Growing Up In Streatham

A Memory of Streatham.

I was born in April 1938 at l Eardley Road off Mitcham Lane with the London to Brighton Railway running along the far end of our garden. Opposite was Aldrington Road which then housed St Albans Church which I attended every Sunday. I loved Streatham and every day I walked along Aldrington Road to catch the 49 bus to my primary school, St Anselm's, at Trinity Road, Tooting Bec, and then later we walked every day there and back across Tooting Bec Common to my secondary school, La Retraite in Atkins Road, Clapham Park. I remember the Athletics Track on the Common and the large houses in Aldrington Road. As I grew older and was allowed out alone and with friends the 95 and 57 buses became very familiar and we would either take one of those up to Streatham High Road and thence the 159 to London or we would go the other way and get off at Tooting Broadway to catch the underground. Our garden had a slope up to a wall where as children we spent hours watching the trains go by and waving to passengers. I remember the dreadful night St Albans Church burnt down - from, I believe, a faulty electrical device on the Christmas Tree. We spent a lot of time at Pratts and there was always tea or coffee at Fullers with walnut and chocolate layer cakes. I used to go to the cinemas every week and for many years almost lived at the Streatham Hill Theatre and all it had to offer - which was plenty. I remember the trams before the buses, and the stop we used was placed very neatly by a sweet shop. Walking down Eardley Road in the direction of Streatham Common there was a shortcut of a tunnel which got you to Streatham Common Station more quickly - on a recent visit to the area I see the tunnel is still there. My father was the practising General Practitioner at l Eardley Road until 1965 and I wonder if anyone reading this was one of his patients!

Juliet Baxter (nee Reckitt)

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