Saturday Mornings

A Memory of Great Tarpots.

Saturday mornings was when my mother and I would join the family next door for our day out, down to the Tarpots Corner and a bus into Wescliff by the playing fields and then a dancing lesson at Mimi Greens School of Dancing for Austin and I, tap dancing in our case while Chrissie and Josie went on to the ballet class, very successfully as far as Chrissie as she went on to join some ballet group called the Marquis de Quaver where it was  talent that got her into the Corps and later on their return to England she joined the Saddlers Wells Ballet despite been over height.
After class it was a walk into Southend Victoria and looking into the shops along the way.
I don't think I will ever  forget Austin dashing across the road at Hamlet Court Road and very nearly being hit by a car, no disc brakes in those days, but he survived but was rather shaken for the rest of that day, possibly partly due the slap he got for having nearly got himself killed.

Once we got to Victoria  there was a quick visit to the underground toilets in the center of the Circus and then more roaming around the shops, remember Dixons and Keddies.
Then to the Gaumont for a sixpenny seat in the 'Gods', so high up that the films always seemed quite small, and all this on those hard wooden benches used as seating. After the films were finished it was all the way down the stairs and across the road to Percy Garons Tea House on the corner for afternoon tea and cakes, there Austin performed his unroll the Swiss Roll and hang it over the edge of the table and eat you way up the hanging strip trick, Mrs Bray quickly put a stop to that but we were young enough to have got away with it then.

Then it was the bus back home on the bus back to Tarpots, two mums shepherding four tired kids  back home to tea as it was then, and on to bed to sleep rather soundly.

Next day up to mischief as usual I expect, and then after Sunday dinner off to Sunday School just up the hill before Croft Road, run by the Salvation Army then.

Looking back on those days you realize what carefree days they were for us, seemingly endless fields to roam over, numerous trees to climb and ponds, ideal for all sorts of adventures which always seemed to end up with at least one of use going home with wet feet and lots of mud of course not all of which could be wiped off before getting home, Sunday tea and then to bed, no TV then to keep us up, although none of us had watches in those days it crosses my mind that no matter where we were playing it always packed up in time to go home and listen to "Dick Barton Special Agent" along with Jock and Snowy and as we got a bit older Valentine Dyle or Dial as the Man in Black.

Mondays it was back to school and next Saturday to look forward too, not sure about the tap dancing so much now.

Does anyone know the whereabouts of the Bray Family? I would love to catch up with them.

Colin Mac

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