Radio Active Isotopes In Queens Road

A Memory of Buckhurst Hill.

I recall going to Ellis's shoe shop with my mum and sister. Getting new shoes was a "special occasion", as some things were still on ration 6 or more years after the war. Our shoes were always Clarke's school shoes (we only had one pair). The best thing about going to get new shoes was the X Ray machine. It had a box you had to stand on and an upright case something like a "pulpit", on top of which was a glass viewing window. When the shop person operated the machine you could see through the leather uppers and see your toes "which we used to wiggle" in luminescent green. This was to check that the shoes fitted well. Mmmm.. makes you think!
Radio active isotopes in the suburbs, can't imagine that happening these days.

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