The Church c1960, Mitcham
The Church c1960, Mitcham Ref: M296089
Memories of The Church c1960, Mitcham
Re: Family Plot
My grandmother Annie Alice Lawrence born 1886 Mitcham is buried in a family grave with her parents George Lawrence born 1854 Mitcham and Sarah Anne Lawrence born 1856 (Duke) Beddington. My grandmother Annie married Thomas Baker born 1885 Mitcham and was a Master Builder. My grandparents lived at Newton House, 1 Commonside West and had one daughter my mother Lois June Lawrence Baker born 1921 Mitcham.
Mitcham & local memories
Read and share memories of Mitcham and Surrey inspired by Frith photos.
Three Kings Piece
I don't know why we called it Three King's Piece but in the mid 50's to the early 60's when I was growing up, that was what we called it. I lived in the flats in Armfield Crescent and when we went to Three Kings Piece we went the back way. Down St Marks Road to Baker Lane, on the corner was St Marks Chuch, to Hilary Avenue. At the end of the avenue was an alley-way. It had a high wall on one side with broken glass embedded on the top and the blank sides of houses on the other. I don't know what was on the other side of this long wall as the broken glass on the top of the wall was a deterrent to climb up and see what was there. At the end of the alley-way was Commonside East and the Three Kings Inn.
Over the road opposite the Inn as Three Kings Piece with its pond... Read more
The Cricketers Arms And The Town Hall
I always remember the Cricket Green as the lazy hazy days of summer. My father played cricket here, I don't remember the name of his team, but we had to sit and watch him. I liked it when the crocuses poked their heads out of the ground at the beginning of the season. They would appear in glorious colour in all the corners of the green, with the cricket pitch in the middle. We were never allowed to play on the green. If we wanted to run around or fly our kites on a bit of grass we went to Commonside East or Commonside West, just up the road, where there was plenty of room and no one to tell us off.
The cricket green was reputed to have been played on since the 17th century, but the first recorded match was in 1711.
Along one side of the green was the clubhouse, but we never went in there. On the Main Road side the Town Hall sat, like a... Read more
The Bucks Head And London Road
Opposite the Majestic Cinema, you can just see the Tudor brickwork of the Bucks Head Inn, on the London Road corner. It was very rare that my Dad would go in, but we would be sent there at certain times of the year. A seafood stall, parked beside the pub on a Sunday, would sell cockles, whelks, winkles, mussels, shrimp and jellied eels. My Dad would give my sister and I , or my brother Robert, some money to buy half a pint of winkles and quart pint of shrimps for tea. After getting them home it would be our job to use a needle, take the eyes out of the winkles, then stick the needle in it's "head" and slowly unwind the winkle from its shell. Mum would put them in a dish and add vinegar. Lo and behold if we "broke" the winkle as we were getting them out of the shell. They were a special treat and we would miss out on them... Read more
The Majestic Cinema
Between the tree and the cinema you can see the roof and top floor of one of the blocks of flats in Armfield Crescent so we did not live far from the cinema. When we were small we were given a shilling to go to the Saturday morning pictures - The ABC Minors we were called. We even had a song we sang before the films began. Sixpence was used to get into the cinema and we had sixpence to spend on lollies or ice cream that was sold from the counter between the entrance and the doors into the theatre. It was always noisy in that area where you would meet up with other kids you knew and see where they were going to sit. I remember the westerns with Hoppalong Cassidy, The Cisco Kid and The Masked Ranger with Silver, his horse, and his sidekick Tonto. I also remember the cartoons Bugs Bunny, Popeye, Donald Duck and all those Warner Bros... Read more
The 40/50s
It was the 118 bus Colin. It went from Clapham Common to Mitcham Cricket Green. I also remember well those wonderful Leo's ice lollies. After those awful slabs of lard between 2 wafers that went soggy they were magic - Walls's! My family moved from Northborough Road to Rosemead Avenue in March 1940 as all the Lcc schools were closed. My sister and I went to Pollards Hill School. Both of my brothers went there or to Alfred Mizen some 10 years later. I went on to Rutlish in 1946 on the 152 bus from Fair Green up Western Road past the school and the gas works when we all held our noses. The first love of my life went to Western Road School, her name was Lileen Townsend and her father was a coal merchant. She gave me my first kiss ....aah.
I recall the first post war Mitcham Fair at Three Kings which took over from the fair which was held on the road to Thornton Heath.... Read more
Church Path And The People That Lived There.
I was born in Collierswood Maternity Home, a very short time before it was bombed during the Second World War. The year was 1944. My family being homeless were housed in requisitioned properties in Mitcham. We were among the many poor families that seemed to have been moved from one house to another. We finally found ourselves, unknown to us, entering the last house we were ever to occupy in Mitcham. We were to remain there for over twenty years. As luck would have it, the council had found us a house in Church Path, the London Road end. Because the street was a cul- de-sac we seemed to have adopted a very close knit society, both parents and children. As I continue to write this, the memories simply come flooding back, including the names of the children I grew up with: Heather and Gilbert Allen, Mary and Tommy Sommerford, Lilly and Sidney Parker. Then came the kids from Broadway Gardens, Ian Robinson, Franky Fyfoot (Nobber) and his younger brother... Read more
London Road, Mitcham
I was born in Mitcham in 1947 and have happy memories of growing up there. This picture is taken on London Road (the A217) from a spot between the Cricket Green and Fair Green. In those days, there was a small garage with a petrol pump actually on the pavement. Close to that, just behind where this photo was taken, was the telephone exchange. I still visit the area every now and then, but it has changed a great deal from the time this photo was taken. In those days, the traffic would carry on through the Fair Green (pictured ahead) onto the Swan and Tooting. On the other side of the Green was the Majestic Cinema (on the right) then as you carried on you passed Woolworths, then the swimming baths and the library on the right, with Trings on the left.
Modernists
Although I didn't live in Mitcham, I do remember a girl who lived above the chemist in Fair Green . She and her friends were top modernists, very smart with handmade shoes, I think her name was Germaine and I think she had a friend called Bunny or Bonnie. They were often at the Wimbledon Palais ,they were top girls. Modernist pre dated mods - we wore handmade suits and shoes made at Gorgios in Southfields.We thought we were the business.
Coffee Stall at The Cricket Green Run by Lil Inglis Aka James
In all my years of looking at books and memories of Mitcham there is no mention of my mum's coffee stall at Mitcham Cricket green opposite Burn Bullocks pub also known as the Kings Head. As a boy I remember being with my mum as she worked on my uncle's coffee stall. She would tell me that of all the famous people that would stop and have their teas and hot pies and sandwiches as well as guardsmen and also at Derby races time as there was a horse trough there.
We lived at Bull Yard and my Gran, Louisa Inglis or known as Granny James lived at the farmhouse at the corner of Frimley Gardens. My dad worked for my gran on her pig farm in Sutton. I was a pupil The Star school from 1941-1947 and went to Western Road Secondary school. People always laugh at me when I say the actor Johnny Briggs (Coronation St's Mike Baldwin) used to go to The Star school, am... Read more
Grove Road /Eastfields Crossing
I googled Grove Road where I grew up at my nan's though we used to live in Penfold Court for a while, oh my, how this has changed. The properties in Grove Road look nothing like they used to look, and now there is a monstrosity of a station at East Fields where in the middle 1960s three years after leaving school I was the Crossing Keeper, and the land was just railway property with an old shed, but it was so clean, what's happened to Mitcham! It is changed that much!
Mitcham Junction
Having heard about the demise of the trains that run from Wimbledon to West Croydon I hurried to see the last train to Croydon. It must have been the late 70s (?). The two coach train has seen better days as it pulled out for the last journey across Mitcham Common...and into local history
The Nissan Huts in Pollards Hill
My family used to live in the nissan huts, as we called them, in Wide Way opposite Pollards Hill School. We lived there till I was nearly five, we had great time there, the community spirit was fantastic, unlike today.
Town Hall, Mitcham
I remember Mitcham very well. I lived in the Town Hall where my Dad was the caretaker. My surname then was Parkings. I used to go to Leo's and George's cafe with my friend Josie where I met my husband-to-be David Rogers. We spent Saturday evenings in the Majestic and also attended the local youth club and dance hall. We also used to go to Wimbledom palais which I believe is now a furniture shop. I was also a patient at Wilson Hospital for three months when a wall fell on me in Western Road. I still have family who live in Mitcham but it has changed now.
First Job on Mitcham Council
When I left Singlegate School in 1952, my first job was wih the Mitcham Council Nurseries situated on a road south of the Common. I recall mostly weeding flower beds and washing pots. I did go on occasions in the van to help arrange floral displays for civic functions, several of which were in the Town Hall. I still wonder how in my lunch hour I walked to the 152 bus stop, travelled to Colliers Wood Underground, walked along to University Road, had dinners at my Gran's and did the return trip. I do not recall being constantly late back so it must have been possible then, not today I guess. My time there was only six months. I decided on change of career and travelled to London to work for Marconi as filing clerk.
My Early Years
Born 1952. Parents William Robert Arthur (Bob) Rogers/ Doreen(nee) Witherden. Grandmother, May Harris sister of Charles Harris. O.K. that's me. Know any of these names? My question! Bill Otway (one lung) Brilliant science teacher 1940 ish- 1960 ish Western Road school. Anybody remember him?
The Three Kings Pond
I was at Mitcham County Grammar School, Commonside East, during the years 1942 to 1946 and saw this views on most school days. The line of stakes in the foreground marked off that part of the pond in which horses could drink and very often I saw horses doing just that.
1940s Memories
The road on the right of the picture, which runs obliquely in front of the Majestic cinema, was a route used by trolleybuses (I believe the routes were 630 and 612). In the right middle edge of the photo, the trolleybuses ran to Croydon (certainly the 630 did but I am not so sure of the 612) and both routes passed the cinema on their way into west London (such as Shepherds Bush and Hammersmith). It looks as though there was a telephone kiosk there in 1959 under the tall tree which is central. In the 1940s there stood a London transport office where the passing of the trolleybuses was electrically recorded and where the inspectors took their tea. I stood by it often as I collected bus and trolleybus numbers during my lunch hour.
Trolley Bus Routes 630 And 612
These routes passed along the road which comes down to the right hand corner to Croydon following that road or to Hammersmith etc. passing round the Majestic to London.
Cinema Memories
My mother took me to the Majestic on a number of occasions. We were not cinema buffs and apart from one occasion, I seem to remember that I only went with her. Some of the films mentioned could have been shown in the early 1940s. I remember "The Chocolate Soldier", "The Wizard of Oz", "The Purple Heart", I think was the title of an American film about American airmen shot down by the Japanese and then shot. This was obviously in the 1940s, as was the film "The Great Dictator" in which Charlie Chaplin starred.
Trolley Bus Routes
It seems that the trolley bus overhead cables are still there in 1955, at least in the Croydon direction. I can see none in the other direction.
Mitcham Town Hall
It was at the Mitcham Town Hall that we would pay our rent if, for any reason, the rent man did not call. We lived in a council property on Meopham Road, Mitcham, a fairly modern development, and I can remember going there with my parents to collect wallpaper etc because at that time the council paid for interior redecorations. Perhaps (I am almost certain) that the building this side of the Town Hall is the Cricketers pub. (on the opposite side of the road is the Cricket Green). The buses could be either the 152 route which went to Kingston I think or else the 88 route which went to Shepherd's Bush (again, I think). I am now nearly 81 and my memory is not good. Douglas F. Tunbridge (Revd.)
Swimming Baths
I think that this view looks back towards the Mitcham Fair Green. If I am right, on the left would be the Swimming baths where I used to go now and again with friends. I seem to remember that it was very basic, with changing cubicles opening directly onto the pool.
Going to School
I was evacuated to Fenny Stratford, Bletchley, Buckinghamshire to be with my aunt. Whilst there I sat an exam called "the 11 plus" which I passed and on the basis of which I was awarded a scholarship to Mitcham County Grammar School for Boys. But in 1941 that school was evacuated to Weston-super-Mare so I spent my first secondary school year at Wallington County Grammar School for Boys. I can see a road running from left to right at the far side of the Green and in 1941, the 115 bus stopped there whose route was from Croydon (I think) to Wallington. I caught that bus every morning until the Mitcham School returned from evacuation in 1942.
Fire Station
I lived in Mitcham from 1930 (when I was born) until 1948 when I went to Germany to work with the Salvation Army. In all that time I never knew that there was a fire station, let alone know where it was.
Mitcham May Queen
I took part in the Mitcham May Queen Festival for years while I lived in Mitcham, and even after we moved to Streatham, I was still allowed to take part. It was fun, I put on a nice dress and paraded around Mitcham carrying paper flowers, there was even a carnival as well, complete with a fun fair which I always enjoyed. There was even Maypole dancing which I always enjoyed watching. One year we even went to visit a hospital ward and gave out sweets to patients. During another year, I even made it to one of the flower queens, forget me not, I think but I can't be sure, my dress was blue. I even had attendants holding my train. Another year I was one of the May Queen attendants , which meant that not only could I wear a short purple velvet cape, but it also meant that I was also allowed to sit, or rather stand on the May Queen float itself. I enjoyed the... Read more
ABC Minors,Trolley Buses, Lonesome School, Oakleigh Way
I have just found this page and what memories it rekindles. I was a minor at the ABC, I even got a road safety prize from Coco the Clown. Thorpes record shop accross the road, there I bought my very first record, 'Runaway' by Del Shannon. Hutton's Fish shop, always had to bring a piece of previous day cold skate home for my gran. I went to Lonesome Infants School in 1950 and then to the Junior School until 1956. I remember the headmistress at the infant school, a Miss Chart. Those old pens we had to write with, and dipping the nib in the ink-well would always make a mess on the paper. I lived at the other end of Grove Road in Leaonard Road which was split in half by the border on Mitcham and Streatham. We used to always play football on Sunday mornings at Oakleigh Way field with about 20 each side with ages from 8 to 28 and when the guy who owned the ball... Read more
Saturday Moning Pictures
I used to go to Saturday morning pictures here in 1959/60. We had only just returned from Australia and this was new to me. I remember going with my cousin & friends - most were quite noisy but I was one of the quieter ones. What ever happened to the Lone Ranger? It seems like yesterday - pity the body doesn't agree!
THE BULL And CINEMA
I lived at The Bull 1959-1963 it was a family pub with many local characters among it's customers. Looking at the photos of Mitcham bought back memories, although I didn't reconnise some places straight away, I did the cinema, remember going to see Cliff in Summer Holiday also Psycho and Pit and the Pendulum there. The other thing I recall is the big Fair in August. Does that still come?
The Bull Pub in Church Road
Can anyone remember the pub, the Bull, in Church Road? The family who owned the pub, Mr and Mrs Long, had a daughter called Pat Long. Can anyone help? Cheers, Paul Warren.
Tracing my Ancestors
Hello all, my name is Steve Lane and I found this site whilst tracing my family. As a kid I lived in [Conningsby Court] Armfield Cresent. My dad Alf Lane used to drink in the Buck's Head and as a kid I remember sitting outside with a drink and a penny biscuit in his van on the little forecourt which had a fish stall. My grandfather, also Alfred Lane, was a lifegaurd at Mitcham Baths and he lived in Lavender Avenue. Does anybody have any knowledge about the workhouse that stood in Mitcham? Bond Road School was part of it, as was Eagle House. I remember going down Western Road past the coach station and pet shop which had a parrot outside. We used to visit my granny Boxhall who lived in Fountain Road, long gone now, the place is now Smyths toy store. I went to Bond Road School for a bit and then we moved to the St Helier estate next to the St Helier Arms. I went to... Read more
Lonesome
Hello, what a remarkable site. I came across it by accident while looking for something else. I was facinated by the reference to Lonesome .
I also went to Lonesome School from around 1951 to 1961 followed by my 3 younger sisters. Our maiden name was Clare and we lived in Oakleigh Way.
I well remember sites like Figs Marsh, Three Kings Pond, Mitcham Commom, The Majestic Cinema etc.
At one point in our lives I and 2 of my younger sisters worked at Pye Records in Western Road, also the Gas Board which was opposite Pye. There was a great fish and chip shop on the corner called Huttons, also a lovely little wool shop about half way along and a great bakers which did the most fantastic fruit buns. I also worked for a while at a Bed Company called Multi Spring at Figs Marsh.
I used to take my sisters to play at the park in Abercairn Road, also... Read more
Dancing at The Majestic
Hi. I am Don Stevoni's daughter, living in Wales. Just browsing the internet for the name 'Stevoni' when I came across your memory. Both my father and his wife are dead now, he died just before my first wedding in 1964. My mother was divorced from him many years beforehand and I never knew Pat. In fact I didn't know him, but have tried to find out things about him as my mother did not wnat to discuss him. He and Pat moved to Herne Bay where they taught dancing. I would love to find out if I have any relations but doesn't look like it, Stevoni is an almost unheard of name. Anyway nice to know that someone remembers him and good luck with finding any old dancing companions.
St Mark's School in The 1960s
I too have wonderful memories of going to St Mark's, the teachers I remember are Mr Freemantle, Mrs Carmichael, Miss Holmes, Miss Catherine and Mr Legg. The headmistress at the time was Miss Bowley, who everyone was afraid of but I remember when she left and Mr Weatherley took over. The dinner ladies were lovely, all under the charge of Miss East and yes, the best pudding was butterscotch tart, God, I wish I had the recipe. They also made wonderful gravy, but the stews were yuk with gristly meat!
There was the tiny little library, where I remember being fitted out for my first school uniform, this is also where we had all our medicals, jabs and eye tests done and of course let's not forget Nitty Norah. Mr and Mrs Earwaker (Eriker) lived in the house at the side, by the kitchen, he could be a mean old so and so but they took a shine to me and they bought me a book for Christmas one year.... Read more
Happy Memories
We moved to Mitcham from Streatham in 1963. My sister and I went to St. Marks Primary School which was not too far from our home in Gaston Road. I remember my first teacher was Mrs Carmichael. What a lovely lady she was! It was a small school and I can remember the cloakroom with wooden benches, wire netting and pegs. The toilets were outside, boys and girls divided by a door. Everything was green and brown tiles. While I was there new toilets were added with new corridor for coats, and a new staffroom. I remember queueing for lunch and delicious butterscotch tart. The playground had 2 climbing frames and I used to sit at the top of one and my friend Philip Hawkins used to sit on top of the other. Mr Freemantle, a teacher, used to keep ringed collar doves, and there was a cage with a rabbit in. Mr Eriker was the caretaker and they lived in the house which came with the school. I remember... Read more
Mitcham Common, The Cannons And May Day.
I remember going to Mitcham Fair and paying 2 1/2d to go into a tent and look at Siamese twins in a jar. I used to walk across the Bee Hive bridge to Cranmer Middle School. Also we sometimes walked down 'Cold Blows' to get to the Cannons, which was a lovely park, although I always found Cold Blows a bit scary. There used to be bluebells under the trees in spring. There was some sort of community building there where I went to Guides (I only joined so I could go and see David Essex in 'Godspell'). Also one year I had a party in there with a clown entertainer. He crushed lots of things into a metal tin, including egg shells, and the birthday girl, me of course, then had to open the tin. I pulled out a lovely Victoria sandwich cake, in a cellophane packet. My dad would collect me from Guides and we would walk back across the Mitcham Common, which I didn't enjoy because of... Read more
The Ice Cream Cart On Tooing Bec Common
Oh! yes I remember the ice cream cart on Tooting Bec Common. It was always situated in the vicinity of the four way drinking fountain. Just across the main road was the Tooting Bec running track. The ice cream cart was mounted on a three wheeled bike. I often stopped to buy a cone on my way back from the 'bandstand' where I had seen a 'Punch & Judy' or magician show. Ice lollies were 2 pennies, a small cone was 3 pennies and a big cone was 6 pennies. Those were the lazy hazy days of summer.
Ice Cream on Tooting Common
Does anyone remember or have photos of the ice cream hand cart that used to be situated at the fountain on Tooting Bec Common? My older brother used to sometimes buy me a cone there. It was the best ice cream I've ever tasted.
Fair Green
I lived in that stange area of Mitcham known as Lonesome, situated between the level crossing at Eastfields and the bottom of Streatham Vale. It was a sort of 'No Man's Land'. My schooling from 1951- 1957 took place first at the wooden Infants School in Grove Road and then next door at the Junior School. It must have been someone with a perverse sense of humour who selected the uniform colours of brown and yellow. It used to take 20 minutes to walk from our house in Eldertee Way to the Fair Green. Once over the level crossing you came to 'the flats'. I remember delivering papers to Laburnum and Penfold Courts. After the flats there was a small alley which led to St Mark's Road. At the Fair Green the Majestic cinema stood, we used to go to the Saturday morning ABC Minors' Club after buying sweets at the 'Honeysuckle' sweet shop opposite. In the same parade of shops were a barbers (Sado's) an undertakers and a record... Read more
Mitcham
As a child I grew up in bomb ravaged Mitcham. I lived in 16 Ashtree Avenue, Mitcham. We were bombed as so many other people were. I attended the 'Star School, Benedict Road. until around 1947ish then the family moved to Battersea. The Star School was memorable for me in that Miss Gregory a Welsh teacher took particular delight in tormenting pupils, in particular myself. And Daddy Weston ditto, one day he walloped a kid that lived in 'Rocky', a lot of gypsy people lived there, this kid's father came in and punched 'Daddy Weston' in the face. Mr Rackley or Brackley the head master was dithering around as a small ineffectual man only can. I remember we kids cheering loudly. In those days the sun always seemed to shine for ever during the summer hols'. We roamed far and wide, across the vast Mitcham common, all the parks, we never had any cares, no one molested us. I moved to New Zealand in 1964 and made a new life... Read more
Dancing at The Majestic
I have many happy memories of Friday, Saturday and (I think) Sunday nights learning to dance at The Majestic, run by Don Stevoni and his wife Pat (I think her professional name was Chandler the same as my maiden name, but no relation).
I had lessons with Don, paid for out of my Saturday job at Woolworths, I was 15/16 at the time, and he was an excellent teacher - I remember my favourite dance was the Cha Cha Cha - music Tea for Two, Patricia, and the like - Oh happy days. I think they eventually moved on to Hayling Island. The assistant instuctor was someone called Bill (can't remember surname) he was a nice man who moved on to somewhere in Streatham. Does anyone have any information on the Stevoni's please? Or anyone else who used to attend - I remember a Sophie and Jack Coombes who had sons Peter and (I think) Brian.
Dancing at The Majestic
The restaurant at the Majestic was used as a ballroom dance school in the early 50s. The first that I remember was run by somebody named Bobby who later moved on to a school near Mitcham station. Later Don Stevoni and his wife ran a school there. Don besides being a dance teacher was also an antique furniture restorer in his leisure hours. Also Bernard Lee taught out of the Stevoni school for a while. Bernard's daughter Tanith (who we baby sat for a free lesson) later become a leading UK science fiction writer.
Leos Cafe/espresso Bar
Although I lived in Tooting, all my cousins lived on the Mitcham side! I was a tomboy and used to hang around over Figges Marsh, playing rounders or smoking illicit ciggies in the red shed! The Teddy boys (later the mods) used to congregrate at the childrens playground on the marsh, or Leos Cafe. I remember going there to listen to the juke box and drink foamy espresso, but I can't for the life of me remember where it was! Was this Leos Ice Cream parlour on the cricket green? I seem to remember it being at the Morden end of Mitcham - perhaps all those fags addled my brain! At weekends we'd go the swimming baths or the library in London Road at the fair green end. My father in law, Joe, used to be the bingo caller at the old Majestic. Also, does anyone remember St Olaves youth club? I saw some great groups (bands) there, including The Spectres who later became Status Quo. I'm sure it was... Read more
Newton House, 1 Commonside West
Opposite the pond was my mum Lois's family home. My grandfather was a master builder and his name was Thomas Baker. My grandfather had his office in Newton House and as children my brothers and I liked to explore it but we were not allowed in the cellar. My ancesters the Slaters lived in Love Lane and grew lavender on their land. William Slater was a distiller for Potters & Moore and then he emigrated to Australia in 1858 and took with him Mitcham lavender which he grew on his land in Nunawading, near Melbourne, Australia and he named his homestead after his place of birth Mitcham Grove.
Paddling
I was based at St Helier Ambulance Station in Morden. On afternnon in 1968 we got a call to Three Kings Pond to a young lad who had paddled to the island and in doing so had cut his foot badly. I rolled up my uniform trousers but keeping my shoes on paddled out to the island where I bandaged his his foot and carried him off the island to the applause of the watching crowd
City Village
I grew up in Mitcham, born in 1976 and left there in about 1997. I feel like I have two Mitchams in my head - the old and the new.
I felt a link with the place because my dad had grown up there and my grandad had links with Morfax and ran his own engineering company in the town later. My dad shared lots of memories with me about his growing up in the town and so I had a real feeling of place and continuity.
During my lifetime I saw the Canons leisure centre built, the clock tower moved and the fair green pedestrianised along with the one-way system. I went to Links primary school (in Tooting really) and then Cranmer before going on to Tamworth Manor (formerly Pollards Hill) because they wouldn't let me into Rutlish.
Mitcham always had an oddly villagey feel to it, very local if you know what I mean with lots of local characters and dubious goings on. That was... Read more
The Swan Inn
This photo looks like the 'Swan Inn" at the Mitcham end of Figgs Marsh where I caught the bus to Tooting Broadway to get the Underground to London. The trees of Figgs Marsh Common can be seen in the background. The road split in two here, the east side to Streatham and the west side to Tooting. The common was used for Football (soccer) matches on Saturdays and demonstrations in huge tents. I remember going to one put on by the dairy - no cows though- milk came in bottles didn't it. Half way along Figgs Marsh was the Childrens playground, Bowling Green, Tennis Courts and a cafe/restaurant that was closed more than open. The gardens and floral displays at the front of the area were looked after by my sister Valerie Cooper (nee Hook), who was the first woman apprentice gardener (horticulturist) from 1957 to the around 1965.
When my friend, Pat Arnold and I, went to the pictures in Tooting, we would sometimes get off the double decker... Read more
The Fair Green
The Fair Green was one of the first places my sister Valerie Cooper (nee Hook) worked in her capacity as an apprentice horticulturist for the Mitcham Council. When she went for the job they told her that she would have to do the same work as the men. If it meant climbing trees and pruning them , she had to do it too. If it snowed and the roads had to be cleared she would have to go out with them with the shovels and clear the snow. She also did a lot of the planning of garden beds and designs for the Parks department of the council when she had served her apprenticeship. She did the flower clock at Figgs Marsh as well as the World Football cup design at Figgs Marsh when England hosted the matches. She also did the flower beds etc at "The Canons" which she was very proud of. Valerie was the first woman gardener employed by the council... Read more
MAJESTIC CINEMA
Glad someone remembers the Majestic Cinema at Fair Green. We lived in Norbury, just over the border in Croydon, but my Dad was a Cinema Manager with the ABC chain, and regularly did relief stints at the Majestic when the regular Manager was away. The cinema had a Hammond organ, and Dad remembers allowing the late Roy Budd, then a teenager, to practice on it regular - Roy later became a successful jazz musician and composer of TV and film music. My link with the Majestic is that for a time in the late 50's/early 60's I was a member of the 20th. Mitcham Sea Scouts, based in a school near Wide Way, and every year all the Scout groups used to hold their St. George's Day parade in the Majestic, and we would then march back across Mitcham Common with flags flying. Although living in Croydon, we were actually closer to Mitcham than Croydon ( Pollards Hill was actually on the border, I think ) and as some of... Read more
Growing up
I was known as Digger Dawson back in the days. My mates and I used to have a crafty fag on beehive bridge when in our early teens. I will always remember Armfield Crescent, Fair Green, the cricket green, leo's lollies, broken biscuits, St. Marks School. The place has changed a lot since then. Last time I was there I got lost! Trams were running and my mate Dennis Brown was being a right anorak and taking down bus numbers. Memories of Bob Rogers, Mick Gray, Dave Cabot, Pat Brunton - to name a few. The best was trying to eat an orange jubbly, they were enormous! Lovely.
Saturday Morning Pictures
My lasting memory of the majestic cinema was going to Saturday morning pictures: with my sister Linda and all our mates watching Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, Superman, The 3 Stooges and all the cartoons. I still love Tom and Jerry now! The funniest part was going up in the gods and dropping our lollysticks on the kids below, and spitting on them - charming kids eh! And all for sixpence. I saw my first film there in 1953, it was called Genevieve. You were either an ABC minor, or a granadier if you were common and went to the Granada in Tooting. All those black jacks and fruit salads, could get sick for tuppence then. Does anyone remember thorpes record bar just along from the cinema? Bought all my Beatles LPs there, and still got them! Lastly I remember the pet shop along a little bit more, running my fingers through the grains, ah!
My Home Town
Memories, Used to go to school at Western Road, the cinema on a Saturday morning, Roy Rogers and Silver. Ahh memories, now I'm 60 and living in Norfolk. I remember fondly Huttons Fish Shop, Leos Ice Cream at the cricket green, the lovely ice lollies with cream on the top then red substance and a coca cola bottom. The buses turning round at the cricket green, the Cricketers pub where me dad used to have a pint of bitter and me a packet of Smith crisps, the fire engine station behind. Lovely memories...............
Childhood Days
Mitcham a lovely little place, here you used to catch the buses to Sutton and beyond, the picture house and opposite the pictures used to be a sweet shop where I can remember Mars bars used to cost 2/6 in old money, gobstobbers that used to fill your mouth for 1d. The walk home to the flats up St Marks Road. The trolley buses that used to run to West Croydon and the antics seen when the pole came off. Lovely days. The teddyboys used to hang out round Huttons shop. Now living in Norfolk I wonder what Mitcham looks like.
The Goose
I went to Mitcham Grammar in the fifties, turning left out of the school gates you could walk up to a small parade of shops.
There was a small grocery shop on the corner owned by a rather corpulent elderly man. He had a huge white goose (well it looked huge to us!) which always stood outside the shop and would go for us boys if we got anywhere near it. It usually looked a bit scruffy with a "fringe" rather dirty feathers around the bottom of its body.
It always amused me that when the owner in his rather dirty white coat stood outside the shop with his hands behind his back with the goose standing next to him, both gazing across the road to the common, how alike they looked.
Victory Party Lonesome School
My best memories of Mitcham was when I lived in Oakleigh Way opposite the field where practically all the children in the neighbourhood congregated, especially in the summer, from morning to night. The bigger girls looked after the little ones, and as young as we were it was quite usual for us to walk to the wooden childrens library, or the swimming baths, going down St. Marks Road and cutting through the Market Garden where the flats are now. One of the hightlights of our life was bonfire night, where parents and children would all gather, bringing their fireworks with them. There were big bonfires everywhere and the competition to have the biggest and best in the area prompted on one occasion our lads to appropriate some disused sleepers from the railway sidings. I can't remember any accidents, just a great communal occasion that parents and children enjoyed. Another highlight of our lives was watching black and white films of the Keystones Cops and Charlie... Read more
The Pre-Fab Years
I was born in Recreation Close - a tiny 1 bedroom maisonette at the bottom of Wide Way. My Grandparents lived in Greenwood Road just around the corner. In June 1944, during the Second World War, a doodle bug exploded on the shelter killing my grandmother, and I think, 6 other people in the road. Their names are recorded in a book of rememberance in Westminster Abbey which I visited recently. Anyway, in 1946 my brother Richard was born so we were allocated one of the new pre-fabs just around the corner. What luxury it was - having a fridge in a very modern kitchen. I remember well the 1947 big freeze when our pipes froze and b urst in the bathroom. However, we were only in the pre-fab for 2 years as my 2nd brother came along and we moved to a brand new council house in Brenley Close by the Beehive /bridge. I have lovely memories of the fair - I think it was 3 fairs in... Read more
My Memories of Mitcham And The School Cruise Which Made News in The Cinemas
I was born in the nursing home in Colliers Wood, the home was called Woodlands. My mother and father moved to Glebe Court Mitcham when i was six years old and I lived there untill I got married. I too remember going to the pictures in Mitcham and feeding the ducks at Three Kings Pond. I also remember the cockle and whelk stall which stood on the Fair Green. As I got older I visited the fair which came every year. My friends and I used to go to Streatham to the Bowling Alley every week and to the Pally Ally! I remember the gypsy camp site in Western Road close to the old gas works. I went to Western Road Secondary School and just before I left in 1963 I had the opportunity to go on a cruise round Greece organised by the school. This was a pioneering cruise as schools hadn't started taking pupils on educational holidays then. Pathe News followed us... Read more
Mitcham Common Fair & Uncle Mick
My earliest memory of Mitcham was when the fair came to Mitcham Common. The noise, shouting, music and smells were so exciting to a nine year old. The whole world seemed to be happy then...we had a new Queen on the throne, Elizabeth the second, and although our playgrounds were the bomb sites left over from the German bombing raids, we seemed to be filled with thoughts of the future and what it held for us. My big sister reluctantly, took me to the fair with her but that was so mother would let her out of the house on a Sunday. When we arrived, surprisingly, we met up with some lads, who were my sister's friends. They used to go to the 'Orchid Ballroom', Purley and if the famous Ted Heath and his band were playing, nothing would stop sister Maureen from going. She adored the singer Dickie Valentine - he was very handsome in a Latin way - then there was Denis Lotus and I think Lita Roza... I... Read more
Childhood Memories.
I have lived in Mitcham all my life. I was born at St Helier Hospital in 1955 and we lived in the nissan huts opposite what was then Pollards Hill High School in Wide Way, we lived next to a family called the Butlers and I went to school first at Alfred Mizen, then to Pollards Hill. I remember visiting my nan in Sunshine Way off Bond Road and we used walk down from the common at Commonside East through the path that was then beside the Paines firework factory and over the wooden bridge across the railway lines. We moved to Northumberland Gardens, by the common, and my dad and stepmum still live there. Mitcham has changed dramatically since I was small, it's now a busy town, not a lively village. There are still a few old shops, like Strowgers the ironmongers and I'm glad they kept the clock tower, although there are no public toilets any more. The common isn't what it used to be with the football... Read more
The Town
Unfortunately, I couldn't view the printing on the Mitcham page as it was obscured by little green figures, but I do know someone has asked if anyone remembers Thorpe's Music Bar. I do. I used to work there Wednesday evenings and Saturdays for a couple of years. Mr. and Mrs. Thorpe were very kind to me, took me to the theatre on occasion (once at the London Palladium)! Mrs. Thorpe insisted we wear white coats to work in the store. I wonder why ...... Mr. Thorpe was the one who knew the electrical stock. I had to learn records by their stock numbers. I'd love to have that kind of memory now. Oh the days of 78's etc. If a record didn't sell well, Mrs. Thorpe would give them to me. Fun to remember all this. Mrs. Thorpe, who had Lucille Ball style red hair, had a 'thing' for peke dogs. Snappy little buggers, but they loved... Read more
Memories of 1955
Fashion Model Jackie Bowyer was a resident of Mitcham in the late 1950s . Any information concerning her would be appreciated . Derek Collins . collinsderek@sympatico.ca
So Long Ago
So long ago. We (the family, Mum, Alun, Rob & me) must have left Colliers Wood just a few years after the war had ended. We moved into a Nissan hut, one of which seemed to me in a small suburb of huts, but no streets, just rough ground. It was near the railway line and there was a derelict two storey house that was both fascinating and scary, I suppose it was war damaged. Not far away, behind a fence made of wooden stakes and twisted wire, were the allottments, always it seemed to me, smelling of cabbages and I suppose part of the war effort. I went to school in the road near the cinema and there was (maybe still is) a small row of shops opposite. The best of course sold sweets (I remember a machine outside); was there an undertakers? And on the corner a chemist or a shop that had apothecary bottles in the window with wonderful coloured liquids. Two pubs on opposite corners of the road, yes... Read more
Time Changes Everything.
As I read and reread the memories that are posted on this site, Mitcham and my childhood there become more and more vivid. I can almost smell the grass on the cricket green, just after it was cut. When I was young, Mitcham was a place that people from the surrounding areas would come to. Now it's a place you have pass through going somewhere else. I sat and thought for a while, what was it they came for? Poppy Day, at the War Memorial next to the Mitcham Fire Station. All the bands were there, the Sea Scouts, the Boys Brigade, the Boy Scouts and of course the band I played in, the St John's Ambulance. The Last Post was played and the Mayor placed a large wreath at the foot of the cross. It was somewhat of a sad day, remembering the fallen, in both world wars, and yet I suppose a magnificent specacle for the onlookers. The May Queen was another good reason to stop a while... Read more
Pollards Hill in The 1940s & 1950s
My name is Paul Wood, born in Greenwood Road in 1940. We didn't get blitzed much, but we had a land mine in our road and we were all evacuated. Buzz bombs or doodle bugs were a different matter, we had 8 in the area, at Sherwood Park Road, Wide Way & Manor Road, we were bombed out twice. We sheltered in an underground shelter which is now under the Church of Ascension, Father Shute would play his accordian as we all sang cockney and First World War songs. I went to school at Pollards Hill Infants & Junior Schools, at 12 I moved across the playing field to the senior school, then in 1953 moved to the new building in Wide Way, and our old school became Alfred Mizen School. My sister Elaine went there, previously she had to be bussed to a school, catching it outside Wedges in Chestnut Grove, the local paper shop. Our only transport locally was the 118 bus to go to Croydon, one walked... Read more
Tracing Family
I am trying to trace a woman by the name of Lily Fox, born in 1938 in Ireland. We know a Lily Fox married a Derek Rose on the 7th March 1959 in St Barnabas Church in Mitcham. He was a carpenter aged 26 and she was a cashier aged 20 years at that time. The address I have is 63 Ashbourne Road, in Mitcham where they were living when they got married. I know Lily had a baby daughter in March 1960, as a postcard was sent home stating she was on holiday with her new husband and her four and half month baby girl in Bournemouth and she would write again soon. she never put her husband's or daughter's name on the card. That's almost 50 years ago, and we will keep searching for answers. If anyone might know, please contact me. Kindest regards Geraldine O'Connor PS - Lily would now be 71 years old.
Mitcham Then And Now
I was born in Streatham Road in 1948 and lived there until 1968 when I had to leave to get closer to my work. I looked out the bathroom window onto Figges Marsh and often played there. I saw my first film at the Majestic, my first school was Gorringe Park, and I'd catch the bus to go to Tooting at The Swan bus stop outside the pub.
I was shocked recently to see how much it has changed. The Swan has disappeared completely, Fair Green is almost unrecognizable, built over and around, with a new traffic system taking almost everything around too, the Majestic is long gone, a supermarket stands on the site now, many of the trees on Figges Marsh have been cut down and replaced by street lights, and the shelter and public conveniences at the Streatham Road end is no more. I remember running from lamplight to lamplight on Figges Marsh in the early 60s on my way home from lying my way in to see... Read more
Gaston Road, Mitcham.
My father owned 28 Gaston Road, Mitcham,Surrey. His mother and father lived at the house after the end of the Second World War. Their names were Christopher Harold Manley and his wife Annie. I guess they died sometime in the 1940s. At their passing my aunt Sally Manley stayed living at the house until her passing in the 1960s. I gather she was employed by the Post Office. Does anyone know of these people ? Please contact me at jon_manley@bigpond.com
1959 - 1969
I was born in 1959 at 20 Glebe Cour,t Mitcham to Percy Jack and Lillian Anne Agg. All my mother's side of the family lived in Micham - Ford - Atkins and Agg being the surnames. I have fond memories of Mitcham and of the parks and the pub next to the station where my mum worked in the kitchen. I used to love riding in the dumb waiter. We moved when I was still young from Glebe Court to The Beeches (number 31). I went to a kindergarden that used to be near the fair green. I think it got pulled down a long time back.
Happy days and the pics on this site bring back so many memories...all good.
1947 - 1981
I was born in Mitcham in 1947. We lived at the Gun Site which was situated next to Mitcham Station. There were still some soldiers there when I was born, they were separated by a wire fence. They were the days of freedom when children could play out without any fear. There was a house at the entrance of the site next to the railway station, a deaf lady used to live there and I remember being scared of her because she made funny noises. We lived next door to a blind lady who used to make cakes and always stuck her finger in the mixture to taste it. There were a lot of children living there, it was quite a little community. The doors were always open, and everybody helped each other. The ice cream man used to come round on his bike and the rag and bone man with goldfish and balloons. We had a tin bath, no bathroom, and my dad kept chickens in the garden with... Read more
1945-1960
What a great site this is – I love sharing everyone’s memories. It brought back my childhood and names I had forgotten.
I moved from Scotland to Mitcham in 1946 when I was four. Mum, Dad, my sisters Margaret and Florence and me all moved into an ex-army hut on the Gun Site at Mitcham Junction. Later came my sister Isabel and then much later came Yvonne. They called us squatters but we paid our rent to Mitcham council, who eventually rehoused us in 1954 to a brand new maisonette at Beaumont Court at the top of St Mark’s Road.
Mum used to take me to the Majestic Cinema and we kids all went on Saturday morning as ABC’ers. It was a wonderful place to grow up, we had the freedom of Mitcham Common as our playground and the town of Mitcham was like a village back then. There was a Woolworths with big wooden counters and wood floors, Hearns the butcher, Thorpes the record shop. I remember the... Read more
Memories of Mitcham, Figgs Marsh, Tooting Bec
When I was in my early teens, my mates and I used to go to Figgs Marsh and wait for the lads. We used to sit in an open brick-built toilet area which had seating and it was magical to see all the pictures about this area. One lad, Bob Sampson, was always the last to arrive, but we knew when he was on his way as he used to sing 'Ghost Riders In The Sky', and what a vioce, it echoed over the whole of Figgs Marsh, and my friend Joy, no longer with us, and I loved these evenings. Innocent apart from a good old snog!
Tooting Bec sports centre also had great interest for us, we fancied two of the athletes, one a javelin thrower, and one a runner. I also had many walks there with a boyfriend called Wizz, who lived in Streatham Vale.
In Streatham, we also loved to go to the Astoria, and sit upstairs in the back row, and maybe... Read more
London Road
My mother, Muriel Lowrey, owned the Wool Shop at 185 London Road, next door to a hi-fi shop. I remember Eric Braund, who was a local postman. His wife Lilly helped my mother in the shop and Eric and I eventually formed a recording company called 'Group Four Recordings' and hired ourselves out, doing a fair bit at the Royal Festival Hall, I remember. Great days!! When we moved to London Road I remember I was finishing my days at the Italia Conti Drama School, based at that time in Clapham, and at the Royal College of Music - so it could have been about 1958/9. I also enrolled as a 'special constable' at Mitcham Police Station - I believe the crime rate soared during my tenure!!
Has anyone else any recall of the shop [now demolished] - perhaps an ex-customer?
Memories of 1955
The delightful photographs of Mitcham revive many pleasant memories of my youth and growing up on the nearby St. Helier Estate in Carshalton. The year 1955, in particular, evokes strong personal emotions that have remained permanent. As a young 17 year old draughtsman, I worked for W. H. Armfield Ltd, a steel building company located in Morden Rd. It was here that I met my first love Jackie who worked in her father's Transport Cafe next door. We used to visit the Majestic Cinema and I remember walking home along London Road past the Post Office (or was it the Telephone Building), the Cricket Green and Leo's ice cream parlour to Mitcham Station, turning into Morden Road where Jackie lived. In 1956, I emigrated to Canada and pursued a career in Civil Engineering. I believe Jackie became a fashion model for Mary Quant Designs. I have never forgotten that brief time in my life and I return to England every year, always making a visit to Mitcham. The inevitable changes... Read more
History of Figgs Marsh
Having been born in Tooting Junction and schooled at Gorringe Park Middle School, I have many memories of Mitcham. However, until recently I was unaware that my ancestors lived on Figgs Marsh back in the 1840s, something I found out via the 1841 census. Does any one have any knowledge about what would have been there around this time and why a large group of people would have been living communally there, as many other people were listed on this cenus as also living on Figgs Marsh. I am aware that the area has long had a prominent travelling community and wondered if this could hold any clues. If any one has any information that they feel could shed some light on this, it would be much appreciated. As I child I would often walk across the Marsh, stopping to play on the swings on my way to school and on the way back, completely unaware that my ancestors had lived there over a hundred years before! By the way,... Read more
Grandads Pig Farm
My memories of Mitcham are primarily those of days spent at my grandparents' house. My grandad was Sidney Clark, my nan for some reason unknown to me was "Nanny Mick". My grandfather had a pig farm at the bottom end of Aberdeen Road. I can still remember as a youngster going out with my grandad in his lorry to local cafes and restaurants etc., to collect their waste product ,"pig swill", taking it back and boiling it up with what I think was bran, the smell was pretty horrible but the pigs loved it. Apart from the pigs there were chickens, racing pigeons, geese, cats and dogs, this place was so far removed from where I lived in Earlsfield, a densely populated area of Wandsworth, London. Going to my nan's was a real adventure for me. Although my memory is not particularly good nowadays I can still recall piglet deliveries and chasing "escapees" up and down Aberdeen Road, likewise errant chicks, and a scary memory of the gander who "ruled... Read more
Childhood
I did get the privilege to revisit Mitcham again this year. The fair green has changed little, there is now a main road running striaght to Tooting Broadway opposite the fair green, where the Bucks Head pub was there is a paved off area and the Old Majestic still stands but is now a cinema. Can't remember name, I am sure it was once a bingo hall too. My aunts used to live in Tynemouth Road and living in Swindon, Wiltshire we would travel every year to visit my nan who used to live in Totterdown Street in Tooting. If anyone remembers the house it was the one right next door to the market and the Avery scales shop. The Bucks Head pub holds memories for me as my cousin had her wedding reception upstairs. I don't remember a lot about the day as I was only about six years old. She married at Christ Church in Colliers Wood. The room upstairs in the Bucks Head I remember had a... Read more
