Remembering The High Street As A Young Child

A Memory of Beckenham.

I remember going into the Prompt Cafe with my parents along the High Street. As a young child, I can recall seeing loads of little mats or coasters on the wall. Yes, I also remember the strong smell of the roasted coffee beans. Every Friday in the 1960s my parents had lunch in the Regal, now the Odeon, by the roundabout. My dad used to say the lunch was very cheap there. I used to love Kennedys and their meat pies, such a shame they have now closed down. My mother worked in Boots in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Next door to the George pub was a furrier, several real fur coats in the window. My mother took me to the dentist which was held in the Town Hall of all places. The nurse there scared me, especially when I had to have gas, I remember the horrible black rubber mouthpiece she put over my mouth. I was only 6. I lived near Birkbeck, but always thought how Beckenham had prettier buildings and appeared more rural than its neighbouring Penge and Anerley.