Sweetshop In Hoppers Road

A Memory of Palmers Green.

I attended Palmers Green High School in the late fifties and early sixties. There were no school playing fields so we had to go to Ford's Grove in Winchmore Hill for sport. One day I and a group of friends went to find Cliff Richard's house to try and get his autograph. We got into terrible trouble when we got back to school late and, for the rest of the term, we had to stay at school and write out poetry instead of participating in sports lessons. The headmistress, Mrs Agnew, also wrote a scathing letter to our parents, expressing her displeasure that we could not be trusted!
And does anyone remember the sweetshop near to the school, run by a lady called Cassa Downes? You could have a glass of tizer or cream soda for 2d or 3d, and she kept a wonderful selection of penny sweets, including my personal favourites of shrimps, seafood and chocolate bananas. Unfortunately I have not grown out of my passion for those. And when she took your money, she always said "thank you very much dear, thank you", the second thank you being said at a much lower pitch. Sweet memories, literally!