Memories Of Hounslow

A Memory of Hounslow.

We used to have French students stay with us and at the end of their visit there would be a banquet at the old Town Council Centre in Treaty Road. I have happy memories of the boating lake at Inwood Park. We lived at Hounslow West and childhood life revolved around Beavers Park, the great open spaces, the games hut in summer, the dens we made in the perimeter bushes, the din of propellered aircraft overhead on their final approach to Heathrow. On Christmas Eve we'd head to Woolworths at Hounslow West to get presents. All those bob-a-job chores for the 12th Hounslow Cubs were spent in one great spree. I loved the shops at Hounslow West. There was a really nice china shop just a few doors away from The Odeon and a sports shop too. Lavelles was the sweet shop on the corner of Rosemary Avenue, opposite Timothy Whites. My father used to do painting work for Mr Stanley - the owner of Stanley Motors. We had some lovely cars: a Triumph Herald, Hillman Minx and my favourite, a luxurious Ford Consul. The Odeon was great for children on Saturday mornings and I can still remember having to queue all the way round the corner when they showed 'A Hard Days Night' in 1964. In later years after school we'd walk to the High Street and go to this shop where they had a gigantic Scalextric track laid out. I have to admit to truanting from school and spending many a happy hour ensconced in the Lucania snooker hall above Burton.
So much has disappeared that I've felt really bereft when I've been back.