Happy Memories Growing Up In Stevenage In The 60's

A Memory of Stevenage.

I started my life in Stevenage at the age of 10 when we moved from London and my dad was given a house in Holly Leys, Longmeadow. I went to the Roebuck Junior School and I remember the long
walk to school down Broadwater Crescent. After passing my 11+ I went to the new Stevenage Girls' Grammar School which was being built. Until the school was finished we had to "share" the grounds and buildings of the Alleynes Boys' School. Great fun ! Moving into our new school was very exciting and getting kitted out in our lovely bottle green uniform urgh! It was very exciting times for a youngster growing up in Stevenage. Apart from the massive amount of new building that was taking place we had a lovely town centre and the opening of "The Planet" coffee bar sited on the top floor of an office block overlooking the bus station, plus the well known "Coffee Bar" opposite the old police station. A great meeting place for us teenagers. As was the cinema in Sish Lane along with Fred's Café in the High St in the old town. When the new Mecca opened its doors we were in awe of what it had to offer. Never had anything like that before - only up in London. We had top name groups entertaining us with their music of that era, namely Rock'n;Roll. I remember the Barron Knights and Freddy and the Dreamers to name a few. The "ladies" was fabulous with ornate mirrors and bags to put your change of shoes in. It was here that I was "crowned" Stevenage's' First Carnival Queen and sat on the back of a Sunbeam Rapier to drive through the town dressed in an ornate gown loaned from the local theatre group. Whilst at school I had a part time job working in Boots in the town centre which I loved - especially the perfume counter. Most of my working life was spent at British Visqueen which I loved . My parents moved to Fairview Rd from where I got married and moved into our first home in Ashleigh, Shephall. Since then I have lived in Welwyn Garden City, Christchurch New Zealand and returned to UK where I now live in West Sussex with my second husband. On a recent visit to Stevenage I had a drink in the Marquis of Lorne pub where I had spent my 21st birthday some 50 years earlier. I had trouble finding Fairview Road due to the new by -pass.
Looking forward to my next visit to Stevenage to re-live some of the best years we shared in Stevenage. Gwen Austen (nee Bailey, formerly Ottaway)