Growing Up In Post War Harrow Weald

A Memory of Harrow Weald.

I lived at 20 Silver Close, Harrow Weald from 6 weeks old in 1941 until I left for Australia in 1961. I atended Harrow Weald Infants School from 1946, the old building was opposite the bus garage in the high road and was still standing when I was in the area on holiday from Australia in 1989, then I went to Harrow Weald Junior School which was next to the parish church, All Saints. Then I transferred to Harrow Weald Primary, called by its students Robin Hood School for being in the street of that name, but after two years I was transferred to Cedars Primary on the new estate and then on to Balckwell Secondary in Headstone Lane. As a kid and a teenager I enjoyed my life there as we had the best of both worlds, being able get back to my extended family in the east end of London on the great public transport system plus having the green belt round us with working farms and common lands to roam in. I had many good friends. Growing up I was a bit of a rat bag but so were most of us back in the 1950s, but I loved wanding round the older parts, the general area of Harrow as I have always been a history buff. We were then part of Middlesex not London. I worked in Harrow High Street, Wealdstone, then Perivale and lastley Wembley. From there I left for Australia as a 10 pound pom. My day's milk was still delivered by horse and cart as was bread. I was a paper boy for Sparkes newsagency in Harrow Weald High Street and helped my brother-in-law on his UD milk round at weekends in south Harrow. I am just glad not being there now, to see some of the bad changes that have happened since I left, but of course that's progress. Where my garden was and the next two houses are now about 20 new town hosues all in a little cul-de-sac, the big houses like Kenistan Court and Belmont House and the Harrison's butchers shop and stables on Boxtree Lane have all gone, the big lake on Uxbridge Road is all locked off now, Cedars Manor House has gone, mind you, I don't feel any loss about the old prisoner of war camp, as that's where Blackwell School started, they have even filled in the natural pond near the right of way we called Dirty Dick's Alley as kids, it leads up to old Reading via Cops Farm and the pub up there round the farmhouse used to be the dairy with some very old house in the lane way leading off Brooks-hill Road, great views from old Reading. The car park off the road past the pub used to be the local Harrow council land fill. When my father came home from the war he told mum that Harrwo Weald was out in the sticks and he would die there and he did in 1950.