Deansbrook Road Burnt Oak

A Memory of Salford.

I was born in Edgware Hospital in 1956, and lived at 318 Deansbrook Road.
My name is Valerie Hood and I have wonderful memories of growing up there until I was 17 and we then moved to Potters Bar.
I knew all of my neighbours, and many from other streets nearby.
As a child we used to play over the fields just down the road, jumping the stream and having great fun.
It was a short cut through to Mill Hill, where I used to go the library and the outside swimming pool.
We used to go to the swimming pool with the school on the 1st of May and it was freezing, but we still had to get into it, we were blue coming out, but were warmed up with a hot drink.
Even as teenagers we spent many days going to the pool.
I went to school just round the corner, I can remember my first day at school going into the big Wendy House, and in the afternoons we used to have a sleep in our little beds. I used to love getting the bottles of milk. We were so lucky to go the new school in Copthal, just for girls only.
My best friends were Linda Spinks, Vivienne Lavers, Kim Elsdon, Jacky Kippen, Maureen Lawson, Laura Corp just to name a few.
We spent years over the park swinging on the swings, licking our jubblies and other sweets, climbing the air raid shelters, such memories.
I can remember the rag and bone man, the milkman, the coal man with his black face.
Not many people had cars we were lucky to have one.
Every Saturday my Mum and myself used to go to Burnt Oak shopping on the 52 bus.. We would go to the market, Sainsburys where I would queue for the cheese. The co-op, and a few other little shops.
Saturday morning at the cinema used to be great fun.
Fond memories.