Peabody Estate, St. John's Hill

A Memory of Battersea.

We lived in the Peabody estate. 6M, 13U and finally 4A as the family grew from me to finally 4 children. We were very privileged and had a bath under a table top in the kitchen, originally heated with a boiler, coal fed. There was a range in the living room, coal again. When we were at 13U, 5 floors up, 64 steps - not easy for a 6+ year old to lug a galvanized bucket up from our coal store by O block. 4A2 was over the Superintendents Office and we had to be very quiet and not be noisy or risk being thrown out of the flat. We were modernised when at 13U and had the range taken out and electric fires put in. When we were in 4A the boiler was removed and a gas geyser was installed. Instant heat for both the sink and the bath, bliss. We were very well supplied with cinemas; the Granada, the Imperial and the Grand. The Grand had shows as well as films and a large door into the back area allowed scenery and even circus animals to be brought in. The Imperial had a reputation, and was known as the flea pit, usually showed horror films. The Granada was posh and had the Saturday morning flics. Saw my first pantomime there as well. Ardings was magnificent, they had promotions and I remember seeing Coco the Clown there in the toy dept. I went to Plough Lane Infants, then Wix's Lane Primary, then Aristotle Secondary School in Clapham. The Junction was always exciting, lots going on all the time. Anybody out there from Peabody?