My Hometown

A Memory of Fleet.

I was born and raised in the Fleet area. My dad (Leonard) had a shop in the High Street, and I used to be friends with Christine who lived at the very top of the High Street, her dad also had a shop. I knew this area well and I remember the milkbar where we went for milkshakes. We used to go to school in Farnborough by steam train, we had to walk down to the station and catch the train to Farnborough, lovely when it was good weather, but not so nice in the rain and snow! I have many lovely memories of this area, and I still miss it so much, it was friendly and everyone knew everyone, vastly different from today! I remember going to Woolworths every Saturday to get some toys or sweets for my brother. There also used to be a sweet shop called "Ye olde tuck shop" which was on the way to the station, we enjoyed going in there. I remember the time when a lorry (I think it was a lorry) crashed into the local bakery, people watched the scene for ages as they pulled the vehicle out, and we didn't know if the bakery was going to have to be demolished. Used to enjoy going to the local park when it had snowed and having fun sledging with all my friends. My mum used to take me to Cane's to get the groceries and he would deliver them, there were hams, sausages hanging from the ceiling, and bacon and cheese were cut in front of you, and the taste was out of this world. There was sawdust on the floor, and the shop had a lovely smell. So much to see, that you couldn't take it all in at first. My uncle had a grocer's shop in Reading Road which he loved running. Upon seeing this picture for the first time, I could not get over just how few people were on the High Street!! I bet it's all changed now.