Good Days
A Memory of Acton.
My name is Derek Price, and I was born in Central Middlesex Hospital and lived in Court Way, North Acton, until moving to Birkbeck Avenue when I was married in 1965.
I attended West Acton Primary, Acton Wells Junior, John Perryn and finally Faraday school Bromyard Avenue until I left in December 1957.
North Acton playing fields was our main playground together with the back alleys of the local houses as well as exploring the local trading estates and cadging toffees from the girls when they came off shift at Palm Toffee.
As I was in 6th Acton cubs it was also a good area for bob-a-job week.
Saturday morning pictures were at the Odeon Park Royal by the Hanger Lane underpass, and I remember the sweet shop next door being invaded by us kids when sweets came off ration.
I served an apprenticeship at the Telegraph Condenser Company at Gypsy Corner before going on to Wilkinson Sword in South Acton and then Slough before moving up to York in 1970.
Tony's ice cream parlour in Churchfield Road served the best ice cream I've ever tasted, and their vans used to park outside Acton Wells school at lunchtime and after school.
We played in the Faraday football team and after terrible beatings in the first year I think we went on to win our league and possibly the cup in our final year.
A different world, where my mother was quite happy for me to go into London on the tube from North Acton station as long as I was with friends, and of course we cycled everywhere all over the locality.
There was a parade of shops at West Acton and I did an evening paper round from the newsagents going up the Queens Drive and Princes Gardens area the posher part of Acton where customers were very generous at Christmas.
Two years ago I returned to the Cemetery at North Acton to search for relatives and was amazed at how the area had changed with Landis & Gyr gone and the area round the station developed.
Unfortunately we didn't have time to go down to the town, but I'm hoping to do this next year.
If there is anyone who remembers me and would like to get in touch I will be very pleased to hear from them.
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Comments & Feedback
Just a few comments as we must have known each other !( I was born in 1947, also at Central Middlesex)
I could have written the article almost word for word myself, most of your memories matched mine precisely.Surely we met on North Acton Playing fields! I spent so many hours there playing football, tennis and watching Acton Wanderers
Our memories differ only in that I lived on Eastfields Rd, my friend Martin Blackburn lived on Court Way.
I was in George Longley's class at Acton Wells.I didn't go to Faraday school but went to Latymer in Hammersmith.Your paper round was at West Acton parade but mine was on the parade at the bottom of Noel Road.I did have a Saturday/holiday job at Stowell's on W.Acton parade though.
You were in the cubs but I was in the Nautical Training Corps at St.Gabriel's church.
I was even at North Acton Cemetery 2 years ago looking up relative's graves! ( then I found that the very long wooden seat we all used to slide on at W.Acton station platform still exists)
Do you remember the neat houses on the Great Western estate, train-spotting at Acton Mail Line or Old Oak Common sheds, the amazing Winter smogs, the mobile library on Friday nights near the park pavilion, the night President Kennedy was killed,Acton's own Adam Faith and the Who!,the 666 and 660 trolley buses.
Happy days, thanks for the memories.
Best wishes
Peter Webb