Shirley, Composite c.1955

Photo ref: S556029

I lived just across the road from where the photo was taken in Church Cottage as my dad was the verger sexton at St Johns Church. We would spend every day playing football in this park with the grumpy old parkie after us for bashing the ball in the tennis court fence. If we weren't playing football we were playing in one of the 5 woods around our house, Shirley woods, Bridle Woods, Penny farthing woods, Coombe ...see more

I was born in Croydon in 1936, and lived In West Way, Shirley. My mother could not bear to part with us, so we lived at home all through the war. A bomb was dropped into the garden next door. After six months it was discovered it had not "gone off!" We were moved up the street while the Army defused it. We were told it was meant to be dropped on the docks. The whole garden was one big hole. I can remember ...see more

I spent many hours in the park, not just playing, but the Scout Hut was there too. It was a wooden building with gas mantle lighting and a coke stove for the winter. In the summer the windows, which had metal bolted shutters over them, were opened to let natural light in. During the winter, you would arrive and it was like being in a freezer until the coke stove warmed the place up. We had a lot of fun there. Eventually, ...see more

I remember walking from Fir Tree Gardens on Shrublands Estate to Millers Pond with our jam jars and fishing nets , we also had a youth Club on the Estate I worked Saturdays in the Hairdressers in the parade of shops it was called Jan Terase, I think the pub was called The Goat, I had friends in Laurel Crescent, the Askews , mum was Margaret she had daughter Diane and son Michael, my school friend was Mary Casselden, ...see more