Brook Street

A Memory of Northumberland Heath.

My memories of Brook Street from around 1955 through to 1969 are numerous. Schooling at University Place and Brook Street primary, junior and senior school which I left in 1963. From one end to the other I must have walked it thousands of times. Playing around the stream way and getting sweets in the little hut at the bottom of the hill near the cemetery, which I would walk through looking at the names on the tomb stones - many family names that I knew. Playing in the allotments after scaling the railings. The Duchess of Kent pub where I spent a decent amount of time as did my dad, granddad and mates. Sing alongs and the sign: "Free beer Tomorrow", which never came. My mum and dad had their wedding reception in the Duchess - the same day that Charlton Athletic won the FA Cup - 1947. And I am still a proud supporter as are all my family.
Fancy dress football matches over the rec on Boxing Day and football and cricket matches. Met my first girlfriend Lesley Webb in that park. And Henry the park-keeper was a mate of my dads and we spent winters in the hut drinking tea. Tormenting the pigs in the dip at the top of Brook Street. And the various shops that I frequented over that period in Brook Street - Chapmans, Randalls, Bennets and so on. My cousins all lived in Brook Street until around 1957/8 when they upped and left for Australia - quite a wrench as we all played together over the rec; down the stream way and that left quite a gap.
I remember getting free tickets to the circus in the park; getting wood shavings and saw dust from the saw mill in Mill Road; filling tanks with water and after the circus left town, running around the track that was left.
My best mate lived next door and was to become my best man when the army wouldn't let my brother on leave as he was in Northern Ireland during the troubles.

I could go on and on and on..........