My Time In Charlmont Road.

A Memory of Tooting.

I started my life in 1936 at Charlmont Road. These houses had no bathroom (we used a tin bath in front of the fire) and outside toilets. I went to Selincourt Road Schools, infants then juniors. I remember during the war the time a V2 bomb fell on the houses near by on Selincourt and Mellison Roads, and the damage on the corner with Charlmont Road. I am informed the V2 fell on 6th March 1945 at 12.58, whilst I was having my dinner. I recall the corner paper shop in Charlmont Road run by 'Bernard Say', he would organized all our street parties at the end of the war, and whenever a special event occurred. He also ran trips to the seaside for us children. I was also one of his paperboys. In 1953 at our street party for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II I gave a puppet show, helped by my chum Ron Hadnut. (I still have the program.) My father had been a policeman both at Tooting and Trinity Road Police stations before he went into the navy. I well remember spending some of my money for Sunday School at the Busman's Cafe opposite the bus garage at the bottom of Charlmont Road. 2 pence for bread with dripping. I would also collect for my dad 'cockles and winkles' from a stall which stood outside the 'Mitre' pub at the bottom of Charlmont Road.  My Aunt Mini also worked in 'Hemmings', the bakers in the high street. These were, in spite of the war, very happy memories for me. Starting these notes has brought back my memories. Next door to Tooting Police station was a row of shops. A RACS (Royal Arsenal Co-op) and nearby a shop where I would go with empty bottles to collect Port and Sherry direct from barrels. As children we would collect empty bottles and return them to shops and collect the 2p for each one. At Amen Corner was a shop which sold magic tricks, jokes and stink bombs etc.
Later on Monday evening we would go to see Wimbledon Speedway with riders like Norman Parker, Ronnie Gibb and Split Waterman. Swimming was available at the open-air pool up on Tooting Bec Common or Latchmere Pool in Merton.
Most of us children would go to Saturday morning (flicks) pictures for 6p. I was a Tooting Grenadier. Other cinemas nearby were the 'Astoria' at the bottom of Charlmont Rd (shown in your photo). When the smog came down we could not see the screen so the film was stopped. As older schoolboys the dare was to visit the Vogue by Tooting Broadway, this cinema showed films like 'The Seven Deadly Sins'. Other activities were the 'Life Boys' at the Congregation Hall at the corner of Rookstone St and High St. Also the Scouts (7th Balham & Tooting) in the Central Hall by Tooting Broadway, with camping at 'Frylands' Woods in Featherbed Lane near New Addington south of Croydon. For us take-aways were 'Eel Pie and Mash' shops at Selkirk Rd and one in the big market behind the Central Hall, which I understand, is still operating.
As children we would follow thehorse-drawn coalman and the 'RACS' milkman, I later helped him on his weekend round. At Christmas customers would give him drinks and it was left for the horse to take him back to the depot. As children we would often follow the horse drawn waggons to collect the manure for the gardens, if we were lucky we would sell it.
Other activities would be 'scrumping' and knock-down-ginger. We would make wooden scooters with ball-bearing wheels that made so much noise people would shout at us to 'Go and play round your own street!'.
I still remember school buddies like the Lovick sisters, June and Julie, and Charlie Smith from Longley Rd, Josephine with 'red' hair and Ray Standish from Trevelion Rd and Marie in Hinley Rd. When Dad came home on leave he brought home some bananas, which were hung from the picture rails in our front room to ripen. I was able to swap some for toys with my mates.
Lastly, trips to the great fairs held at Fair Green by the pond at Mitcham. Not so happy are memories of piano and music lessons at the house on the corner of Brightwell and Mellison Road.
One last memory was of Balham Central Secondary School (green blazers) which was reached by tram from the bottom of Charlmont Rd. Weekly woodwork classes were held in a building in the Franciscan Rd, Tooting Girls' School playground. The class would go there by tram with a teacher (in charge!). New school shoes were purchased using ‘Provident checks’ paid back weekly. Freeman Hardy & Willis at Sutton took them in payment. Writing this brings back so many memories.