Lovely Memories Of Gladstone Mission/Glandstone Road Coal Yard

A Memory of Mitcham.

My family lived in Gladstone Road, Micham opposite Terry Bull's coal yard and I can still hear the coal men calling "coal man, coal" as they left and returned to the yard. 'Uncle Terry' had a minor bird in his office, and boy did it know how to swear, 'Uncle Terry' was a lovely man and even bought us kids Christmas presents. On a Friday night the coalmen use to give me a penny for pocket money. My mum told me that one day when I was about three years old, she'd got me ready for a day out and had dressed me in a little white dress. 'Uncle Terry' saw me in the front garden and came over to give me a cuddle, of course I got covered in black coal dust. I'm 53 now and can still vividly remember 'Uncle Terry's' teeth and the whites of his eye shining through his jet black coal stained face. At the other end of the road lived gran and granddad, Masie and Tom Sparrowhawk. Grandad was a well known 'rag and bone' man in the area, he loved his horse and cart, and would decorate his horses tail and mane with ribbons. Next to granddad's was Gladstone Road Mission. I used to go to Suday school there and was taught by a lovely lady called Mrs Pickles. During the week there was a club at the mission for us kids, you'd pay a few pennies to get in and spend a few hours doing different activities. British Bull Dog was always a favourite with everyone, with a man called Derrick and some bigger lads doing the catching. Club always ended with a little religious film being shown to us. Everyone would rush to a little room at the side of the hall where the film was shown, we'd push and shove each other out the way as we all wanted to be the first in to get the best seats. Gladstone Road was sadly condemned and all the houses and the little church were knocked down to make way for new development which is now Sadler Close. Fortunately, Gladstone Mission was rebuilt in Love Lane where us kids could once again return to club. The new mission didn't have the old charm as the Gladstone Road Mission, but we still had a lot of fun. I remember dear Mr King who'd play table tennis with us and always kept a few sweets in his pocket for the kids. I had a great fondness for Mr Walters the minister/vicar and my husband and I were very privileged to be the first couple he married on October the 4th 1975. We were one of the last families to move out of Gladstone Road and were given a house in Western Road, opposite the school. What luxury to have an inside toilet, a bath and hot water, but until the day she died, my Mum Jenty, always missed her home in Gladstone Road, refering to it as a lucky old house.

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