Purley / Woodcote 1960's

A Memory of Purley.

We lived at 18 The Bridle Road (off Foxley Lane) for many years. Attended Collingwood Boys' School (Wallington) - great school for punishments; Woodcote Secondary (like a holiday camp after Collingwood) and Purley Grammar School (Old Coulsdon - now demolished?). Remember walking home in the evenings after school with Whitmore, whose father was producer of Blue Peter at that time. We both had wonderful paper-rounds from the village shop at Woodcote (Lord Roberts) - delivering to the beautiful houses in Silver Lane; South Border; Rose Walk etc in the years before it was rather spoilt by speed bumps and gates. Later delivered papers for WH Smiths (Russell Road, Purley) - sometimes did 3 rounds on a Sunday. Yes, Purley was very pleasant in those days - now it seems to be just Sainsburys; Banks and Building Societies. Anyway we eventually moved to Horsham (still a great place); where Mum and Dad died. Since then had 15 years in Stratford upon Avon; 10 years in Saudi Arabia (which I still miss) and 11 years in the Highlands of Scotland (no to independence please!) running a hotel/guest house - grandparents on father's side originated in Stonehaven near Aberdeen.