Greenford, Greenford Road c1965
Greenford, Greenford Road c1965 Ref: g242010
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Memories of Greenford, Greenford Road
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Greenford & local memories
Read and share memories of Greenford and Middlesex inspired by Frith photos
My memories of Greenford in the 1950s and 1960s
We actually lived in Northolt Grange but our cousins, the Barltetts, lived in Stanhope Road, Greenford (does anyone remember them?). I worked from the age of 8 or 9 for Ron and Stella Valente who owned Toni Milk Bar (very near the police station end). What at fantastic couple they were, they named me 'Corporal', I was like their son (they had not children) and I was there till I left school at Vincent Secondary in Northolt. I used to actually make the ice cream when I was 11 and serve it at the window, as well as serving coffee and sandwiches inside. Ron had, I think, 6 or 7 vans, and he had a white Zephyr car, reg. no 230 XMD, how strange I can remember that! Can anyone remember the coffee bar? There was another one on the Greenford Road called 'Creamery Fare'. We used to stay with my cousins, me and my brother Andy, their names wer David, Steven, Carole and Brenda, does anyone remember them? We were a right rough lot, that I will say, but we had fun playing at a park called the 'rec which is still there today. We were always in trouble with police but my Auntie Rose was always there to sort things out, she was and still is the best auntie you could wish for. Does anyone remember the Greenford market where the buses park outside? The market no longer there now but buses still park there. And who remembers the fruit stall on the trafic lights, and it's still there! I always remember that stall at Christmas time, there was that certain smell that you don't seem to get any more at Christmas, can anyone understand what I mean? Like the smell of dates and oranges etc. The Red Lion (still there) was our drinking hole, we would all be under age but still go in for pint of red barrel, then after a few of them at a shilling a pint (lol!) we'd then go round the corner to the Wimpey bar, then after that if the bingo was on that night above Burtons the Tailors we would have an ice cream from the Toni van then wait till break time in the bingo hall because then they would all rush down to buy ice cream as it was so hot up there apparently, then we'd make a nuisance of ourselves with them, ha ha. Just us kids growng up, getting clouts around the ears etc but at least we were allowed to grow up and find out our wrongs and rights. How many people bought up in the 1950s and 1960s didn't learn about respect? - more than what today's kids are allowed to do. Does anyone remember the dump in Greenford Road? We all used to play over there, at times we used to get chased off there depending, which way they chased us we'd sometimes end up at Cuckoo Hill, I can't remember how though. Saturday morning pics was regular as clockwork, Dad used to give us our pocket money of 1 shilling, always in pennies, tuppence for the 90b bus to Greenford from White Hart (I hardly ever paid) and sixpence for the Odeon (but only one ever paid because he would go in and open the side door for us and our cousins and friends),that way all our money that we saved went on sweets and popcorn, we'd always sit up on the balcony so that when the organist used to come up out of a hole in the floor we would then pelt him with wrappings and anything we could find! God, how bad were we? But it was harmless fun and we didn't walk around with knives stabbing everybody and robbing old ladies! It was just teenagers growing up the best way we could, we had no video games, phones etc in those days, you had to make your own entertainment which strangely enough came easily. Does anyone remember the first supermarket to open in Greenford? I do, it was Tesco's and I remember going with Mum, Dad and brother Andy and my mum being really excited about it, and my dad kept shouting at her in the car, telling her to calm down. When we got there it was so weird, it was on the left in the Broadway about 7 doors down from Woolworths, the size of a normal large shop but it had 4 aisles that you walked up and down and they had large coloured price tickets on the items and you had wire baskets to put the food, my mum bless her heart was so excited. The trouble was, she was buying things she didn't normally have, as my dad pointed out, so she had to keep putting things back. Me and my brother were having a great time stashing sweets in our pockets, ha ha, no CCTV cameras then. Woolworths was always a great shop in them days, I mean, what didn't they sell? And what parent didn't do their Christmas shopping at Woolies? I have such great memories of Greenford in those days, I really could go on for ever. Does anyone remember the Digbys that lived in Greenford Road near the Red Lion? June and Dennis lost count how many kids they had, they couldn't stop producing them, yet they were always happy kids even though they didn't have much then. I also remember going to the Odeon to see the Rolling Stones! And I think on the same bill were the Everly Brothers and the Searchers. Wow! That was some night, you couldn't hear them singing through all that screaming! But it didn't matter, we were there watching the Stones. I remember Lists the bakers, oh my God, the smell that used to come from the back of that shop was unforgettable! I think they were a couple of doors from the Toni milk bar. I know that the Toni owner Ron Valente died some time in the 1980s and is buried at Greenford Cemetery, I don't know about Stella though. My email is: john.nicholls@sky.com I hope you enjoyed reading this.
Shared on 17 October 2009
I loved growing up in Greenford. Iwas born in Chiswick, Middlesex. I lived around Mansell Road, Fermoy Road etc, and spent most of the time in the Rec, Horseden Hill, Perival Park and Church Fields (bunny park). I remember cutting through the allotment in Portland Crescent to get to Windmill Lane to pick me mates up and go onto the bunny park. I also remember wading in the River Brent for tiddlers and using a lighted fag to get the leeches off our legs. And playing footie after school and annoying the neighbours, and scrumping for apples, and riding a go cart, with the string breaking while going down a steep hill with a sharp bend at the bottom - OUCH! And the school holidays, which seemed to go on for ever.
Lesley Solway
Shared on 21 July 2009
I grew up in Perivale my dads bakers shop was on Bilton Road, Geo Ort.
Does anyone remember?
Shared on 15 August 2009
My God! I remember the baker shop fondly as it was opposite the Ealing Studios, and we used to hang outside Ealing Studios loads of times as kids, hoping to see someone famous - and we did. I've said "Hello" to Hattie Jaques, she was so lovely and warm, I remember her just walking over to my sister to say hello and ask why were we there, we explained we lived in Northolt but our nan and grandad lived in Regina Road, West Ealing and our dad was in the pub so we always came here when he went for his drink. She kissed our heads and waved goodbye. Another week me and my brother Andy were there eating hard scones that the baker gave us free, I think they were the day before's, and Sid James came walking out of the studio to go to the bakers. When he came back he gave us a cream bun each. He had a fag in the side of his mouth and as he walked away he gave that famous laugh, what a lovely man, can you imagine film stars of today doing all that? As it turned out, we found out later that Sid lived not far away on the North Circular Road near Gunnesbury Park, I go past his old house 46 years later in my lorry and his house has a blue plaque outside saying that he lived there, what a small world we live in!As for the bakers, yes I remember the very nice old man baker, I seem to remember my nanny Nicholls knew him very well and so he knew of us, hence why we used to get free creem buns etc when we visited the studios. We saw Dirk Bogarde a few times, he always used to wave to us kids, as did Peter Sellers. Why is it that it always seems that when you were a child it never used to rain in those long summer days? If anyone wants to share more memories of Ealing or Northolt, my e mail is: john.nicholls@sky.com
Shared on 17 October 2009
Ealing, the Mall 1951
Ref: E63001
I moved to Hanwell in 1934 and was sent to Wynnstay School for girls and little boys, it was in The Avenue, not too far from West Ealing Station. I went to school on the 211 bus for a year then cycled, about 1 1/2 miles each way. In 1937 I was moved to Harrow View House School in Cleveland Avenue to meet up with Billy Cato, part of the Cato ironmongery empire. September 1939 saw the end of that school and I was sent variously to Ealing College near The Boadway and later to Hamilton House School in Florence Road leaving there in 1943 for Merchant Taylors. During those years I lived in Mayfield Avenue, Brunswick Road, Uxbridge Road and Corringway from 1940 to 52 when I married and moved to 49 Madeley Road. Many a time I cycled past Hanwell Lunatic Asylum not knowing then that I had an ancestor buried in the grounds, my mother never told me! 1935 I was in King Edward Memorial Hospital for a tonsilectomy, that hospital is now in the grounds of the old asylum! During the Hitler War (WW2) we had a shelter in the garden but that was not a success in that it flooded in the winter so we got a Morrison shelter indoors. Warmer but probably not as safe. During the 'Blitz' we spent the nights in the shelter and in the day time life went on as normal except that food, although enough, was in short supply, there were not many obese people around in those days. If you had the money you could always get a meal at Joe Lyons in Ealing Broadway or The ABC (Aerated Bread Company).
In 1949 I got a Saturday job serving in Bentalls, Ealing Broadway, they had bought out Eldred Sayers department store. From time to time I had employment in the lab at Vab Plating in West Ealing, that business never suffered a power cut during the bombing and it was assumed that they were on the same power supply as the hospital. In 1944 along with a Michael Powell I started a Scout Troop at The Church of The Ascension, there were a number of lads evacuated from Docklands in the area and they joined, calling themselves 'The black hand gang'; I was told a couple of years ago that it still functions but at another church. The first Scout camp was held at Stoke Row, near Reading and that was the time the first Atomic Bomb was dropped with the war ending about 10 days later. Life did not at once return to normal, there was still rationing until 1954 but it did get easier.
Of my schoolfellows I am in touch with Peggy Cato, now Peggy Wilkie, from Wynnstay, Peter Mulligan who lived in Corringway died about 2005 as Mick Mulligan, JohnSudbury of Boileau Road died about 2007 so if there any of you out there I used to know contact me before we all pop off, cryogenic@clara.net; written September 2009
Shared on 20 September 2009
