Early Years
I was born in Carshalton and lived at 5 Pelton Avenue for the first 10 years of my life. A Mr Ely lived at No 1, Mr and Mrs Townsend with their 2 children Catherine and Michael, at no 3, us, then known as Barbara Coleman at no 5, Mr & Mrs Newman, John amd Michael at no7 and my cousins David and Josephine Harmsworth and their mum and dad at no 9. Over the road was a Mrs Savage, a welsh woman and Peter Beavis and his mum and dad.
I vaguely remember a nursery school called ,I think, Green Gables, Rex's the sweet shop,the Californian pub, the n0 80 and the 81 bus to sutton and the little 213 that went down the switchback. There used to be fires on the Downs quite often then, and the fire engines were cheered madly!
I went to the League of Health and Beauty on a Saturday afternoon at a hall in the village,not for long!
My mum was in the Trefoil Guild, which was quite strong then and I recall a Jennifer Farmer Elizabeth Bone and a Russel Oliver, or was it the other way round?
I went to BurghHeath Methodist school when young, then went to Glaisdale in Sutton, with Peter Beavis.
My dad worked in London and he had a n allotment at the back of the gardens in 5 Pelton Avenue. My cousins moved to 106 Banstead Road South and in 1958 I moved to Devon.
My brother continued to live with his family at 213 Brighton Road for some time
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RE: RE: Early Years
I was born in Epsom, and lived in Belmont all my childhood till I moved away when I was 23 years old.
I lived in Cotswold Road and went to school there. Played on the downs and certainly remembered the fires and the fire brigade coming out to attend to them. The 213 bus I could see and hear from my bedroom.
I also remember Catherine Townsend and her brother. Catherine and I sat at the same table at school (infants class) and I remember she went to the Catholic school at Banstead when she was 6 or 7years old. My brother was great friends with John Newman, and I seem to remember his brother Michael had an accident as a child. Josephine Harmsworth was also at school with me I remember she had fair hair. Peter Beavis I also remember but I don't recall whether it was school or sunday school.
I went briefly to Health and Beauty at the Methodist church hall in Belmont. Miss Attrells School was just a little way along from the church hall and I can recall rememberance sunday at 11 o'clock when all the girls at the school would be standing at the open windows and we would be outside by the war memorial for the 2minutes silence it would be so quiet that you could here the guns in Hyde Park going off which was about 12 or 13 miles away !
The shops selling sweets were Rex's on the corner opposite the station and Brown's over the bridge in Station Road. Also Diprose in Downs Road sold sweets as well as groceries.
Remember the California Pub being rebuilt I believe it had sustained bomb damage in the war.
Just remembered the freedom we had to play on the downs and the long summer evenings.
Comment from Catherine Johnston on Thursday, 23rd February 2012.