Norbury And Environs

A Memory of Croydon.

I lived in Norbury Court Rd. My first school was Mrs. Nicholson's school, called St. Winifreds. I was there at the age of 4, and later went on to Coloma in Croydon for the rest of my school life. I remember our school blazer at Mrs. Nicholson's - dark green, with a red badge on the pocket. Mrs. N. had a grown-up son called Victor. Another teacher there was Mrs. Logan, and I think her son was also at the school: Christopher Logan. There I made my first "best friend", who lived off Pollards Hill South, and Pollards Hill was one of our favourite haunts. We used to climb the tree in "the dip", and roll down grassy hills in the summer.
In a school play at St Winifred's, I played the part of "Mary in Bed". I have a photo of the party after the play, and there are, among others, the Dolmans, the Fredericks, Anne Sherwell.
One lesson I remember at the school: minims and crotchets and quavers. We were divided into groups and had to proceed around the hall walking or running according to the length of the notes we were representing. Why ever that should be my only memory of what I learnt there, I don't know. Does anyone else remember it?

I also used to go to Mrs Grandison Clark's dancing academy. First did ballet, and then tap dancing, too. Didn't we used to wear little rust-coloured tunics for the ballet classes?
The early years were in her locale on the main London Rd. But when I was older, I used to go to her place on Norbury Crescent, round where the 133 bus used to go.

I visited Norbury -- out of curiosity -- on my last trip back to the UK in 2012 (I live in Peru now), and there were St Philips Church and St. Winifred's, and, of course, Pollards Hill, looking practically unchanged. However, I found the main road in Norbury almost unrecognizable. Enjoyed the walk through to the Rookery, at the top of Streatham Common, via Green Lane, Covington Way, etc. On many of my trips home I have visited the Rookery, first with my eldest two boys, then with the youngest two.

On Sundays we went to St. Bartholomews Church, which entailed walking along beside a little stream part of the way. Perhaps my most vivid memories of that were the Midnight Masses we attended at Christmas over the years. Bitterly cold, and being out so late at night, but everybody happy because it was Christmas.

Oh, and we all used to go and stand on the main road to watch the Veteran Car Rally from London to Brighton. I think it was in November, because I also remember it being cold then. We would start seeing some of them come through on our way to and from Mass.

I'll stop here -- maybe can contribute more later about Thornton Heath and Croydon. I've enjoyed reading all the contributions that are already posted here.

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