Falcon Road

A Memory of Battersea.

We lived in 'The Queen Victoria' pub on the corner of Falcon Road and Ingrave Street. I attended Falcon Brook School. Very near to the school was a little sweet shop where you could buy penny sweets, penny halfpenny lollies, teddy bear lollies for 3d and 6d could buy a jubbly or jungle juice that were huge!  Gartons Glucose Factory let out a very nasty smell and my Mum would buy all her candles from Prices. Does anyone remember Schoolings the bakers on Este Road? I was sent their every Saturday morning (before going to the Granada for Saturday morning pics) to buy bread and buns. The bread was always hot and smelt soo... delicious that it was half eaten by the time I got it home, and I was always sent back to get another! There was the home made sweetshop on Battersea Park Road (next to the butchers with the sawdust on the floor) where we would go with our 6d to buy the broken sweets. The school holidays were spent playing (both girls and boys) in the street, marbles, five jacks,skipping, french skipping and run outs, we were out until dark when our parents would call us in  and very rarely did a car come by where we would have to stop to let it pass! It was also safe for us to go to Battersea Park by ourselves and we spent many a day at the funfair, on the Tree Walk and watching the Guiness Clock. My favorite game was Knock Down Ginger!! There were shops extended from Battersea High Street all the way to Northcote Road. Does anyone remember Arding & Hobbs? What about  Jill's, Walters and David Thomas', they were all located on Falcon Road? What about Maggie Brown's pie & mash shop and Notorianni's in the High street? We moved to Wimbledon when I started secondary school, Elliott at Putney Heath, and then after getting married I moved back to Battersea and lived in Goulden House on Home Road where I raised my three sons. I live in New York now and was surprised to see the changes when I returned to good 'ol Battersea recently but the fond memories are still with me!