Stanley Road, South Harrow

A Memory of South Harrow.

I lived with my foster family in Stanley Road South Harrow, during the war. Our house backed on to the gas works and I always wanted to climb the gasometer which I did eventually with a friend from across the road.
At the top of Stanley Road were all the usual local shops. Peacheys the grocer where we collected our rations and where I would take back empty jam jars and collect a farthing for a small one and a ha'penny for a big one. The fish and chip shop near by would sell a haporth of chips and give away batter bits to any hungry child that asked for them. I would get my hair cut in the barbers at the back of Hatherly's paper shop where I would also pick up a comic each week. At first it was Micky mouse and then either the Dandy or the Beano until I started to get the Hotspur. We children would carry comics to our friends and ask if they had any to swap that way we got to read just about all the comics there were. There was a cycle shop opposite Stanley road on the Northolt Road where we would buy tins of something called 'carbide' which was a kind of lumpy powder which when dropped into a bottle of water and the top clipped down made a very satisfactory bomb. We were never aware of the danger and Stanley road was often littered with glass. Further along was a sweet shop, I think it was called Davis' but I rarely went there as the woman was a bit of a dragon.

At one time, I think it was during the early days of the war the school I went to Roxeth Hill, was closed and the teachers came round to houses and four or five children in the same street would get lessons in one house. I was pleased about that as I had to walk to school every day, home again at dinner time which we had at mid day walk back and home again in the evening. I expect we were fitter than seven year old children are today. I think the head teacher was a Miss Doel, and the teacher I remember best was a Miss Rouse as I was so scared of her but she did read good stories to us while sitting in a very high chair.

There was a removal firm in Stanley Road. R.J. Walkers and in the yard was a fire watching office and I would go at night with my foster mother when she signed the book. I am not sure how that was suppossed to help as she always came home after signing. A friend of mine had relations who worked in the yard and we played there sometimes. No one seemed to mind even though vans were going in and out.
We children spent hours wandering about South Harrow, the market by the station was a favourite spot as there were so many interesting stalls there.
We often went to the rec and played around the park keepers hut. There were several round huts where sports clubs kept equipment and they were ideal for running around playing chase. part of the rec' was turned into allotments and we were not allowed to go near.
Saturday mornings we went to the Odeon cinema for childrens films. my favourite was a serial called Thunder Riders which left us with a cliff hanger each week.
We played games in the street like Tin Can Tommy and Knock Down Ginger. We also went scrumping apples and I remember getting caught once by an irate house holder and getting a clip around the ear. We only went scrumping in streets other than Stanley road as we were frightened of getting caught and our family being told. In those days no one would call a policeman for children scrumping.
I did go back about twenty years a go to Stanley Road and the house I had lived in had been pulled down and where the gas works was stood a super market.