The Mannooches And The Day Families Of Belvedere

A Memory of Belvedere.

My great-grandfather was Edward Alfred Mannooch who owned the furniture shop at 28/30 Nuxley Road, Belvedere. After his death in 1954 aged 90 the business passed to two of his daughters - Frances Adelaide and my nan, Lily Priscilla who chose to sell toys in one half of the shop and china in the other. Frances (who was known as Flo) was very active in the village with groups such as the W.I, Boys Clubs, the Salvation Army and she also ran the local Sunday School. When she died in 1959 most of the village turned out for the funeral. She never married but her sister Lily Priscilla married William Day in 1920. My mum was born at 24 Cheshunt Road, Belvedere in 1922. When I was five we moved to the top of Heron Hill opposite the pond as we called it and I remember in winter the pond being frozen solid. We had so much to do as children including the park and the woods. Does anyone remember the Forge which backed on to the Eardley Arms pub garden? My friends and myself used to scrump apples from this garden. My primary school was Lessness Heath and whenever I smell chrysanthemums the memories of walking to school come back to me, as I passed gardens growing these flowers. Everetts grocers shop in the village took me on as a Saturday girl, skinning cooked hams - I think I must have been about 13 at the time. There was a garage opposite this shop, can anyone remember the name? I always called it Lucas's but thinking back it was probably because there were Lucas signs on the walls. It would be great to share my memories with others from the 1950s - my surname was France and I lived at 2 Assurance Cottages.