Claremont Aldershot Road

A Memory of Church Crookham.

The house on the right hand side of this picture was called Claremont.  We lived
there in the early 60s.  There were two cottages to the side.  In one of those cottages lived a girl called Elizabeth Holland, she used to babysit us.  They had the most wonderful vegetable garden.  We had fires in all the rooms, but also had paraffin heaters.  I would go to the garage which you can just make out in this photo to buy paraffin.  The Verne was just to the left.  This was a most exciting walk, as there was a newsagents where I could buy comics, Bunty, Judy and Princess.  The butcher shop always had bones for the dogs.  Further on down Aldershot Road was a fish and chip shop - delicious.  Then you would hit some Army buildings.  That is where we went to church.  Father Scantlebury, he gave us ice cream cakes when we had out first communion!  A little further on was the racecourse.  Going the other way was the Wyvern.  Ivy was the kindest of landladies to children.  A Schweppes bitter lemon and a dairy milk tray chocolate bar that had different centres . Such happy times