South Chingford Parks And Lakes.

A Memory of South Chingford.

I was born in March 1939 and lived in South Chingford 1939-66.  Frances Road 1940-47 and Underwood Road (Ropers Farm Estate) 1947-66.
I loved Chingford and still do.  I regularly visit Chingford and was there only yesterday 15.07.08.  I still have a cousin in Chingford and I am sadly selling my late cousin Peggy's house in Grove Road.
I firstly went to New Road School (briefly) then onto Selwyn Avenue - and then onto Wellington Avenue (Wellington Boot) (Maths master was a nightmare).
I loved the parks and lakes - not much homework got done as a result.
I remember the war years - hearing the sirens and having to (a few times) dive into the Mount shelter on the way home from New Road School.
We mainly used to play in Larkswood at the top of our road,  the Memorial Park, Highams Park lake and the Larkswood playing fields-formerly had wartime shelters etc there.
We used to go to the Saturday morning pictures at the Odeon up the Mount, Mr. Paul the manager (we come along - on Saturday mornings) - sixpence to go in - 9d upstairs) and loved the varied items the Odeon put on there. Cartoons, news, documentary bit and the main film. In those days, the films often entailed a car chase - looking out of the back window - and seeing the chasing car crashing and bursting into flames, didn't they. Always remembered the Laurel and Hardy film where the cook 'skins them alive' and they are then shown to be walking skeletons. Pretty horrible and I have never seen that film shown in modern times. Same as the Sinbad film - where Captain Hook's hook is shown to hook into the man's chest skin - never seen that version in modern times.
We used to walk through Chingford cemetery  on the way to school and collected cemetery  conkers en route.  That was the only somewhat 'naughty' thing we did in there - always had the proper respect for the graves - these days there has been vandalism going on in there - such a shame.
We loved Woolies up the Mount and always got our Xmas pressies in there. There is a shop 'Martins' in Gt Yarmouth that has got a full range - in use - of  old Woolies counters. I can't stand the modern Woolies display layout.
I live in Colchester with my wife Lynn.  Have two grown up daughters and two grandchildren. I am on Friends Reunited   'Robert Randall'
Kind regards,
Bob Randall