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Carshalton Women's Social Group Brighton Beach outing 1928 My wife is at far left on her mother's lap and I am in the front row, third from the left |
I was
happily surprised to learn that the good folks at Historic Carshalton had shown
such interest in my depression era childhood ramblings. I’m not sure if that
means I should now regard myself as an historian … or a relic.
I’ve
spent some time jotting down more memories of Carshalton that I’d like to share
with you.
A
favourite haunt for the gents of Carshalton was The Conservative Club on
Stanley Park Road. It was your standard British social club where card games
went on for hours, along with lively snooker matches. In fact notable snooker
players were known to visit the club and put on shows for the members.
There
were also sing-alongs. Even my future father-in-law, a natural introvert,
was known to break into song on occasion.
Speaking
of my father-in-law, it’s part of family lore that his lovely wife, piqued at
the amount of time her husband spent at the club, knocked on the club’s door
one evening and demanded to speak to her spouse.
When he came to see what
the fuss was about, she handed him a plate and scowled “You spend so much time
here, you may as well have your dinner here” before marching back
home.
The
mothers of pre-war Carshalton were also a very social bunch. They were
celebrated for their Whist Drives, where games were played at each other’s
homes for pennies a game with the proceeds going towards outings for poor
children to Box Hill and excursions to the seaside. My Aunt Dolly spent a
lot of time arranging Whist Drives - I believe she was a big fan of both card
playing and kids.
The mums
also had a group that got together over tea and arranged outings (with the
children, of course) to exotic places like Brighton.
As you
can see from the picture gracing this missive, we’re talking a fair-sized
group. No doubt head counts had to be taken before setting off for home.
Someone
at Historic Carshalton recalled The Crystal Palace going up in flames in 1936.
That really was a night to remember. I was 11 years old and watched the
inferno from my bedroom window. It seemed so close and lit up the whole room.
Since
Croydon airfield was nearby, bomb raids were common during the war. This gave us ample
opportunity to participate in the hobby of foraging for shrapnel. The shells from the anti-aircraft guns would explode high in the air and
rain searing hot shards of steel to the ground.
While
most were small jagged pieces of iron, not all could easily fit in your fist.
Some chunks were quite large and could do real damage. As soon as the all-clear
sounded, boys would scour the streets and gutters in
search of precious shrapnel.
Trading
pieces and admiring each other’s collections became quite a social activity.
Alas, this fun came to an end when the government began commandeering the
shrapnel when metal became in short supply.
Movies
played a big role in our young lives, especially the thrilling serials. We
could barely wait for the next instalment. There were three theatres in
Carshalton back then – the Gaiety, Gaumont and Granada. By the time I left, the
Gaumont and Granada had moved to Sutton and only the Gaiety remained (later to
turn into a musical variety hall – my wife and I went there the evening of our
wedding in 1948). Sadly, I hear none of them exist now.
The most
impressive movie house was the County Cinema in Sutton. A great memory was the
annual Christmas parties held for children from poorer families at “the County”
where you’d see a film, enjoy a feast and receive a token gift, such as a pen.
An
equally important place for Carshalton youngsters during my time was the Band
of Hope Hall on Stanley Road. Not only was it the home base for the Boy Scout
troop (and Brownies for the girls) but they had magic lantern shows of
travelogues, movies and religious tales. One memorable showing was Paul
Robeson singing from the movie “Sanders of the River”. A quick check on the
internet reveals that movie was released in 1935.
Of course
a certain neighbourhood lad became a singing star himself quite a
while after I had left Carshalton, although one of my younger sisters went to
school with him. Cliff Richard, excuse me, SIR Cliff Richard resided in a house
on Windborough Road. I wonder if there’s a plaque commemorating his residence
in the modest home.
I hope
the glorious lavender fields still flourish. Who doesn’t recall the sweet
smell? When I was growing up in Carshalton a local company called Pannett
& Neden ran a lucrative business of harvesting and selling packets of herbs
and marketing lavender talcum powders and perfumes.
The
street I grew up in had previously consisted of tenement houses that were
torn down for our “new” housing development to be built. Our council houses
weren’t fancy by any means, but they were an improvement on the tenements to be
sure! I remember my father taking the rent money down to the council
offices, which were near the Carshalton Ponds.
When I
was overseas during the war I would tell my non-English crew members I was from
Carshalton Beeches and they'd ask "Are they sandy or pebbly?" I didn’t
have the heart to tell them Carshalton was miles from the sea but did say
“Actually, they're leafy”.
Once I
returned from the war and joined the London police force, my wife and I moved
away from Carshalton to London and then eventually to Toronto, Canada. We
managed to visit every few years and my children had the opportunity to enjoy
Carshalton.
For many
years, and through a few moves, we had a wood-framed map entitled The Village of Carshalton hanging in the
house. It showed all the places of interest - well, they were of interest to me
and I’m sure they would be to you.
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