View From Paddy's Heaven

A Memory of Caterham.

I saw this photo and recalled how little the view had changed from the 1920s into the 1960s and early 1970s.
There was a place called Paddy's Heaven which was a few old cottages at the end of Commonwealth Rd, this is where my mum and dad lived when I was born, it was demolished sometime in the 1960s. Although I don't really recall the cottage myself I do remember playing on the spot after they were gone and this was the view we had.
We could always rely on the clocktower in Harestone Valley Rd to let us know when it would be time to go home and if it was getting dark the face was well lit, also it would chime regularly just in case it was out of sight.

Some of the surnames I can recall are - Hickmott, Bew, Stone, Buckland, Pain, Bright, to name but a few and we all went to the infant school at the end of Farningham Rd followed by Marden Lodge and then up the hill to De Stafford.
 
We all must have been quite fit in them days, you would know if you had been there it is very hilly and we walked or ran everywhere and never gave it a thought.