Nostalgic memories of Wimbledon's local history
Share your own memories of Wimbledon and read what others have said
For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our web site to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was when the photographs in our archive were taken. From brief one-liners explaining a little bit more about the image depicted, to great, in-depth accounts of a childhood when things were rather different than today (and everything inbetween!). We've had many contributors recognising themselves or loved ones in our photographs.
Why not add your memory today and become part of our Memories Community to help others in the future delve back into their past.
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Displaying Memories 31 - 40 of 48 in total
Mr Atlee, or as he was when I knew him, Old Mr Atlee, lived on the corner of Cowper and Garfield Roads. Garfield Road was a long road starting at the balloon factory, passing the primary school and the Rec and ending at the Carton factory. Running along its length shooting off at right angles were 5 roads named after poets, starting with Cowper followed by Milton, Dryden, Tennyson and ending with Caxton. ...see more
Half way down Garfield Road was the Recreation Ground; better know to all as simply the Rec. It was quiet a large area bounded on one side by Garfield Road and the other by the River Wandle, about which more another time.
Along the top end was the railway line and the bottom the fence dividing the Primary School from the Rec. You could see the kids clinging to the fence fingers and noses poking through the ...see more
As a teenage resident of Morden in the late fifties, my friend Dave and I occasionally frequented a coffee bar in Wimbledon on Hartfield Road near the junction with the Broadway. We got around a bit as at the time, I had a little 1936 Austin Seven. The coffee bar was actually called THE ORINOCO, but it managed to lose the "C" in the name on the facia one day, which I don't remember being replaced. So it became known by us and our friends as the "Orinoo." Great days!
How well I remember Rushmere. I used to attend Kings College School around 300 metres away, and a group of us would frequently return home along South Side with a quick detour to the pond. It was best in winter because of the weather. In winter it froze up at some point every year and skaters would be attracted to it. In 1963, the winter was so severe that it was frozen for almost 3 months. Then there were the ...see more
The first pint of beer I had was in The Woodman pub, Durnsford Road, and I was under-age which the landlord knew but I looked 18. My first pint was brown & mild. Just around the corner was Arthur Road which has importance as it was the nearest shops to Pitt Crescent where I was brought up in the 50s. I recall mum saving up metal Co-Op tokens, Green Shield Stamps, and for awhile she ...see more
I was brought in council flats overlooking Wimbledon train depot and Gap Road Cemetery. It was grim but being young we saw the paved area in the "front" of the flats as a football stadium and cricket field in the summer...Down the road by Durnsford Road Bridge was The Dump, a wasteland of fly-tipping, choking weeds, railway rats, and rusty metal. To us boys it was land to explore right back ...see more
Enoch Power sold pet food (Fido Meat) in the arcade next to Tiffany's night club / disco and Wimbledon Theatre. He had been a Japanese POW. Interesting chap.
My father, Eric Hutchins, lived at 44 Dundonald Road, Wimbledon and went to Rutlish School and, as quite a young man, went to Argentina where he lived and worked until 1946. He was born in 1910 and so there cannot be many people who actually remember him but I wonder if there is anyone who knew the famiy and oh, I would be so interested to hear from them.
I lived in Wimbledon Park from birth until 1955 when I left for Western Australia, I remember going to Wimbledon Park Primary School during the war years and there was an airaid shelter in the rec next to it, I went onto Queens Road Secondary School after that, but mostly I remember going into Wimbledon with my friend Jean on a Saturday morning to the Odeon cinima to the morning pictures there and then going down ...see more
Hi Lesley, your life is a mirror image of mine! I too went to Dundonald Junior School then on to Pelham. We also moved in the London overspill scheme in 1961 to Frimley in Surrey. I also left my heart in Wimbledon, it will always be special. In those days I was Pam Page and had a sister Pat, we lived over Dunn & Co. in the Broadway opposite the Town Hall.
