Wembley Happy Days!

A Memory of Wembley.

I was born in park royal hospital in 1955 and lived in Douglas avenue alperton until 1980. I remember going to Saturday matinee at the regal cinema, ice cream in demarcos who also did great coffee. Henry coopers fruit & veg stall on the corner opposite the village inn pub where I got drunk on vodka & lime one night! I remember the fabulous bakers opposite the market, there was always a queue for their bread. I remember shopping in blands with mum for material, as she made all my clothes when I was a kid. My dentist was J Aust who was a above a shop in the high street, next to Blands I think. I remember the green shield stamp shop where my mum would take her books full of stamps to buy a kettle or such like. I remember the first sainsbury's opening just near Henry coopers shop (which was actually his brothers shop). Sainsburys was small it had a counters both sides of a narrow aisle and women, with their hair tucked in white hats would pat the butter and cut cheese with wire cheese cutters, the shop smelt wonderful. Just like a hardware shop on the Ealing road in alperton, the owner used to scrub his shop floor with a wonderful smelling disinfectant everyday which would pervaded the shop - every time it think of it I can almost smell it - wonderful. I used to buy my sweets in the Chocolate Box on Ealing road I remember the owners had a Great Dane which was a soppy thing for such a big dog! I remember the golden egg, wimpey bar, the grove fish & chip shop, the captains table, the chequers pub, brent house where my dad worked before moving to the town hall opposite chalk hill estate. I remember a disco/club in the hotel near the stadium, can't remember the name. I remember the Angus steak house opposite the stadium, I thought I was the bees knees when I ate in there! I could go on forever such happy times. I now live in Ealing and pass through wembley now and again, I get upset every time when I see how much the place has changed - for the worse. My old mum and dad wouldn't recognise it now such a shame but typical of most inner city towns these days.

Jacky Vincent