South Chingford Parks And Lakes.
I was born in March 1939 and lived in South Chingford 1939-66. Frances Road 1940-47 and Underwood Road (Ropers Farm Estate) 1947-66.
I loved Chingford and still do. I regularly visit Chingford and was there only yesterday 15.07.08. I still have a cousin in Chingford and I am sadly selling my late cousin Peggy's house in Grove Road.
I firstly went to New Road School (briefly) then onto Selwyn Avenue - and then onto Wellington Avenue (Wellington Boot) (Maths master was a nightmare).
I loved the parks and lakes - not much homework got done as a result.
I remember the war years - hearing the sirens and having to (a few times) dive into the Mount shelter on the way home from New Road School.
We mainly used to play in Larkswood at the top of our road, the Memorial Park, Highams Park lake and the Larkswood playing fields-formerly had wartime shelters etc there.
We used to go to the Saturday morning pictures at the Odeon up the Mount, Mr. Paul the manager (we come along - on Saturday mornings) - sixpence to go in - 9d upstairs) and loved the varied items the Odeon put on there. Cartoons, news, documentary bit and the main film. In those days, the films often entailed a car chase - looking out of the back window - and seeing the chasing car crashing and bursting into flames, didn't they. Always remembered the Laurel and Hardy film where the cook 'skins them alive' and they are then shown to be walking skeletons. Pretty horrible and I have never seen that film shown in modern times. Same as the Sinbad film - where Captain Hook's hook is shown to hook into the man's chest skin - never seen that version in modern times.
We used to walk through Chingford cemetery on the way to school and collected cemetery conkers en route. That was the only somewhat 'naughty' thing we did in there - always had the proper respect for the graves - these days there has been vandalism going on in there - such a shame.
We loved Woolies up the Mount and always got our Xmas pressies in there. There is a shop 'Martins' in Gt Yarmouth that has got a full range - in use - of old Woolies counters. I can't stand the modern Woolies display layout.
I live in Colchester with my wife Lynn. Have two grown up daughters and two grandchildren. I am on Friends Reunited 'Robert Randall'
Kind regards,
Bob Randall
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RE: RE: South Chingford Parks And Lakes.
Wonderful to have the memory jogged on all these things. I too was born in 1939 and we lived for many years in Bourne Gardens which is off Larkswood Road near what used to be huge iron gates giving access to what were then in war time private allotments adjoining Larkswood and with a view across to the Larkswood Pool hill. In many of these areas I and my elder brother and sister spent a good deal of play time, especially to and from the walk to the New Road school. I have lived in Australia now for over 60 years and have unfortunately forgotten a lot of the names of these places. I have been back several times but have found it a fairly lonely experience with no-one there to share in these reminiscences.
My father ran a shop called Chingford Radio Services in Chingford Mount Road for many years. The shop was at the end of a group near the corner of Chingford Mount and Larkswood Roads, near to a community or church hall right on the corner that served as a British Restaurant in the war years and a scouts and guides meeting place at other times. I always remember the large wall mural while we were eating our rationed food, a picture of a stork tackling a serpent.
The Saturday morning Odeon shows I also remember fairly clearly, and wasn't there an icecream brand called Shales icecream or something similar sold in the shop round the corner near the trolley terminus?
My wife and I shall probably get to Chingford once more some time. It would be wonderful if it were ever possible to meet up.
Cheers
(Dr) Ron Shapiro
Comment from Ron Shapiro on Saturday, 5th June 2010.