Trevelyan Road Tooting

A Memory of Tooting.

I was born on 8th May 1945 (the day the war ended) at 61 Trevelyan Road Tooting. My mum told me that there was a heatwave on the 8th May and whilst she was trying to get some rest there was a street party going n which she couldn't go to.
My grandmother was born at 61 Trevelyan Road in 1986 and whilst following a historical research of my grandparents I discovered that 61 Trevelyan Road and adjoining properties were called 'Dorcas Terrace'.
I remember my mum telling me that a bomb or doodle bug fell on Sellincourt School, just after the kids had all left. She was 7 months pregnant with me at the time, we could see the school out of our back window and mum saw the flash and heard the bang.
My earliest memories are of my mum and nan wheeling me in a large pram down to the local butchers and greengrocers and local shops every day, they didn't have fridges in those days, only a pantry. We didn't have a bathroom, only a tin bath which hung on the fence outside and we only had a bath once a week on a Friday when lots of kettles were heated and we all took it in turns in using the same water. If you wanted to have a proper bath there were 'slipper baths' opposite Tooting Broadway Underground which my dad took me to as a treat.
I went to Sellincourt Infants School and later the junior school and used to buy sweets at the shop at the bottom of Trevelyan Road, where there were a few other shops. These have been replaced by a car showroom.

I remember persuading my mum to take me on a tram at Tooting Broadway and threw up because it rocked about so much. I saw spivs at Tooting Broadway with their quiffs and brightly coloured coats and tight black trousers.

I went to the Granada Cinema Tooting on Saturday mornings, childrens club and seeing the guy come out of the floor playing the organ. It cost 9 old pence to see a film or 1/6d if you had more money, I can remember the place smelt of ice cream in cardboard containers and I remember the place being carpeted in thick red carpet.

The lorry used to come round once a week selling fizzy pop but I wasnt allowed to have any, my parents werent well off. Kids used to play football in the road at the weekends, there werent many cars around at that time. I remember the horse and cart coming round picking up 'any old iron'.

In 1953 our street had a party to celebrate the queens coronation which was a rather grand affair and seemed to take up the whole of the road. I was dressed up as Rule Brittania. Would be great if anyone had any photos of that time.

I stayed in Trevelyan Road until I was 19 when my parents decided to sell up and move to Whitstable. The house was sold for £3500.