Worslade Road/Smallwood School 1963 Onwards

A Memory of Tooting.

I was born in The Weir at Balham1963 and lived at 3 Worslade Rd Tooting. I went to Smallwood Sch until my parents moved to Hastings, East Sussex in the early Seventies.
My memories are of playing out in the streets around this area, Alston Rd where my friends Mark, lived with his family in his nan's house next to the butchers and opposite the Greengrocers that kept catching fire. Also, Annette Mandy & Diane all sisters lived with their nan and Mum nr the corner of Burtal rd and a girl with the surname BULL her mum was Linda and worked with my mum at St George's Hosp. My mum, Rose Sherman worked in St George's as a domestic and would take me to work with her on Saturday's in the children's out patients dept where I would play with all the toys. When she work late nights she would bring home left over chips from the hospital kitchens, they tasted great and had a flavour all of there own. Sometimes she would work at the Wimbledon stadium on dog nights in the kitchens. I remember my dad putting me to bed as mum was at work at around 8pm and I could hear the motorbikes on dirt track nights going around and around. The corner shop owned by Mr Birdie/y where every Saturday I would have a penny for pocket money and going over to Berdies and getting a big bag of sweets for that, can't do that now!! There is was also a park off of Alston Rd where in the summer the park keeper?? would have games equipment for children to go on like the Horse with spring board and wooden stilts etc. Garrett Green park was another place I would play. I remember Chelsea girl and where Woolies use to be and the market, M&S, Timothy Whites and the Granada every Saturday with the organist
rising up from where ever and us kids throwing our unwanted sweets at him. Yes - Happy days but unfortunately Tooting is nothing like it was - such a shame it breaks my heart how it is these days. Jackie Rice, my dad too worked at Battersea Power station, they may of known one another?

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