Northolt Childrens Home
A Memory of Northolt.
I wonder if anyone knows of a childrens home in Northolt. It was around 1958ish my brother's and I were put in the home, it was run by a lady I knew as Auntie Rea.
My eldest brother, Edwin, was too old to reside in the same home as my brother Terry and I, he was in a home nearby so we often saw him.
I remember a piece of land next door to the home where we played, my brothers and I often found old gas masks in the field.
Being a great hula hoopa in those days ( I can't do it now ) I would often stand on a large rock and hula hoop for hours.
It was, for those days, quite a modern home compared to the one we had come from in Southend. I can remember feeling rather posh because I had a dressing table in my bedroom.
Auntie Rea was rather fond of me, she would spoil me with large bowls of custard, this was a favorite of mine.
I remember some shops not far away where my brothers would buy sweets, I was not old enough to go with them.
Having had some happy days there I was sad when my father turned up with a new wife (my stepmother, that is another story) to take us to live in Slough.
It was Slough where we grew up into adults and drifted in our own directions.
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Comments & Feedback
I remember the home very well - I used to walk past it when walking to the shops - Looking out from the home, the shops were about 50 yards to the right.
I remember there as a girl who lived at the home who went to the school I was in. She was "unusual" in that she was "coloured". Her name was Eva and she was very nice - I seem to remember that she was very athletic.
My dad was stationed at the racecourse in the war (he was in bomb disposal) and always thought it would make a wonderful place to live. The irony was that he was from Birmingham and mother from London (Greenford) and that after "emigrating" from Birmingham we ended up in Northolt. Bit of a long story!!
David
My brother's and I were moved from a children's home in Hawkwell in Essex, to be nearer my father who lived in Greenford.
We lived in a prefab on the Cuckoo Estate in Greenford before my parents separated.
The home in essex was rather old fashioned in comparison to Northolt, in fact it is now a grade 2 listed building dating back to the 17th century. I cant say I remember a great deal about the home in Northolt.
I have a photo of the home boarded up ready for demolition a kind gentleman on here sent me.
It looked so much bigger than I remembered, I do remember the shop's but for the life of me I can not remember going to school in Northolt.
Of cause I must have done so because I was of school age.
I can remember my brother's going to the sweet shop to buy the sweet cigarettes, they used to collect the cards you used to get in the packets in those days.
They would spend hours standing the cards against a wall and flicking a card at them to knock them down,.
They would often play marbles on the pavement whilst i sat on the kerb with my whip and top, happy day's.
I am now in the west country so know of Birmingham, like myself i expect you have a story or two to tell.
It's nice to reminisce over days gone buy.
Take care
Jill
I lived in Birmingham from my birth (1951) until around 1957. It was a "mixed" marriage - dad was from Brum and mum from West London (Greenford). In Brum we lived in Perry Bar, Kingstanding and Sheldon Heath before emigrating to Northolt when I was around 5 or 6. When we first moved in to No 95, the lady from 99 came round to offer us a cup of tea. Turns out it was mum's best friend from school - spooky or what? From that point on, mum and Doll and dad and Bill were best friends. Doll and Bill Ward had two daughters (Joan & Kathy) who were a year or two older than me.
Between us at No 97 were the Carpentier family (Rose & Harry and their 3 children - Jean, John & Dennis)
On the other side at No 93 were the Smith family, Len and Nicky and their son John.
I had friends further up the road around No 75 (Graham Gilbert - nickname Whip).
The shop near to you was The Cabin run by the Webb family and there was also a small greengrocer, a hairdresser and a small supermarket.
Remember playing with the cigarette cards well! I also enjoyed playing with marbles and just hanging out with my friends.
At school, I went to Islip Manor infants and then the Junior school then made the mistake of passing the 11+ and going to Eliots Green which I absolutely hated. My last day at school was one of my happiest!
Moved to Watford in the early 70's and then on to Ealing, Heston, Woking and Gosport before retiring to France early last year.
I still have very fond memories of Northolt. As most people have been saying, the environment was perfectly suited for young families. In the early days, I used to enjoy playing in the derelict grandstand which was a few yards from where you were (out of you door, turn left and across the road.
Lots of other memories of the place - mostly good.
Lovely to hear from you
David M
How strange that the lady offering tea when you moved to Northolt turned out to be your mother's friend.
It seems you have very fond memories of those days.
I can remember the sweet shop but not the hairdresser's but the greengrocer's is ringing bells in my head.
I cant say I remember the derelict grandstand maybe I was too young to be aloud to cross the road.
How strange to hear you moved to Watford, I lived in Bushey Heath
around the same time you were in Watford !
I lived up the hill above a little greengrocer shop & often went to Watford market.........I had my purse pinched in the market & was so afraid to tell my husband, my dear father inlaw replaced the money stolen so my husband never did find out.
From Bushey we moved back to Slough until we eventually got our first council flat in Denham, Cilla Black & Roger Moore who lived close bye were often seen in the village.
I used to work at the licensed victuallers in those days it was a lovely place.........I looked after the elderly, now i'm elderly & the one that needs looking after !
It's nice to hear from you too, what a shame you are not nearer we could have had a good old chin wag over a cup of tea.
All the best
Jill
We were the first to live in this house. We had a coal fire that heated the whole house. In winter the frost ferns could be seen coating the windows. We used to sit round the lit oven with our feet on the open door. The green in front of the house was just a patch of weeds and the flats across the road were being built, as was the parade of shops round the corner. Other families in this row of houses that I remember were the Taylors, Buckinghams, Lumleys, Stillmans, Coleman's. I remember the other people well but I can't remember their names. I remember Ronnie Woodbridge across the road, Linda Webb, Jennifer Acott, Maria Taggart. I had a friend Kate from the children's home near the Heights.
I don't know how many people know this, but when we first went there my mother used to go to the shops at the heights, before the new shops were built. We walked up passing under a metal bridge, which was waterlogged underneath. I assume a railway serving the racecourse ran over it. There were newts there. This was later filled in and buried and was made into a road.There is a bridge under that steep rise from Dabbs Hill Lane to the Heights! I remember the gates at Petts Hill and the smelly ticket office by them.Speaking of stinky , does anyone know why the bridge in Eastcote Lane used to smell so bad?
I remember the "black hill" in the field where the old grandstand ruin used to be. We used to play there. Slow worms, grass snakes, lizards, newts - all used to live there. The other field with a "hill" was situated next to the railway line. We spent our childhood roaming far and wide, scrumping, climbing trees and having all sorts of adventures. Not least were the death defying apparatus in the beautiful Islip Manor Park, especially the swing boat! Anyone remember it?
I went to Islip Manor infants ( teachers Miss Tan, Miss East, and the formidable Miss Deveril) Islip Manor juniors ( Miss Irwin, Mrs Hobson) Does anyone remember the Isle of Wight trip? I went to school on my own after the first day. I remember times when the fog was so thick we could not see our way. We could barely see our hands and feet. I remember rolling a snowball on the way home from school but having to abandon it because it got too big!
I attended Elliot's Green for a few weeks before moving to Hertfordshire where the houses had smokeless fuel.
I would love to reminiscence with anyone from that time and who remembers Linda Newton.