My Early Years

A Memory of Southall.

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 as it was the morning break. We went on a class trip to a farm and my picture was in the local paper along with David White, we were siiting on a donkey. We went to Sunday school at St. John's old church. Our teacher was Miss Bicklestone, she was very old but used to make leaflets and things for us to take home. I remember Mothers Day - we were given a bunch of violets to take home. Southall was a quiet and respectable place then especially on a Sunday. I have quite a few very old photos.

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