Faringford Road

A Memory of Stratford St Mary.

During my time in training as a 16 year old student for just one year I had lodged at my grandparents, Fred and FLorence Clarke. Quite surprisingly whilst coming from a small hamlet nestling within Oxfordshire I settled in quite well. No less my memories of that time consist of the following:
Each morning having arisen at 8am upon making my way down the narrow winding stairway through the back room; on entering the kitchen/scullery I would be greeted by my grandmother. A breakfast consisting of toast and marmalade was served. I would wash at the kitchen sink as there was not a bathroom. Around 8:30am I would set off upon my journey towards the underground, though not without my calling into a local grocery shop just around the corner in Tramway Avenue. As you entered in one door, which lead you towards the rear, was a large West Ham rossett hanging upon the wall above the deli. Upon making my way around, past the counter heading towards the unsupervised checkout there would be ready and waiting 10 No.6 (cigarettes) where I would leave my money. Afterwards proceeding along towards the Broadway and crossing over it through into the arcade, down a flight of steps, I kept on until I had boarded the tube heading up west. Every evening around 6pm coming out of the underground and walking past where during the day a market had been standing. At the entrance on the left was the church where my uncle and aunt had married during the early 1950's. As I made haste across the busy broadway back along Tramway Avenue was a cafe that had constantly smelt divine. On passing I would peer through its window watching the few customers eat their way through a meal. By the time I had reached home I was starving hungry. During the evenings at around 8pm I would make out to be going upstairs (so as to study) inside what was the back bedroom. There I quietly lifted the sash window, with my transistor radio playing in the background, I would lean out for a crafty puff. the window faced onto what was an alleyway bordering the manicured park in the foreground. Later I returned back downstairs to where supper was now being served, until retiring at 11pm.
Many years before when still at Primary school I had been taken over to the park accompanied by my own mother where we would wander carefree up to the pond and back again. One day on passing a court, where many the local lads were playing football with a tennis ball, behind the high wire mesh this ball somehow managed to escap and landed at my feet. About to throw it back, one of the lads beckoned me to join in but sadly my shyness stood in the way I refused. Another one of the lads from this group called to me "okay mate, but you can keep the ball anyway". On being back home playing with my own friends I always remembered this group of lads and regretted refusing that hand of friendship....
At the entrance of the park I well remember an off licence and during my childhood visits was to been sent there for a block of ice cream in my choice and a bottle of red rosy Tizer. Such happy memories there came to end when in 1984 my grandfather passed away and my grandmother moved away to High Ongar.