Growing Up With The Dinosaurs.

A Memory of Crystal Palace.

I lived in Thicket Grove which had the Thicket public house at the top. Crystal Palace Park was a very short walk away. During the school holidays we would spend our days in the park. Mum would pack us a picnic of a jam sandwich, a packet of crisps with the little salt parcel in and some powdered lemonade mixed with water for our drink. We were told to go to the park until tea time. Although we never had a watch we always seemed to know when tea time was. There used to be an enormous tree which leaned toward the lake with a branch that overhung the edge of the water. We would edge our way along to see who was the bravest, that was never me. Further along where the dinosaurs were the lake narrowed and we could sometimes find wood or stones to use to get over to Dinosaur Island. We could put our head up through the hole in the stomach and shout. Great fun until the park-keeper (an extinct species) came along and told us off. The wooden bridge and the waterfall were also great fun, we decided that the cave probably had a witch living in, so we used to race across the bridge teasing the younger children. Sixty years later I walk around the palace grounds on Saturdays with my dog and a lady of 78 years old who is not familiar with the area. Every week I tell her another story of my childhood which she enjoys. The road I lived in has gone, the route I walked to the park is no longer there and many of my friends not seen any more but the memories are crystal clear.
In those years I was known as Maureen Rosamond .