The Whitgift Spirals

A Memory of Croydon.

I can remember that every time we went to meet my Granddad (he would wait outside Allders in George Street on Tuesday mornings after catching the 403 bus from Chelsham), we would have fish and chips in the BHS cafe and he would make my mum walk up to the top floor.

We'd then either go into the top floor of Woolworths (which had a huge mosaic of a swordfish on the wall) or into WH Smiths, just so I could run full speed down the spirals. As I was about 3 or 4, it felt like I was going supersonic!

When Nanny died, he bought me two little baby dolls from Zodiac Toys - one black and one white and everyone was shocked at him. I loved those dolls because he got them for me.

My brother would take me to see films at the Odeon by Marks and Spencers - and we used to walk home because the bus service was atrocious and couldn't ever be relied upon.