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Mortlake
Mortlake maps
Historic maps of Mortlake and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Mortlake maps
Mortlake area books
Displaying 1 of 13 books about Mortlake and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Mortlake
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Mortlake.
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My Dad Was Born in St Leonards Road, Mortlake
My Dad was born at 202 St Leonards Road, Mortlake on 14th June 1913. I have no understanding of how the family came to live there and the only way I have found out is from Dad's birth certificate. He was Howard Parker Norfolk and I know from his Mortlake birth certificate that his father (my Grandad William Arthur Norfolk) was a wholesale jeweller's clerk in 1913 and the address at 202 St Leonards Road was where they lived. I imagine that it is now far too late to hope for any living connections that may have memories of my family in Mortlake so I shall have to create a memory of my own by going there and taking a photograph!
The Fire Station
My Mother was born in the flat above Mortlake Fire Station in 1899. Her Father W.O.Knight was the Officer in charge. I lived there until approx 4 years of age and can remember the two fire engines and many details. The building is still there but has been converted into offices.
Greater London memories
The Howard Family of Barnes And Hammersmith
My Great-Great-Grandad, Henry Howard, lived in the early 1800’s - a time of great rural depression - and so he left his Devon home to look for work in London with the result that several generations of my family lived in the Hammersmith area. The story is that he walked all the way. No doubt the stage coach fare was beyond the means of an unemployed labourer.
He found work constructing railways which at this time were spreading rapidly all over the country. He may have found lodgings in North London, perhaps in Camden with either his brother or his cousin George Howard. Later he moved to the Hammersmith area and he married in his early twenties. He had (at least) six children, the eldest of whom, Elizabeth, was born about 1840. His son - William Henry (my Great-Grandad) was born in 1846 and the family story is that the youngest son was Jack who later emigrated. Two of the Howard family daughters, Louie and Mary Jane, did... Read more
Growing up in Barnes - 1950s
We moved to Glebe Road in 1952 (Cousland) and it was a wonderful place for children. We had a back gate opening on to the common and made full use of it. The grass was cut every year and baled for hay and we used to rush out and build houses from the bales. Every Friday we were allowed to buy 2ozs of sweets from Mr Brown's sweet shop (just out of shot here) then help carry the shopping home from the new "supermarket" Express Dairies. There was also a greengrocer, another sweetshop (The Crescent) and a dry cleaners. The milkman delivered in a new battery van, and there was a rag and bone man who came round with his pony and cart. At the other end of Church Road there was a very smart ladies dress shop and a shoe shop. All we needed was in Barnes. We could fish in the pond for sticklebacks and scoop up tadpoles in the spring. The swings at Vine Road were heavenly,... Read more
In Line And Two by Two
Miss Cary was short and stout with grey hair in a bun. She always wore a cameo brooch on a white silk blouse, grey skirt and sensible shoes. She was kind and patient, she was also my first teacher. One day as the mothers picked up their children she announced, 'Tomorrow my class is going on a day trip, the children will need a packed lunch and two shillings', and that was that.
The next morning we arrived clutching a packed lunch and a two bob bit, if any kid didn't have the money I think she put it in herself. This was one of Miss Cary's outings, no motor coach to pick us up, no other teacher to help and no classroom assistant in those days. This was 1952 and twenty two six-year-olds from Harmondsworth Primary School were going to Kew Gardens. We marched out the school gates at 9.15am, in line and two by two. Miss Cary at the head, calling over her shoulder 'Keep together, children'.... Read more
Childhood by The Pond
This photograph of the Pond was taken from a position at the top of Priory Road, the street where I was born in 1950, at No 43. The Pond was always a focal point for myself and my sisters during the fifties and early sixties. I remember many an occasion walking on the white railings pretending to be a high wire expert. Yes, it led to many falls and grazed knees. Just to the right of this shot stood Queens School, long since demolished. And the entrance to Watcombe Cottages, where i would often escape to visit my grandmother. Probably this one photo holds the most imbedded memories of my childhood.
Sandycombe Road
I was born in Kings Farm Avenue, just off Manor Road in Richmond in 1964. When I was a baby we swapped council houses with my Uncle and moved into 28 Sandycombe Road - this was to be my home until 1987.
My grandparents lived at number 103 and were almost opposite the corner shop, when I was a very small child it was run by an elderly couple (I remember the man being blind). About 1969ish the shop changed hands and the couple were Mr and Mrs Silva (De Silva?). I used to take the Corona bottles back to them and collect the money which was maked on the bottle tops, I think it was 6d.
Of course, the whole road has changed, I still drive down it sometimes and have a great longing to knock on number 28s door armed with a handfull of old photos of me in that house, adn ask if I can have a look around. Even up until the 80s there... Read more
