Swinging 60s And 70s In Luton

A Memory of Luton.

I was born in Luton at the St Marys Grove Road Maternity home in 1959. My parents had moved to Luton in 1949 following my paternal grandmother who had been bombed out of the East End. We lived on Humberstone Road, me and my parents and my four older half sisters. I attended Beechwood Road Primary School ( I remember Mrs Moore the Infant Head, Mrs Kendall, Miss Baker and Mrs Wright teachers and Mr Ley and Mr Morgan the Junior Head and Deputy) I loved Junior School even though there were 40 kids in the class!! No stuffy school uniform and when it snowed we went out on the field and had a snow castle building competition!!!
Then I went to Challney Girls School on Stoneygate Road which had a huge redevelopment when I was there in the 1970s, including a swimming pool and a computer room ( the single computer filled a room about 12 foot square!!) with the authoritarian Mrs Whitaker as Head, goodness she scared me! Other teachers... Miss Watson, Mrs Chater, Mrs Perry,Mrs Myhill,Mrs Green, Miss Evans, Mrs Wharton -Browne, Mr Taylor, Mrs Gawn, Mrs Harris. I was a prefect and enjoyed having the cookery room as our prefect form room.On to Luton Vith Form at Bradgers Hill Road...... fantastic place where I was in the debating society, learnt to ballroom dance, fence and was in loads of drama. Mr Martindale was an inspiring Principal and I have a lifelong interest in literature to thank Colin Hall for. My other favourite teacher at 6th form was Mr Bold our left wing and somewhat scruffy Politics teacher.
Nights out dancing at the Drill Hall and Sands!!! Spent half my life at the Library, either reading or going to films. Did go to the Moat House and a pizza place in High Town (Marios?)
Luton was a really egalitarian place, loads of people from different backgrounds, I didnt realise until I went to university that there were people who thought I was any particular class and that people looked down their noses at people from Luton!!!
I was lucky to grow up in Luton.