Memories of South Ealing

Re: Tony Bros ice cream

I remember Tony Bros ice cream parlour off Acton High Street. On some Sundays my father would take me for a treat for a cornet or wafer scooped out of the big drum on the counter, it was always after giving our dog Sally a run either in Acton Park or on the scrubbs next to the prison. We lived in East Acton off Old Oak Road. 1963 stands out as it snowed at Christmas. We walked up to Acton Park with a sledge my dad had made, and had a great day sliding down the slope opposite Uxbridge Road till it got dark. I was so tired he had to drag me on the sledge halfway back. It was a great place to live with tree-lined streets. There was more a sense of freedom then.
Does anyone remember the cinema on the corner of Acton Circus which was a roundabout then? My sister took me to see Cliff Richard in 'Summer Holiday' at the Saturday morning pictures. It was turned into a bowling ally, and a friend of mine helped rip the seats out, a sad day.

Gills memories of Ealing

I went to Little Ealing Junior School which was at the bottom of my road.  I remember on my first day running home to my gran, crying because they were using pencils and I had come from a school in Hounslow where we had got pens and inkwells, I thought the school was so backward. It was quite hard to integrate and I got bullied by some older girls from another school until my dad met me on the way home and gave them a talking to. I don't suppose it did them any good but they didn't pick on me again. I remember a lovely teacher called Mr Lim who was very kind to me and put my italic writing up on the wall even though it wasn't very good but I was so proud. Then I won an essay competition organised by Cadburys and had my name read out in assembly. I was so cross when I got home that I had to share my winning Easter eggs with my brother even though he couldn't be bothered to enter.  

The area was quite built up, lots of houses but two nice park (Lammas and Walpole) which are still there. We used to sneak into the back of Ealing studios through the park in those days - I bet you can't do that now!

I used to lie in bed listening to the tube trains which I really loved and one night the house on the other side of the bridge was hit by lightning and a boy's bedroom set on fire. I thought it was so exciting. I went to ballet lessons in Brentford with a girl called Patricia who had that most wonderful of objects, a soda syphon that made fizzy drinks. We weren't allowed such luxuries and I remember Pat operating this wonderful machine before we went to ballet, I was in Heaven.

I also went to Ealing Swimming Club for many years and particularly enjoyed Sunday mornings when I helped teach people who had polio to swim. Great fun.
Our instructor was called Mr Zimmermann but the less said about him the better I think.

I loved going to West Ealing and Ealing Broadway as there were great shops even then and my mum and I would get a cup of tea sometimes which was to me the height of luxury. The shops were so beautiful at Christmas, full of life and lights and a joy to walk around.  

Ealing also gave me ballroom dancing lessons with Mrs Pinkerton and her husband, a Youth Club with judo lessons, St John's Ambulance cadet classes and ice skating at Richmond. I spent Saturdays at Heathrow Airport on the Queens roof building sorting out faints and nosebleeds with the St John's ambulance nurses and loved it.

My brother went to Drayton Manor Grammar along with a certain Richard Wakeman and his cousin Alan. We are now avid fans and go to all his concerts when we can. (Rick's that is, not my brother's!)

I do remember some girls from those days, Nancy Wilkinson, Pamela Dyer, Pat Barrett and a rather nice boy called William Turner who lived round the corner! I attended Acton County Grammar School after that but was so unhappy there and it impacted on my life after that.

St Mary's church

We lived in an upstairs flat in South Ealing. The tube railway line ran behind our flat, and beyond that, allotments. We also had a good view of St. Mary's church. It was wonderful to hear the bells ring on Sunday mornings. I wonder if they still ring as a lot of churches have had their bells stollen. There is a path way through the cemetary which could be reached through the alley leading to Grange school. I often walked that path way to and from my friends house. It was very spooky, particularly in the dark, and the school alley way although lit, was not much better as nobody else was usually around. I would think twice about making the same journey today. It was a much shorter way home and I did'nt even stop to think of any danger like I would today. As a child I felt so free and the world was my oyster. South Ealing was a safe place to grow up. Cars were few and crime was very low so there was little restrictions, except 'in time' In at 8p.m. or else!

Mouse goes to school

When I was about 11 years old I secretly bought a pet mouse on impulse, but quickly realised that it was a silly thing to do as I knew my Dad would not let me keep it. I couldn't afford a cage for it. I hadn't thought it through at all. Frightened to leave it at home I took him to school, stupidly thinking I could keep him hidden in my desk or up my sleeve, but of course the inevitable happened and somebody snitched on me. I thought, 'now I'm in for it' and waited for the screams to emit from my dear teacher as my friend popped his little brown head out from the cuff of my sleeve. but to my amazment she was wonderful about it. She took me aside and gently talked some sense into me. That teacher was Mrs. Lakin and I have never forgotten her. I loved her best of all my teachers. The school, Grange juniors. Consequently I did tell my mother about my pet and she reluctantly argued with Dad about it and won the argument on my behalf. Incidentally poor Junior the mouse ended his life eighteen months later in the mouth of our dog Judy. He had escaped from his cage and Judy had hunted him down whilst I was at school and unfortunately I was the one who found him. A sad end for my little buddy and Judy was in my bad books for some time after.

Grange Academy for young ladies

My school in South Ealing was know as 'Grange Academy for Young Ladies', or rather, just simple Grange seniors. I loved my school days and equally net-ball, but hated the fact that we had to play in our blouses tucked into our navy blue knickers. Boys would congregate around our school gate where we would have to play in full view of them. It was most embarrassing. Our class rooms were made up with wooden doors that could be folded back in the Summer leaving one side open to the lovely weather. Compared to schools of today it was primitive yet wonderful in a way. I have never seen a school like it since. I did go back to have a look at the old place in the 1990s. The only change I noticed was they had closed in the sheltered area around the quadrangle so it is no more open to the elements.
I do cherish my school memories.