The Fields Of Golden Corn In Sunbury

A Memory of Sunbury.

I was born in 1950 above my father's butchers shop Laughtons in Green St. Behind the shop they made leather from cows hide I can still smell it not pleasant haha. Beside the butchers shop there was Dots Cafe a big jolly kindly lady, who came to my aid when I knocked myself unconscious after falling off the horse field wall and knocking myself unconscious. Then there was the green grocers who I used visit everyday. The grapes came in big barrels filled with cork and bananas in wooden boxes one day when he was opening the box a beautiful colourful creature jumped out and landed on my arm. It was furry and I was delighted until he shouted don't move don't breath. His face was wet with sweat I remember, he promptly knocked it from my arm and swatched the tarantula. I was so disappointed, I was then banned from the greengrocer. Then their was the emporium a little antique shop and down the road the furrier where the horse's got new shoes. I used to go down school lane and into the allotments where there was always a few strawberries and then down to the end of School walk and over the stye into the field of golden corn and make a den. There was also a gravel pit nearby where myself and my brother used to go although forbidden and gather adder skins all the colours of the rainbow. We had wonderful summers in Sunbury the swimming pool, the fishing with our nets catching tiddlers at the flower pot green. The sun always shone in Sunbury wonderful days. If anyone remembers me i would love to here from them old friends are best friends. I am now living in southern Ireland. I lived in Sunbury until 1969.I went to Nursery road infants school, just remembered the sweet shop black jacks and fruit salads. And Kenyngton Manor another memory old Mrs Lester the sewing teacher throwing a wooden rubber at me for talking haha.


Added 19 November 2015

#338715

Comments & Feedback

Hi
I remember Laughton's very well, as when I was a child my mother used to send me (we lived on Green Street in Blakesley Lodge) to buy lean minced beef. It had sawdust on the floor and beef carcasses hanging on hooks. There was a cashier in a glass cage who took the money.
I was born in 56 and lived in Montford Rd from 58. Wonderful memories of my friends who lived there - Stan Glanville, Jimmy & Davy Walters, The Westbrook brothers Pete, Malcolm (aka Bugs) and Gary, Davy and Steve Jones, Andrew Hitchcock, Peter Bendall, Terry Boreham and my brother Chris. Summer holidays spent messing around in Sunbury Park which then was private field so we had to climb over the wall! Playing tin-ran-topper on warm summer evenings with our parents watching from the doorways. Later on at Sunbury pool on Rivermead Island or fishing the Thames at Flower Pot green or downstream from Wilson’s ferry. We had our own names for all these; the first, the second, the third, the tip, the pit etc. I remember the shops in Green Street in Lower Sunbury before Stile Path was built. There was a greengrocer who in addition to fruit and veg sold pet rabbits. A bike shop owned by an old gent who I think was called Hancock - one arm of his glasses was broken and replaced by a piece of wire. My parents bought me my first 26” bike from there when I was 10. That plot became a fish and chip shop soon after. Happy memories too of Dots Cafe, which was our local tobacco & sweet shop with a transport cafe at the back. Dot was a lovely lady who ran the shop while her husband ran the cafe. They lived in a house opposite in the corner of Sunbury Park. They had a jukebox in the cafe and one day we all got thrown out for stamping our feet on the bare floorboards to “bits and pieces” by the Dave Clark Five. I remember the butchers shop too but it wasn’t Laughtons then - his shop was in Thames Street opposite The Avenue. I went to Nursery Road school with his son Philip. I can remember the blacksmith shoeing horses at the forge in Forge Lane. Now it’s the car park for Page Aerospace. It’s amazing to think of all those shops in that short parade around the Three Fishes pub. There was an undertaker and a wool shop in addition to Dots cafe, the butchers and a grocery store. Further up Green Street past the Admiral Hawke was Hamptons store and an off licence. The Hawke was run by the Pegrams and I went to school with their son Chris - a good footballer who had a trial for Chelsea. Opposite the Flower Pot was Darts Store - another grocers I think - but it got flooded whenever the river was in spare. Next to the Flower Pot was a small tobacconist / sweet shop called The Cozy, run by a very elderly couple. “Cozy Joe” as we called him was very fond of jammy dodgers. On summer Sunday evenings we would collect discarded glass bottles of pop from bins along the riverside - Cozy Joe was happy to refund us 1d, 3d or 6d depending on the bottle size.

Add your comment

You must be signed-in to your Frith account to post a comment.

Sign-in or Register to post a Comment.

Sparked a Memory for you?

If this has sparked a memory, why not share it here?