Mandrake Road

A Memory of Tooting.

My siblings and I were all born at Weir maternity hospital in Balham, we lived on Mandrake road and we all went to Fircroft primary school opposite our house. I was at Fircroft from 1976-1982. Mr. Chaimings was the headmaster then, Mr Nevil was his deputy head of the Juniors, and Mrs Dale was the head of the infants'. I eventually got my wish to be in the annex classes situated in the boys' playground when I was in 3rd year and classes J and K at the top of the beautiful ornate staircases in the 4th year. Does anyone remember Miss Bird who taught the choir and Mr Bradley who taught recorders? My sister went to Garratt Green and my brother went to Ernest Bevin. I eventually went to Hydeburn secondary school in Balham.

I used to spend days roaming around Beechcroft Rd, Glenburnie Rd, Brenda Road, Crockerton Rd, Dalebury Rd, Tooting Bec Common, and Wandsworth common with friends. We always went to Mr Lewis's or Neelash's sweet shop or the chip shop on Glenburnie road, as well as between two ice cream shops on Trinity rd or Broomfield's bakery at the corner of Noya rd. Most of the kids who lived around our road would always come to play on Mandrake road. The older girls would have a big skipping rope, we'd play hopscotch or do relays in the middle of the road. My friends and I would spend hours with a tennis ball and racket on Ernest Bevin School grounds or roller skating down the slope leading to the school office. My favorite memory was the 1977 Silver Jubilee street party we had at the top of Mandrake rd, although it rained halfway through we all went into aunty Margie's house. She wasn't anyone aunty but we all called her that. I really enjoyed going to the play centre with my brother and sister at Fircroft school during the long 6 weeks holiday. We met some interesting kids there and the staff took us on outings to Greenwich, Crystal Palace, and Chester Caves.

One of the things I regret was not really paying full attention to the old lady who lived next door to us. Her name was Mrs Frisby and she had been born in her home in 1904. She used to tell me about Tooting and what it had been like when she was a child, and how it used to look. She had 8 siblings. Some went to Fircroft and others went to Broadwater school. She said that she loved to run down the hills and visit the farms and sheep grazing on Wandsworth common. I was confused. I asked her "What hills?" "Where are they?" She replied "We're standing on one. And all these houses on the roads around us are covering the hills. They weren't there when I was a child just grassy hills!"