Bedfont memories
Here are memories of Bedfont and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Bedfont or a Bedfont photo.
The Bus.
Can anyone remember the blue bus that used to come up New Road on to the main parade of the shops, down Bedfont Lane and into Feltham over the railway a few times a day? The driver was Keith, he wore glasses, I would like to know what his surname was.
Shops.
My sister Christine lived in North Road from babes till 18-19 years old. I can remember the parade of shops, the chemist, Clair's hairdressers, Combes the bakers, Pickerings hardware store. There was a shop where we bought our shoes and I'm sure our school uniform. I remember Grants fish and chip shop, the bank, first supermarket, Budgens, Pollard the greengrocer, the launderette where Ruth Collis and my foster mother Margaret Ellis used to work and last Gerrards the greengrocer where I worked, this was the late 1950s well into the 1960s. We both went to Bedfont infants and junior and then on to Longford school. I can remember having to wear a blazer in the infants. What great times were had, we went to the 'rec every day in the summer hols, lunch sixpence and drink, had to be home at five, the paddling pools were great.
MEMORIES OF BEDFONT, MIDDLESEX
These are Bedfont memories of my father Peter Brunt, born in Bedfont in 1932. Does anything ring a bell with anyone? Lawrence's orchard and chicken farm was opposite Bedfont School. The field next door to the school was the Bedfont recreation ground until 1940 when it was converted to an ack-ack, anti aircraft battery (army). In 1946 they got it back as their football field and still had some concrete blocks (gun foundations) in it so was very hard to fall on. A new recreation ground was built further along about 1960ish on what were vegetable garden allotments during the war. Bedfont school was then built on the old recreation ground. STAINES ROAD, BEDFONT (ROYAL OAK PUB AREA) Left hand side gowing towards Staines: Clockhouse Lane with a Mrs Hughes on corner house. Next door Mrs Annie Osbourne and daughters Lilly, Ivy and Iris. Across alley was Bill Nicholson and wife with son Derek, then Freddy Dyatt and wife Barbara (nee Allen). Next door was my dad's Uncle Charlie Clarke and wife Minnie,... Read more
Bedfont Shops.New Parade
Well, 1950s & 1960s. One or two shops changed use after that date but not much changed! Just before this section, moving from Bedfont Lane they installed the Barclays Bank alongside the Songi's (sic?) betting shop. These shops though... does anyone else remember them? I think I have them all correct and wonder what they are now?Are they there in fact? They were there in the mid 1980s when I visited, although the far end area had already been a car sales lot for some time. Nearest 1st: Unwin's Bottle Shop, newsagent - Dickinson's/Bluebird, later the Sewing Shop? (I still have some patterns from there...real 'dolly bird' numbers but classics, just the same. The 'other' Chemist; then 'P...' used to be a general grocery with displays of dog foods and soem chicken feed bins, the sort of place with wooden floors, counters, biscuit boxes beneath the counters and display shelves with special bins in the centre of the shop....a laneway with Grants Fish & Chip Shop, a Florist and the... Read more
Just as I Remember
As a young boy I recall having some great times on Bedfont Green, picking up acorns and every year going to the fair with dad. I would love to see how it looks today, maybe someone could contact me and send me a photo for me to see? You can't post photos onto this website.
BEDFONT.
There so much I remember of Bedfont, but the best is how safe the area was and how we used to play out late at night playing torch at the corner of Southville Road using the post box and the bushes. We couldn't play ball games on the lane ground then as our neighbour Mr Drake use to get the ball and puncture it. I loved the Christmas carol singing and Linda and I used to share the money out in the optician which was next to the car lot, I would then go into the off licence and but 1/2oz of tobacco for dad, cigs for mum, chocolate for brother, and then get R Whites Lemonade/Cherryade, we use to raid the off licence garden to get the empties and then take them back in to get the 2p back on the bottle. The once a year fair on the green by the church. I used to attend Southville School, Mrs Cornock was the best teacher along with Mrs Linaker.... Read more
Memories Of Bedfont
These memories relate to about 1963-1966/7. My dad was a car salesman for more years than I care to remember, and worked at the car sales place in Bedfont.
We knew a lot of people in the area (none, alas, on this site so far), but I can remember the glass/pottery shop next door, the toyshop that I spent hours looking round, the sweetshop on the corner next to that.
Gerry who had the furniture shop across the road who used to let me watch Dr. Who on his tv (Thanks for that, I have never forgotten it), and Jack, who had the cafe, where I ate so many different meals!!
All the lovely almshouses on the green down the road (at least, I think they were almshouses), the road right next door to the garage, where one dark night an invalid car with one headlight came up the road and scared the life out of me!.
It wasn't until many years later when I came... Read more
Bedfont 1950s
My family, Perry, moved to Bedfont from Hayes in 1953. Mum and dad had been saving up for a place of our own for years and on that momentous day we moved in to Orchard Avenue, Bedfont into a brand new house where I had my own bedroom for the first time. I spent months digging and laying out our front and back gardens with my father and all the neighbours soon became firm friends. As I was 12 I was soon enrolled into Longford Girls School in Feltham where I made friends whom I go on holiday with 50 years later. We have all had our children and are now on the return circle of life and meeting up once more after all those years have gone by. If there are any old girls from Miss Hornby's class who remembers me, Doreen Perry, please email me at doreen.w@tiscali.co.uk. Love to hear from you. The airport has expanded just a bit from the days when we would walk across from... Read more
Memories of Middlesex
Heathrow, Under Construction, From A Helicopter c1960
I suggest this photo was taken c.1954 as the Control Tower and Main Terminal buildings were complete and opened by the Queen in 1955. My first visit there as a planespotter was in 1961, by that time the airport was in full operation. Happy Days - open roof gardens for viewing, no terrorist threats and life was less stressful.
Sunday Gardener
In 1961 I got my first job after leaving school at S & R Smiths Garage on the Great South West Road. The owners were brothers Sydney and Raymond Smith. We called them Mr Ray and Mr Sid. I started in the stores department. It was a Ford dealers and sometimes I would be sent out on my bicycle to fetch parts from main Ford dealers. This could mean going as far as Staines or Twickenham. The stores manager was Pat, an Irishman with seven children. He would always insist on having St Patrick's Day off. There was also a nice old chap that worked in the stores part time, I only knew him as Pop, he was about eighty, had white hair and would shuffle along.
A panal beater started at the garage who was Asian, but came from Johannesburg, South Africa. He was the first coloured man I had met. The lads in the workshop wouldn't help him if he needed a hand to do something, so... Read more
CRANFORD 1938- 1946
My parents moved to Cranford in 1938, I was 3 years old. My dad was a pastrycook / baker and had got a job with a local firm in Cranford across from ‘The Berkeley Arms Hotel’ To the left of the hotel was a cherry orchard. A bakers shop and a hairdressing salon with a two bedroom flat had been built opposite, this was where we lived. The garden was huge, and had 26 fruit trees in the bottom half. My dad was to work in the bakehouse of the firm’s second shop. This was on the Bath Road as well. on the corner of Wellington Road near Hounslow opposite a pub called ‘The Windsor Castle’ which I think is still there. Next door to the shop in Cranford, was a detached house which was also a bank. Then came several more shops, a grocers, a greengrocers, a newsagents, a wool shop and a butchers. This was on the corner of Waye Avenue where several of my friends’ lived.... Read more
Cranford Shops
There was Hawkins grocers shop next to Cliffords and a newsagent next to the library. Think the greengrocer (opp. Victoria Wine) was called Lawrence's. Hardware shop was Parsons. Electric shop (next to the cafe) was Richards Radio. Was the butchers Deane's? Opposite side of the road was the post office/Leakes the baker and butcher. Few cottages, the Stagg & Hounds - pub - not licensed for spirits.
Berkeley Ave
I lived in Cranford in the late 60's early 70's. It was a great place to live. We moved into our grandparents house. I loved the old village style buildings near the Berkeley Arms and was sad to see a new hotel in its place. There used to be a small farm where my brothers got my cat from. I moved to Australia in 1972 but have returned 3 times only to find it's lost the charm.
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