Laindon, View From St Nicholas Church c.1960

Photo ref: L150030

I remember you Roger Quinn. I lived in St Nicholas Lane from 1939 with my parents, Jim and Elsie Whitehead. There were no houses on the bottom of the hill so sledging was great fun. Great memories.

My grandparents Eliza and Fred Tunstall bought a plotland Bungalow in 1939 they named the bungalow 'Jessica' after my mother. It was off Berry Lane backing onto the railway line. We had many happy summers in that bungalow, no electricity, sanitation or running water, it was wonderful! So many friends and relations came to stay, althought only 1 bedroom we all managed and tents were put in the front garden for the overflow. Happy memories.

We had an idylic little house with two rooms and a small kitchen where we spent Summer holidays, running in the lanes and dreaming in the fields of corn and poppies.

These houses are in St. Nicholas Lane. I lived in the house on the left of the photo. It was named Neasden. We lived there until 1950 when we moved to London. The hill was a very good winter sports attraction with some very fast toboggan runs.