King Henrys Drive

A Memory of New Addington.

My parents were one of the first people to live in King Henry's Drive, in the year 1951.  The houses had only just been built.  I remember a lot about New Addington. There was a gypsy camp right at the end of the road, and I can recall seeing a young gypsy boy, riding a horse along the road, bareback, and his long hair blowing in the wind. The roads at that time were not made up, but soon after, the old steam rollers came along and flattened down all the tarmac. The gardens were not planted with any flowers and Dad had lots of turf delivered, which he laid by hand. On the night they moved into the house, they were asleep in bed when they heard somebody breaking into the house. My dad went downstars in his underpants, and when the burglar saw him looking at him, he screamed and ran, and my father chased him up the road, jumping over the garden fences...
I also remember the time that the chimney caught fire. The fire brigade arrived and came into the house to put out the fire in the grate, they then squirted water up the chimney, and there was sooty water everywhere.  My mother was in a real panic.