Happy Memories

A Memory of Mitcham.

We moved to Mitcham from Streatham in 1963. My sister and I went to St. Marks Primary School which was not too far from our home in Gaston Road. I remember my first teacher was Mrs Carmichael. What a lovely lady she was! It was a small school and I can remember the cloakroom with wooden benches, wire netting and pegs. The toilets were outside, boys and girls divided by a door. Everything was green and brown tiles. While I was there new toilets were added with new corridor for coats, and a new staffroom. I remember queueing for lunch and delicious butterscotch tart. The playground had 2 climbing frames and I used to sit at the top of one and my friend Philip Hawkins used to sit on top of the other. Mr Freemantle, a teacher, used to keep ringed collar doves, and there was a cage with a rabbit in. Mr Eriker was the caretaker and they lived in the house which came with the school. I remember they once told us they had mice. I have such happy memories of my primary school. There was once a jumble sale and I bought a little plastic dalmation puppy - disneykins - for one penny, and I still have it. I remember Miss Drake the headmistress. I played the recorder and we went to Wimbledon to a large hall to be in a production about Red Indians. I sat on my recorder and broke it. I also had clarinet lessons and remember squeaking through assembly. I remember Mrs Norman the dinner lady although she was the mum of my sister's best friend. Across the road was a place with a lot of car tyres which caught fire. I think Miss Roach was also a teacher there, and I remember going to Chessington Zoo for a school trip. I won a drawing competition. Next door I think there was a church hall, it had a Laburnum tree in its garden. Down the road towards town were some delapidated houses which I remember going into. Makes me feel naughty just thinking about it.