination. Pie and mash and eels and liquor and Notariannis (?sp) ice cream in Battersea High St; bread and dripping and Jusoda from Dai's; bread pudding, sausage rolls and jam doughnuts; fish and chips at Battersea Bridge; cafe racer motorbikes on Chelsea Bridge Road. Pubs galore with that then characteristic beer and wood fragrance. Festival gardens, tree walk, slot machines, furtive Woodbines, Weights and Batchelors. Old English Gardens, Fireworks, fountains, dare devil divers, wall of death motorbikes. Tennis courts, running tracks, soccer fields, boating lake , fishing - affordable and all jammed with "ordinary people" just enjoying their free time. Watchful, fearsome, yet ultimately friendly foot police and park keepers. Passers by who knew your mother, Women daily shopping with bags and frequent chat stops. Trams, buses and trains and cars and aeroplanes with numbers and shapes to be recognised and recorded. Observers Books Of X and Y, and I-Spy books, dinkey, matchbox and corgi cars,meccano and Marmod. A simple yet full and wonderful time and place to be a youngster.