Southall memories
Here are memories of Southall and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Southall or a Southall photo.
Growing up in Southall
I grew up in Southall in the 1940s and 50s. We lived in Gordon Road in a terraced house that backed onto The Tube. We had an outside toilet, no bathroom and, until I was about 6, no electricity. At the age of 5 I could change a gas mantle. My mother continued to live there until she passed on in 1989 Two doors away was Mrs Ridgewell's grocery shop and on the corner there was a greengrocer's. I recall being sent for a shilling's worth of King Edward potatoes. I went to Clifton Road Primary (Miss Camp) and Junior (Mr Constable) schools and went on to Drayton Manor School in Hanwell. I went to Sunday School and belonged to the Boy Scouts at the Salvation Army in Adelaide Road. I was their first and only Queen's Scout. Opposite on the corners of Clifton Road were Pearson's Drapers and a good fish and chip shop. Just around the corner in Norwood Road was a small parade of shops which included a newsagents... Read more
Southall 1928-1954
I was born in Woodlands Road, but moved shortly afterwards to Townsend Road.
We then moved to No74 North Road in 1933. I attended North Road School until 1940, then moved to Dormers Wells, then to Southall Tecg in 1942.
I remember the war years clearly. In 1944 a V1bomb fell in Southall Park, and brought the celing in on my bed! I was downstairs in the Morrison shelter.
At various tmes, I was in Villiers Scouts, a member of the Pioneer Club, and 1846 ATC squadron.
Growing up in Lea Road Southall
I lived in Lea Road, Southall. My father Alfred was a lorry driver for Sanders & Son, also known as The Tube, half way down Gordon Road. My mum Betty worked as a manager of Bill Taylors newsagents just off the High Street in Southall, my sister Margaret married Bill Taylor in 1968. I went to Clifton Road School, where Miss Camp was the infants' head. I attended Featherstone Road School from 1968 - 1972, the head was Mr Berg. My best friend was David May who lived in Gordon Road, but I have since lost touch with him, but I would be very interested to find out if anyone knows where he is now? I have great memories of the open air swimming pool in the rec., and also the mounds off Wentworth Road, where there was an old World War Two disarmed machine gun and air raid shelter, I used to play over there as a boy. Also Saturday morning pictures at the cinema down South Road,... Read more
SOUTHALL
I lived in Southall from April 1943 to May 1960, all my young life was spent there. Among the many good memories was the 1953 Coronation with all the excitement of sweets off ration and TV. We had our party in 2 canvas workman's tents from G. Wimpeys, Lancaster Road, Southall. The party was held in Lynwood Gardens off Lady Margaret Road after the Coronation was shown on TV. In the evening a large torchlight procession was held the length of Lady Margaret Road after dark.
A Very Happy Childhood.
I was born in Grange Road but soon after my parents moved to West End Road, my grandmother lived at number 35. I attended Beaconsfield Road Infants School and my best friend there was Ronnie Cornwall who also lived in West End Road. Further down the road from us was an old gentleman who would sell us sweets from his front door. In the mid thirties we moved to 18 Dane Road. When the blitz started, I and a friend Eddie Cloake, started a fire watch scheme for Dane Road. I was a messenger boy in the ARP and often hitched a ride on an AFS truck into London and knew what bombing was all about. The nearest we had in Southall, was a bomb in the High St at the top of Dane Road, and one in Lancaster Road. Schools were closed on the outbreak of war, and sadly I lost contact with most of my friends. My last teacher was Mr Emsden, who I liked very much. I... Read more
Early Years
SIRENS WAILING, Get up, wrap a blanket around yourself, stand on the bed and wait for Dad (Alfred Roger) or Eddith Mary (Mum) to come and go down 13 stairs and out to the shelter that was in the garden. Joyce my older sister would have already been there. Bang, clang, tin doors closing and down among the spiders. Yes I saw that doodlebug, I believe it took out half Hownslow Station. On clear nights when they were over London Dad had the door open and watched the search lights, and dog fights. Do you remember the train with its ack-ack gun going ? I read that they didn't hope to hit anything, but it was great for morale. Heston, Heathrow, Northolt aiports all very close and we did get smacked a few times. After the all-clear Dad was told Clifton Road School had been hit, I found out later he had borrowed the first bike he could find. The school was fine, but he found me in the rubble... Read more
Alvin
Hi, please accept my apologies, I've had problems with my email. I have lost your phone number so can you give me a ring? 07853393446. Cheers, Phil Jones
I Remember Southall
I moved to Southall when I was 5 with my family, went to live at Cornwall Avenue and then went to Lady Margaret School, left there when I was 11 went to Dormers Wells, at 12 we moved to Trinity Road, I still went to Dormers Wells but my brothers went to Featherstone Road then to Weston Road. I started dancing at the hall that was over Woolworth's in Southall High Street at 13 till I was 21, I was in pantomimes and other shows. I remember the Bristoll Cafe where all the kids met every Wednesday and Saturday, and the Palace pictures and also I used to take my brothers to Saturday morning pictures when I was 12 and 13 at the Odeon, I also went ballroom dancing at the Derminon. My first job at 14 was at John Quality grocery stores in the High Street then I went to Tickleys Jam in the office then to Nestle's in Hayes in the office. Married in 1954, had two children and emigrated... Read more
SOUTHALL TRADES AND SOCIAL CLUB
Hi my name is Derek Phillips, I used to go to the Trades and Social Club back in the 1970s, I worked with my uncle Ken Mathews who was the secretary of the club. The steward and stewardess who ran the club were called George and Ada, they came from Nottingham, they took me under they wing. I have very fond memories of the club where I would go and have a game of snooker or go for a night out with the darts team which included Gordon Warren, Ricky Fasco, Len & Arthur Theobald, Ray Snooks, Alan Rey, Martin Jonston, Don and so on. You also had the characters such as Johnnie Beynon (tights), Kenny Kiffin, Terry, and Robin Dillion who were great friends of mine and my late father Alvin. The darts team would also come down to Wales for the weekend and play my local pub sides, they were all a great set of boys and they nicknamed me BOYO, hope they are all ok as I have... Read more
Old Southall Remembered
I lived in old Southall (Norwood Road - Norwood Green end) during the 1960s to the 1990s and have seen great changes. I went to school at Clifton Road, and the school had a great Headmaster, Mr Hancock, for a while. One Christmas he gave all the juniors a big surprise by bringing in a Dalek! Screaming children were running everywhere! This was shortly after 'Doctor Who' had started screening on television. There used to be a sweet shop just opposite the school and all the children used to go there after school for treats. I remember King Street and all the good shops that used to be there - Woolworths, Timothy Whites/Boots, Tesco's, Coombes, Hardys Electrical, Hintons, Co-op, the bakers that used to bake fresh bread daily, the Post Office, and the Toy Shop right in the middle! The corner of King Street and Norwood Road opposite the bakers used to have a fishmongers and greengrocers (used to know the greengrocers as Johnny's) next to the Black Dog pub,... Read more
Southall
My father was born in Carlyle Gardens in '33. He was a Middlesex then London Fireman.
He married my mum who lived on the other side of the street.
My paternal grandparents (Bradbury & Swain) lived nextdoor to each other in Bankside. My grandfather left his house in about 1916 and returned (severely injured) to work for the Council working in the Town Hall and tarmacing the roads.
His future wife lost both of her brothers in the Great War, one in 1916 & one in 1918.
Lots of my family came from, and some still live in, Southall but I very rarely go back; funerals and weddings....actually not weddings just funerals.
Ash Grove, Southall
I was born at no 29 Ash Grove - the Alinsons - I had lots of friends, we used to play out in the street, the familes were Katie and Emma Simpson at no 27, Kavita and Sunil at no 28, also Annette Gill. If anyone knows of me or anyone else who lived there, please add.
Great Times
I was born at 69 Saxon Road, Southall, in December 1947, a very bad winter. My older sisters were half sisters, so they had a different surname [Macnab], Barbara (married name Hearn), Eileen (married name Johnson) lived there and bought up all their children there. My parents moved to Reading in Berkshire, but we spent a lot of time in Southall and I always loved it, going to The Labour Club with my older sisters and nieces and nephews, great times. Pam
My Memories
Well, 1945 upwards, I am a Southall person through and through. Born in in Hillingdon Host. We lived in Beaconfield Road and I went to the infant school, a Mrs Betts. I remember crying for my mum! We moved to Allenby Road, no181, and then I went to Lady Margaret juniors. I used to go up to the shops, a certain one we called Jones's, a sweet shop and post office. As my mother was expecting a new addition to the family we again moved, this time to Dormers Wells, Darwin Drive, no 57, and I went to both D/W junior and secondary modern schools. I left in 1960 in December. I then started work at AEC as an aprentice. It would be great if some of us could get together and chat about good old Southall! Philip Jones
Canalside Memories
I was born in the bungalow at Lock 93 in the Hanwell Flight in 1936. I went to St Marks School in Hanwell and then on to Borderston School along the Boston Road. I grew up in the lockhouse and we had an avery, allotments and some livestock (chickens, a goat named Suzy and a dog named Bonze). When I was older I worked for the British Waterways as a carpenter with my father repairing locks and lockhouses and then went on to tractor driving where I towed dredgers and mud hoppers up and down the canal from Brentford to Cowley, Paddington to Cowley and back. During the second world war, our house was used by the local home guard when they were practising for an invasion. We were having tea and they come in through the living room window and out through the bedroom which gave us all a fright and my mum nealy sufferred a nervous breakdown because she thought the Germans had arrived!... Read more
Canal Memories
I grew up at Bulls Bridge and my maiden name was Betty Miles. I went to Western Road school from the age of 5 to 14 and spent all my single life at Bulls Bridge because dad worked for the British Waterways and we had one of the cottages canalside opposite where Tesco is today (2010). We used to buy our papers and sweets from Ive's paper shop in Western Road and our butter, milk and perishables from Jones' Dairies and vegetables from Thompsons Greengrocer's opposite. I used to go the the Dominion and Gem cinemas and the Palace which is now so very different! I worked at Western Dyers and Cleaners for 3 years from 1946. I began dressmaking in 1949 and worked for Mr Kershberg in North Hyde Road. We also went to Speedway on Flexman Coaches every Thursday supporting Wembley. I attended dances at the Municipal in Bridge Road with my sister and friends and during the war my parents... Read more
Southall And Areas
see southallknowhere site and photos...all remembered by many
Southall And Areas
see southallknowhere site and photos...all remembered by many to 1960s.
MR LENNON DRAYTON MANOR GRAMMAR REUNION 2010
45 out of 90 students meeting up....see southall knowhere site on google 2010
Southall And 1940s And 1950s
See southallknowhere site - long lists of memories of Southall and around areas, 1930s to 1970ish.
Rubber Works
John Nichols, yes many of us remember 1940s, 50,s 60s, see southallknowhere site.
Wolfe Rubber Co
My dad was a lorry driver working for a firm called E Day & Sons, it was a green flatback rigid lorry and his main job was working out of a company called Wolfe Rubber Co. They used to make things for the car trade, most of my dad's deliveries were to the car makers up in the Midlands. The reason why I mention this is because I wonder how many people remember how Southall turned into a Indian community, well according to my late father Wolfe Rubber back in the 1950s were having problems finding staff and so decided to advertise in India and they were inundated apparently with people from India and thats how the community all started. Does anyone else remember this?
The Broadway- 1979-1980
I was born in the house on South Avenue that my mum lived her entire life in until her death in 2006, I vividly remember a few shops on the Broadway from this period, including Safeway (now a small arcade. A short way along heading east was a tiny butchers with sawdust on the floor, then the post office, Air India travel agents, Paul Tregessers the bakers (the best in town), then crossing over the zebra crossing heading back west was Atlas Book (a newsagents/stationers), a tiny dry cleaners (the boss of which my mum called 'the genius' due to his knowledge of stain removal), a photo studio, Coombes the bakers, a shoe shop, Moss the chemist, a huge Woolworths, the alley/entrance to the Labour Club (where my grandad was the barman), another shoe shop, Singers the sewing machine shop, a massive Asian fabric store on the corner, a few shops further down was the infamous Evans toy/pram store next door to a wet fish shop (was his name Roe?).... Read more
....oh And....
King Street and its area was known as 'over the other side' to everyone on the Broadway side of the railway bridge - a mysterious place that adults would talk of to each other concerning pubs or the cemetery or the tax office. "Oh, he used to live over the other side didn't he?". It was also known as 'Old Southall', 'down King Street', 'Havelock Way' and 'over the bridge'. I never found out what people who lived 'over the other side' called the Broadway part although I suspect it was exactly the same to them.
Southall High Street
I was born in Hammond Road in 1948. We lived next door to my grandparents who kept chickens in the garden, next to the air raid shelter we used as a play house.
My grandad used to have a large allotment at the rear of the old Barn Mission, we spent many an hour planting veg & flowers. Then when I was eight we woke to the sound of diggers, only to find our beloved veg dug up and flowers trampled, all without warning to my grandfather. It was a change in an era. After months of building came Woolworth. I used to wander around the store imagining where my flowers would be growing. This was the start of progress, but at what expense?
King Street, Southall
These are a few of the shops I remember from my childhood: Platts store where you could buy 2oz butter or half a loaf of bread, Greens the open veg shop, the Co op store which my mum worked in when she left school, the Candy Box sweet shop where only two customers at a time could get in there, but oh, so many lovely sweets, the Hatter's shop where you could buy everthing you needed from hats to buttons and corsets. The Toy Shop, great at Christmas where we used to daydream looking in the window, and Liptons food store, they sold lovely fresh ham but were more expensive than Platts. There was also a very small clothes shop called Eve's which belonged to a kindly Jewish family. I loved this shop in my teens, where I bought all my clothes. And then came Coombs the bakers, just to mention a few.
Working in Southall
Although I had known Southall from a very young age, I was born and grew up in Greenford, but my grandmother and an aunt lived in Southall, in Woodlands Road, so my earliest recollections occurred around 1950, when I was 5 years old. Sunday afternoon visits for “tea”.
It was, however, in 1970 when I found myself working for a long established firm in Gordon Road, known locally as “The Tube”. Its official title was H. G. Sanders and Son Ltd, I believe that it originally started trading in the 1820’s as I can remember being there only a couple of years, when the company celebrated its 150th anniversary. Its unusual colloquial name came from the products it used to manufacture – toothpaste tubes. The core business was impact extrusions in aluminium for the packaging industry, which included cans for electronic components, flares for the M.O.D. as well as all shapes and sizes of tubes for food, pharmaceutical, glue as well as toothpaste. I spent the next 16 years there... Read more
Southall
I don't reside in UK, but we used to visit London almost every summer. One day I remember we were going on a picnic with a large number of family friends in a bus. I was crazy about Hindi movies and did not know anything about Southall then. Suddenly we are in Southall and all those cinemas Dominion...Century...Liberty with larger than life blockbuster film posters like "Prem Nagar", "Bobby", "Aa Gale Lag Ja" ... plus those shops selling film magazines and records, quite an amusement for a little kid I must say. Later on, I used to visit Southall regularly and watch all the latest Hindi film releases. I even took some friends and family members along with me and they liked it. The park was a pleasant place to spend sometime in. I was very disappointed when the cinemas were closed in the early 1980's.
My Early Years
My sister, parents and I lived in Florence Road with my Aunts. We had the recreation ground at the bottom of the road and in those days we used to play for hours there with other neighbours children. I used to go to the bowling green there and watch with my Dad the bowlers playing on the immaculate hedge enclosed green in the rec. There was an outdoor swimming pool where we learnt to swim, it got very crowded on hot days and it took us ages to immerse ourselves in the cold water. The pool and green are not there now. I remember taking my dolls and pram and walking to the manor grounds park and pushing my pram round the rectangular pond with the fountain in the middle. This fountain I believe was stolen in later years as it was of significant value. I started school at Featherstone Infants in 1949/50 and remember on the first day thinking school had finished, walked home only to be taken back... Read more
Saturday Morning Pictures
We used to go to saturday morning pictues at the Dominion Cinema which was opposite the Manor House. Oh the joy of seeing Roy Rogers, Old Mother Riley, The Cisco kid, The keystone cops etc.... I think it was 9 old pence to get in and we had a few pence for sweets.
My First Film at A Cinema
My earliest memory of a Film I saw in Southall is a Hindi film called Love in Tokyo! 3 Great Cinemas, 2 Great parks (that's what I recall) and 1 Great Town - SOUTHALL when there was litttle or no car parking problems (not that I was a driver, I was too young) and respect for LAW was high.
Memories of Middlesex
Life on Norwood Park
We moved to a prefab on Norwood Park when I was seven. Our address was Elder Road. We had a great childhood there, free to roam around the park, go to the swings and paddling pool, watch the steam locos on the elevated railway across the end of the park. And in the summer holidays there were free children's concerts at the open air theatre there; also a mobile cinema used to visit - the back opened to reveal a screen which showed Children's Film Foundation films - all for free! In the winter a large flooded area of the hard surfaced playground would freeze and made an excellent slide. We made 'dens' in the hawthorn bushes surrounding the park and climbed the trees (unless the park keepers were watching!) There was an ice-cream kiosk in the summer. The tractor driver used to give us (illegal) rides on his trailer too. What a contrast to London kids' lives today eh!
Norwood Middx as Well
icecream bike box...tonys.....came..corona lorry came ..orange pop tizer...cherry ade.........prefab 1951/2....garden out back......shed coal......little fire living room....gas fridge..fitted tin doors kitchen table folds up......museums have prefabs now to go in....little fire close glass doors in living room..2 bed toilet bathroom..........beginning tv..bbbc 3pm kids look mother 15 mins daily.........saturday morning pictires norman wisdom cheyanne chanandoor sing song.....westerns...she.ll be coming round mtn when she comes.......if film breaks splice.......choc ice.....etc etc etc memories
I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER THE PLACE WHERE I WAS BORN
Parish Church Heston where I was married in 1962. My son David was baptized there. I loved Heston. I remember where they had places to tie your horse and also a horse trough. My dad William Francis Ponsford worked on Heston aerodrome during WWII and yes I remember the bombs and the doodlebugs. Even today I do not like sudden loud noises. Spent a lot of time at Heston Swimming pool and the beautiful park where you could go and watch the bowling and cricket. The bowling took place in front of the beautiful house that was in the middle of the park. We used to go to the fairs there and also once when I was 15 I entered the competition to be Heston Queen or princess (can't remember which). I also remember a dog competition, we entered our beautiful black lab Darkie. I remember walking up Vicarage Farm Road with my dad to go Swimming at Heston Baths... Read more
Heston in my Youth 1954 Onwards...
My parents moved to Heston in 1954, I was one. My uncle owned Heston Garage, his name was Bill Biggs, he lived above the garage for a while before building and living in the Bungalow next door.
My sister and I went to Norwood Green Infants & Junior School. We went swimming at Heston Baths, played in Heston Park on the swings and putting green. I went to Heston Secondary Modern School, my sister went to Spring Grove Grammar. I went to 3rd Heston Cubs & Scouts. I went to Sunday School at Heston Church. We went to the White Fathers Fete, took part in the Heston Carnivals, went to the Fair Ground in New Heston Road opposite the Elm Tree pub.
When I was older I drank in the Rose & Crown, The George, the Hope & Anchor, the Elm Tree & Queens Head, they were great days, shared with great people.
There were all types of shops, Purkiss Ironmongers, Farrants Mens Hairdressers, the Wet Fish... Read more
An American Granddaughter Remembers...
My grandparents, Fred and Rose Organ, lived at 67 West Way. My mother, Betty Eileen, and I came from the United States to visit on holiday in 1955. I was 6 years old at the time. I went to Heston School for a short time. Pop worked for the London Transport as a bus driver. I would ride my bike to Hounslow to meet him at the bus garage. I had a friend across the street whose name was Janet. Her back garden was full of wonderful strawberries which we would eat until our cheeks bulged. My mother was a bus conductor on Pop's bus. Nan would take in foster children and there was a boy named Lawrence who lived with my grandparents while I was there. Pop had a shed, which he built, in the back garden, he called the 'Wendy house'. I would spend many memorable happy hours playing in that shed. Pop was very special to me and he would take me to the garden to water... Read more
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