Hatch End 50/60/70s Memories

A Memory of Hatch End.

As I’ve only just stumbled on this web page so offer excuses if it’s past its sell by date.
I lived in Sylvia Ave Hatch End from 1951 (as a babe in arms) until I married and moved away in 1976.
My recollections may now be a bit vague after 50+ years but here goes. At the top of the High St there was the Post Office, entered by a side alleyway, next door was Barclays Bank. There may be some gaps where shops were but at this distance in time the memory fails me. Believe there was a bakers shop called ABC Bakers and a hardware shop called Standevens, which always smelt of paraffin. Going down the slight hill I think there was another bank, there was also Findlay’s the tobacconist’s , where I always ran errands for my Grandfather to get his tin of Bondman tobacco. Smith’s paper shop was on the corner of Grimsdyke Rd and had a sort of large porch out front with a counter where they sold the papers. On the other side of Grimsdyke Rd there was a grocers’ shop called Howard Roberts which later became a supermarket. Along that side there was I think a Green grocers and the Wine Cellars before Boots the Chemist. Further up was a small Co-Op which sold broken biscuits, later it became a Chinese Restaurant, there was also another sweet shop before the telephone exchange, which had two Red telephone boxes outside. There was probably another shop before Pullams the butchers shop which was on the corner of the unmade road up to the Scout and Guide huts. There were several shops on the other side of the unmade road including Macfisheries the last shop on that side was Bunces paper and sweet shop which was on the corner of Woodridings Close. The Library, originally a single storey building was opposite. This was later rebuilt and a Public Convenience added.
Nearly opposite the Post Office and next to the Railway inn was originally a small Sainsbury’s. I have memories of Marble counters down either side with the cash desk in an archway at the end. They used to make up the butter using wooden pats to get the shape. Then there was the Railway Inn and a garage. Further down there was a newer parade of shops which included a toy shop, think it was called Soman Sports or some name like that. There was then Cornwall Road with a paper shop on the corner. The continuation of the parade of shops on this side included, Dunns men’s outfitters, an Estate Agents called Profit and Gough, Williams grocery stores (2 ?), which issued there own tokens as change, a wall paper shop, the radio shop. Towards the end of the parade there was a Woolworths, anyone remember the large white globes in the ceiling. Later I think there was a Bugden’s supermarket at the very end on the corner of Wellington Road there was Spurling’s garage.
I was a member of the 1st Hatch End Scouts in the mid-sixties, the Scout hut proper was on the left up the unmade road, this burnt down and meetings were subsequently held in part of woodridings school. Further up the unmade road there was the Guide hut followed by the Senior scout (leaders) hut, a grassed area for the scouts and the Ranger(venture) scout hut. I have memories of taking the trek cart round the neighbourhood collecting jumble and also using it for pioneering down a foot path off King George V Avenue.
I have a vague memory that back along the Uxebridge Road towards the station where Dove Park flats now stand there was a big house with a large white conservatory, which I was always told belonged to an Indian Maharajah.
As we did not have a car all journeys were either by train or bus. I therefore remember a few trips to the station which at the time had mainline platforms and the foot bridge went right across with a small station entrance onto the Avenue. Iit also sported two signal boxes, one on the mainlines and one on the electric lines. There was a paper stall on the London bound platform, where electric trains could be caught to Euston, and Broad Street, there was also the Bakerloo Line to Elephant and Castle. In the corner of the carpark stood the station masters house by the steps up onto the road bridge, on the left next to the station building was a coal merchants building.
Over the road bridge on the right there was to me the Gothic style buildings of the Commercial Travellers School. There were wide verges on the left towards Headstone Lane with large bushes growing on them which policemen used to hide behind when checking vehicle speeds.
Even in the mid-sixties our road was lit by gas lights and we used our scout staves to turn the gas valve off on Friday nights on our way home from meetings, not exactly what good scouts do. I also remember Horace the milkman and his horse and cart delivering the milk
Our local GP was a Dr McLaren who had his surgery in his house on the Avenue, think there was also a Dr Hunter along the Uxebridge Road near the Station.
I went to a few discos in St Anselm’s church hall was just up Grimsdyke Road behind Smiths. Later I went ballroom dancing at the Court school of dancing over the cinema between Wealdstone and Harrow and to the Guy Hayward school of dancing over Burtons in Harrow. There was also a monthly folk night at the Whittington pub in Pinner organised by the Herga Morris men.
As I was an 11+ failure from Grimsdyke School, I attended Headstone Secondary Modern in North Harrow which meant I had to travel on the 98B bus, there was always a rush to get down on the platform for the ride of your life from the station stop to the stop in High Street hanging onto the grab pole. London Transport later withdrew the service and it was replaced by a little green privately run single decker bus. More often than not I used to walk to and from school along King George the V Avenue as it saved what could be quite a long wait for a bus. There was a short cut across the fields into the top end of Wellington Road which shortened the walk.
As children there was no shortage of places to play, at the top of Sylvia Avenue there was a rough area which we called the ‘Bumps’. It consisted of an overgrown area of hummocks and depressions which in wet weather formed small ponds. In the early 60s there was a cattle bridge over the railway with a footpath to Oxhey Lane.This was blown up as the costs did not justify raising to clear the overhead wires on the mainline. On the bend in Sylvia Avenue where the ally way goes down to cross the railway by the foot bridge and before the maisonettes were built there was some waste ground, we called this area the ‘Dell’ as the river Pinn followed through it. In common with most lads of my age we collected engine numbers from the bridge, it was great fun to stand on the bridge and get covered in smoke and steam from the passage of a train. If one got bored with this there was always the ‘Rec’ where there were swings, a slide, roundabout and see saws. If so inclined one could watch rugby in the winter or cricket played on the grass field.
Our Christmas treat was to visit Farther Christmas at Selfridges in London, followed by a walk down Oxford Street and Regent Street to see to lights. To finish off a visit to Lyons corner house in Piccadilly for egg and chips, lovely can still taste them today
Whilst not always local to Hatch End I had quite a few maiden great aunts who contributed to my upbringing. These were the result of WWI as there were not enough men available for them to marry, sad indeed as looking back a few would have made excellent mothers.