1970s

A Memory of Hampton Wick.

I remember the old Kingston of the seventies. I remember very fondly the entrance to the old Bentalls store in Fife Road - as you walked in you saw the two beautiful staircases, and to the right you saw the lifts operated by an employee. Other things like Frank and Manny's cafe on the corner of Kingston Station, the old bus garages, the sight as you come over Kingston Bridge at Christmas time, i e the lights on the bridge and on the Bentalls store. I am sad to say I now despise Kingston Upon Thames; traffic jams, the ugly John Lewis store, all the flats on the riverside, all the modern buildings in general, total ruination of what used to be a lovely old town.