Kilburn High Road

A Memory of Kilburn.

My mother was brought up in Lowfield Road, so although we lived in West Hampstead, we frequently passed through it on our way to shop in Kilburn High Road. Passed through it far too slowly for my liking because my mother invariably encountered some of her friends there and she seemed to spend ages chatting with them. However, when we did finally move on, the first port of call was a sweet shop at the end of Kingsgate Road, where she would buy me my favourite "Sweet Tobacco" (long thin strips of brown coloured coconut).

As a teenager, I earned four shillings a day by assisting the milkman at weekends and with the money, bought my first bicycle from Pascall's in Kilburn High Road. Their slogan was, "Get off that bus, it will never be yours!" It was a Raliegh, with dropped handlebars, Sturmey Archer 3 speed and a hub dynamo. I bought it on Hire Purchase. Much to my mother's disapproval because she abhorred any form of debt.

The State was my favourite cinema. Everything about it was magnificent. I was told that the foyer, with it's double sided marble staircase and huge glittering chandelier, was modelled on Buckingham Palace. Upstairs, there was a large mirrored waiting room with luxurious padded seating.

The programme consisted of a "B" feature film, The News, A selection of popular music played on the "Mighty Wurlitzer" organ, a cartoon film and the Main Feature. We paid no attention to the timetable and often entered in the middle of a film, giving rise to the expression, "This is where we came in", when we left.

Once,after leaving the State, I discovered a rear door open on The Grange Cinema opposite. I crept up the back stairs and found myself in the Circle, somewhere I could not normally afford to go. I watched the film on tenterhooks, expecting the usherette to ask me for my ticket at any moment!

Later, parts of The State was converted to a Ballroom and a Victor Sylvester's Dancing School, where I learned the basics. There were twice as many boys as girls, so they had to do every practice dance twice with different partners. When we had gained some competence, on Saturday nights we danced to the excellent 10 piece Stan Reynolds Band, in the Ballroom.

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