A Childhood Reminiscence

A Memory of Edgware.

I lived in Edgware from 1941 and, although a young child, I remember the war years vividly, especially collecting shrapnel and the sounds of bombs, anti-aircraft guns and V2 rockets. In 1944 I began school at Edgware Infants/Junior School where the headmaster was Mr. Bird. Some of the teachers were Mrs Harmer who taught music, Mrs Ackroyd, Miss Weinstock and Mr. Rayson. I avoided school lunches, preferring to eat at a British Restaurant in (I think) Edgwareberry Lane.

After school we usually played in the street or Camrose Park and on Saturday mornings I went to the Ritz cinema with hundreds of other children. Sometimes we took a picnic to the top of Brockley Hill or to Stonegrove Park.

Most of our shopping was in Station Road where the shops I best recall were the bakers, Spurriers and Brills; the delicatessen, Adelmans; the dress shop, Stanley Lee; furrier, Myers; and a toy shop, Crestas. Occasionally we dined at the Boulevard Restaurant in Edgwareberry Lane. The bicycle shop, Rex Judd, still exists but deals in motor cycles. At the Basin at Canons Park I fished for frog spawn, newts and sticklebacks.

Friends I still recall include David Driver, Trevor Brockway (?), Alan and Michael Pearce, Kit Richardson, Joan Collet, Valerie Green, Judith Port, Dorothy Lamb, David
Green. If any of them read this, they might like respond.

Brian Wimborne

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Added 03 June 2011

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I was at Edgware Primary School for one year, 1941-42, for the first year of Primary School while they finished work on Broadfields School, halted at the outbreak of war. But I remember Mr Bird, just about, and certainly Mrs Harmer, who had a warm and generous disposition. There was a class of children with special educational needs that she was in charge of, and I remember (even at the age of 8) being struck by the constructive way she handled them. I used to be let off early for lunch so that I could eat at home - this was in the Broadfields Estate, which meant crossing the Watford Way, which was all of three lanes then but still pretty hazardous. I can't imagine an 8-year-old being allowed out on his own nowadays for such a long journey, four times a day. I liked the school itself, and have often passed it in more recent years with fond memories. Later in my school career and then while at college I played in the Edgware Symphony Orchestra, an amateur orchestra rehearsing once a week in the Edgware School hall, conducted by Reginal Kilbey, who was famous for the Palm Court Trio - we had three concerts a year, normally at Brent Town Hall, with the orchestra brought up to strength with professionals, in my case as a french horn player finding myself on those occasions playing next to some of the foremost orchestral players - it rather seemed as thought Kilbey wanted to show his classical music acquaintances that he could manage more than the Palm Court; and he was a fantastic cellist.
I think the British Restaurant was at the beginning of Hale Lane, possibly where the public library later stood.

By John Weiss on Tue Mar 22nd 2016, at 12:10 pm

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Like you I did not fancy school dinners but a group of us from Edgware School (Spur Road) would cycle to the Express dairy above the supermarket next to Edgware Station. The food was superb, What happy days,. I remember fondly the cashier Mrs Dineen who gave a me a birthday present of 10/- in 1962!!!

By 5jeymer on Thu Jul 28th 2016, at 11:05 pm

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