Harlesden Memories

A Memory of Harlesden.

I was born in central middlesex hospital in 1949 and grew up in harlesden,my first memory is living above john collier's the tailor at 103a harlesden high street, we lived right up at the top and we used the flat roof at the back as our back yard, my brother nigel and i played up there all the time, no guard rails, dad said stay away from the edge, so we did!!! we only had 2 rooms and no kitchen, my mother cooked on the landing with a small stove! we next went to 156a rucklidge ave,also right at the top, with another roof to play on, this one had guard rails, it is still there, although the flats have increased from two to five.My brother and i went to furness road school, just across the road from where we lived,although i was later sent to an open air school in hayling island as i had severe asthma, doctor hastings banda was my doctor, he was very kind and always came when my mother called him.
These were all council places, my brother and i were sharing a bedroom, not ideal so we moved again to 3 holland road, upstairs again, but with 3 bedrooms! luxury, but the downstairs neighbours were horrible, they used to moan about us walking around! my mother was very unhappy there so we asked for a transfer and got our first downstairs flat at 19 bathurst gardens,i left school while we lived there and got my first job, at the kensal rise library which was at the end of my street!!! i went home to lunch, i loved it there, but after two years working there my father's factory celotex shut down, he had worked there for over 20 years, it was a big shock, but to my father's credit he was only out of work about 6 weeks when he got a new job, painter and decorator for hackney council, so sadly we had to move to hackney,as dad was going to work for the council we got a council house right away,and i got a job with hackney council, in stoke newington library! but we missed living in harlesden, we had family there too, all my father's family lived there, we went back to visit many times, and they came to see us. My brother and i went back a few years ago, it all seemed very shabby and run down, but we happily posed for pictures by the jubilee clock!

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