Growing up in Purley

High Street c1965
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When I lived in Purley, there weren't many stores.  I can remember when Sainsbury's opened across from Purley Fountain.  There was a toy shop in the High Street called Morgan's.  I stole a whistle from there when I was not very old.  I can remember it to this day.  It was yellow plastic with one of those pea things in that made the whistling noice.  I must have taken it home but I was soon on my way back to Morgan's to return the whistle and apologise for stealing it!

We lived in Dale Road and there was a row of shops along the Godstone Road.  A greengrocer's, Mr King's the grocers, Mr Nicholls newsagents, Mr Burrough's the tobacconist and a couple more than I can't remember.  We were friendly with the Nicholls and went round there to watch the Coronation on their television.  We did not have a television at the time.  My Mom used to smoke and we often got sent round for 20 Churchman's No. 1.

There was only one restaurant that I can remember.  It was right beside the railway bridge.  I don't know that I ever went there.  People didn't eat out very much in those days.  We called it Bobby Crittendon's.  I don't know if that was it's actual name, but I guess it was run by Bobby Crittendon!

There was the Astoria cinema in the High Street.  That was a treat when we got to go there. I do remember there was a jeweller's in Russell Hill and my Dad used to have jewellery specially made for my mother.  There was also a pet food shop in Russell Hill that sold horse meat that my Mom used to buy for the dog.

We were never restricted in what we did or where we went.  We used to go up to the woods in Northwood Avenue and hide in the hawthorn bushes, and build "camps" in the flattened grass and spy on people!  I can remember once a whole crowd of us went to Grange Park and messed around in that canal type thing there and we all had to take our shirts off and run around to get them dry before we went on the bus back home again.  Grange Park was quite a long way away.  I think I was the oldest and I was probably around 12 at the time.  We must have taken the bus because it was much too far to walk there.

When I was in my teens, we moved to Meadow Hill.  We moved from 18 Dale Road to 18 Meadow Hill.  After that we had to catch the 234 up Foxley Lane and walk home.  After I started work I often used to take a taxi home because I didn't like walking in the dark.  When I went out in the evening I took the bus along to the bottom of Smitham Downs Road and I would walk up in the middle of the road because all the houses had big hedges and I was scared someone was going to jump out at me.  They never did!