Purley Fountain And High Street
I was born in Mayday but brought up in Lansdowne Road for the first two and a half years. I remember the fountain being in the grounds of the water works where Tesco is now situated. When I was nearly 3 we moved to above the old gas showroom in the High Street, Purley. The cinema that is there now used to be called the Astoria and I can remember as a very small child having tea in the restaurant. My great uncle Fred used to live in the flint cottages just along from the cinema. Where the Sainsbury's now stands used to be a big car park to service the train station. Also in my twenties I used to work for the Abbey National in the High Street. Sadly the High Street consists of banks, estate agents and building societies these days. I have not been back to Purley for many years but can remember that the High Street used to flood very badly due to the fact that that the Bourne stream runs underground. At the end pf Whyteleaf Road there used to be the Railway Hotel which was pulled down and offices built. I understand the Jolly Farmers is stil there, as my Nan used to often visit.
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RE: RE: Purley Fountain And High Street
I grew up in Lansdowne Road, and my dad, Walter, grew up in the Bartlett Cottages next to the Astoria Cinema. He had a younger brother Fred, maybe we are related? On Sunday evenings in the summer, we would sit on the edge of the fountain (before it was moved to the waterworks grounds) and watch the traffic returning from the coast. Seems funny now, but sometimes the cars were backed up all the way to Grovelands Road, about 300 yards! Only one person in Lansdowne Road had a car then, look at it now!
Comment from Dennis Curtis on Friday, 19th November 2010.
RE: RE: Purley Fountain And High Street
As a teenager, we would usually meet our friends or a "date" at Purley Fountain. I hardly recognised Purley when I visited there in 2004, especially the train station, which looked so run down compared to how it was in the 50's. Sad to see it this way. I remember watchig the old cars in the "London to Brighton Race" when they passed through Purley on the Brighton Rd. I lived in Riddlesdown, from 1935-1955, so spent many evenings at the Orchid Ballroom, and the two cinemas, the Regal and Astoria.
I also remember watching all the Army tanks and trucks rolling on the Brighton road on their way to the coast for the World War 11 invasion of Normandy in 1944.
Comment from Pauline Wells/Neff on Thursday, 12th May 2011.
RE: RE: Purley Fountain And High Street
I remember the Orchid Ballroom. Did you live there when it was a skating rink? I was really sorry when it became a ballroom but as I got older I appreciated having the ballroom instead of the rink. We had to go to Streatham to skate later on.
Comment from Liz Williams on Thursday, 15th March 2012.