Up And Down.

Rye Lane c1955
Enlarge photo |  More about this photo

My friends and I loved Rye Lane, it had more shoe shops than Oxford Street. On Saturdays we would meet in Manzes Pie and Mash in Peckham Hill Street, then make our way up one side of Rye Lane, shopping if we could afford to, window shopping if not. We would navigate all through the arcade, and carry on to Choumert Road market, there used to be a lovely pub at the top, where my sister was engaged to a fellow called Mickey whose family owned a large greengrocers there, we would then cross over the road and come down on the opposite side, stopping and usually buying a record in a smashing record shop in Bournemouth Road, then another small arcade,into C & A's to try on the latest fashions, then Woolworth's, B.H.S, and Littlewoods and into Jones and Higgins to browse for a long while. On one occasion I bought a beautiful pair of bright red patent stiletto's in 'Saxone's' at the bottom of the Lane and could not wait to wear them in the evening, so I did and by the time we had walked up the lane and down the heels were completely worn down, so I walked back into 'Saxone's' and got a refund and promptly bought another pair.