Growing Up In Belvedere

A Memory of Belvedere.

This relates really to the mid 1950s and early 1960s. We lived in Upper Belvedere in the prefabs. I went to Bedenwell Nursery School and then we moved to Lower Belvedere opposite the railway station and I too had a great view of the football ground from my bedroom window. I went to St. Augustine's Primary School and we would always buy a penny bun from the shop on our way. Also remember the sweet shop next to Davies and further on, the Co-op. I used to save up my pocket money and buy Beatles records in there. I have strong memories of setting off to school in thick smog with scarves wound round our faces. It was so thick and yellow you couldn't see a thing and I can still hear the sound of my mum's heels rapping on the pavement because she would take us to school on those days. I probably hated it then but now I remember our uniform which was light grey with touches of purple which I think now is quite smart. I remember Miss Parker who played the piano, and taking our cards to the Headmistress's office when it was our birthday. I have lived in Greece for the past 38 years and have lost touch with the way things work in the UK now so don't know if things like that still happen. Once, when there was a jumble sale in the church hall, we were allowed to buy things and then we showed the Headmistress. I had bought a cheese dish for my mum and the Head (whose name I can't remember - was it a Miss Hudson?) was very impressed.
Our house was opposite the platform at the station. We got flooded on at least two occasions and the Fire Brigade took up residence with pumping equipment for a couple of days at a time and we would supply them with cups of tea. The ditch opposite the house was a great place for catching newts and frogspawn. There was a slaughterhouse on the dirt road at the end of our road. We often went walking down on the riverbank, passing the electricity pylons which hummed ominously and we pretended that the Daleks would be hiding all around! What a great time it was to be growing up and what a great place too!
I went to Picardy Girls' School which was separated from the boys' school by the woods and we were absolutely forbidden to go into the woods in the direction of the boys' school. However many boys used the woods as a short cut to get to school and we would watch them. At one point there was a programme where girls who wanted to do woodwork could go one day a week up to the boys' school and I remember one boy who came down and attended domestic science (cookery) with us.
I have driven through Belvedere on occasion when I come back to the UK.  Some things have changed beyond recognition but others have stayed the same which evoke strong emotions when I see them. If I ever came back to the UK I could easily see myself living somewhere in Upper Belvedere - the village. It was very quaint in those days and I hope it hasn't changed too much.