Childhood

A Memory of Balham.

I lived in Balham from the year I was born until 1963 when my family moved. I went to Henry Cavendish School and remember the swimming pool being built after a lot of fund raising. Mr Bassett was the music teacher and wrote many musicals performed by pupils. I lived in Rossiter Road, my maternal grandparents lived in Cavendish Road and my paternal grandparents in Kate Street. I used to go to the swings on Tooting Bec common from where we'd wave to train drivers. There used to be a TV repair shop called Roberts in Bedford Hill and the repair man would often be needed to repair our tv set. Our doctors had a surgery in Boundaries Road: Dr Jocelyn and Dr Fleischer. They were lovely doctors. I saw Bambi at the cinema and remember sobbing when Bambi's mother died. I used to visit the markets with my grandmother and go to Sainsbury's in the high street where we had to go from counter to counter to buy things. A treat was being taken to the tea shop on the corner under the dancing school. Happy memories.


Added 22 January 2017

#367718

Comments & Feedback

hi there my name is MICHAEL and i used tiiio live at 147 tooting bec rd opposite the rose and crown pub from 1940 to 1968 and i used to work as a porter at wandsworth common railway staion from 1957 to 1960 and im trying to find a ANN JAMES who used the staion to go to streathm hill school she lived at 143 nightingale lane HELP NEEDED the danceing school was NINAS on top of the ABC CAFE if ANYONE has ifo on ANN JAMES please text 07951 200972 and thahk you
did you know a ronnie and slivia collier who lived in rossiter rd
Hi Michael. Your request for info about Ann James was also seen by me but unfortunately I can`t help you either.
I know how you feel as I`ve been trying to find "old" friends from the Balham area (and other areas) on and off for some years with no success. In the early-mid sixties I lived on the corner of Fernlea Road and Cavendish road.
Dr Fleischer was our family doctor many yeara ago, surgery nr corner of Boundaris Rd bt actually Balham Park Rd, they later moved further up to no.92 b pk rd which was a bigger house, then to newly built premises on balham high rd under dr bower who recently retired bt still called Balham Park Surgery. Roberts sign is still there and there is a facebook group about it, historical site!
I was at Henry Cavendish school all through the 70's. Mr Basset taught us recorder to start with but Miss Petts taught me violin I think from the age of 6. I remember that we put on Joseph and His Amazing Techincolour Dreamcoat, orchestra and playing, all under 12 years old. We lived on the Old Devonshire Rd.

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