Southall 1950's
A Memory of Southall.
We lived in Hillingdon but I used to often visit Southall as a child as my father and uncle had shops in South Road. On Saturday my father and I used to arrive early morning then visit a cafe a few doors away with plasticised tables where we enjoyed hot drinks. The shop had deep wooden drawers beneath the counter and there was a basement, a back room on the ground floor with offices above where there was a safe and the book keeping was undertaken. There was a back yard, accessed by an alley from South Road, which was used for general storage. As children we were fascinated by the newly installed telephone which connected all the floors. At this time South Road consisted mainly of small shopkeepers and The National Provincial Bank was on the corner. At that time there were very few cars on the road as petrol rationing was still in force, and I clearly remember traveling from Southall to Hillingdon in daylight, our car being the only car on the road! Unbelievable but clearly remembered !
Looking at old photographs it can be seen that the residential roads to the west were tree lined,providing pleasant residential neighbourhoods. The trees are now long gone. Southall was at the time of my grandparents arrival c.1900 a pleasant country town - maybe with some regeneration taking place we could dream about trying to recreate a more pastoral environment. It has been achieved in many areas of the East End of London, so why not in Southall?
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Comments & Feedback
I was born in Hillingdon Hospital but lived in Southall. My aunt used to take me to a cafe in South Road on Saturday mornings after we'd been shopping. This would have been in the late 1950s. It was full of Teddy boys, which is why, I later discovered that my aunt, who was around 17/18 years old, wanted to go!
The reason that all hope for the future of Southall has long gone is that the Asians that took over the town from the late 1950s onwards have simply turned it into a town just like the ones they left behind in India and Pakistan etc. They are comfortable there, living in the same appalling conditions that they left but in a far better environment with free health care, good schools and social security. This isn't a racist comment, it is fact.
Gina
I understand where you are coming from, I truly do, but Government policies have been at fault for many years, not encouraging a feeling of patriotism amongst those who wish to live in this country (as they do in the USA) However, the east end of London is also full of immigrants and has been for generations, and much of it is being regenerated. I am reading that there is to be some rather upscale development along the canal - maybe this is a start!. We may deplore the way some of our neighbours live, but it is even less acceptable when it is supposedly well educated anglo saxons who have benefitted from the british way of life for generations and should be setting an example, leading the way forward. Do not think that as a white woman, that I have not experienced unacceptable codes of conduct ( by my standards) when visiting the town, but I have also met some absolutely charming immigrants who have chosen to live in our country.
April WOOD Ashton