Hounslow West

A Memory of Hounslow.

I lived at Hounslow West and went to Hounslow Heath infant and junior school. Don’t remember much about the infants. My first teacher in the junior school was Miss/Mrs Roberts. I remember filling up the ink wells in the desks. This would have been about 1959. I then went to Miss Elborn. It was a very large classroom. I remember the ‘nit nurse’ coming regularly to check us. Girls with bunches, pony tails and plaits had to undo them. The ‘bright’ children then went to Mr Gilbert for the last two years and I went to Mr Philips. The classrooms were set round two quadrangles. Mr Such was the headmaster. Children I remember - Christine Callus, Linda Casey, Barbara Wilkes, twin girls Janette and ...... Gardener, Margaret Hearn, Margaret Samuels, David Gillies, Stephen Thornton, Glyn, Peter, Brenda Marshall. If my memory is jogged I’m sure I’ll remember more. We had our class photos taken which I still have somewhere.
I went to the odeon Saturday morning pictures. 6d to sit right at the front and a bit more to be at the back. I remember a yo-yo competition there which must have been at Easter time as I won an Easter egg.
Beaversfield Park had a putting course which was good fun and also a garden for the blind. There was also a cricket run and tennis courts and swings and slides etc. I remember the drinking fountain. There was also a large mound on the field which I think was the air raid shelter during the war.
The Barracks held an annual tattoo. There were always lots of people. Lots of different stalls and although I remember going there I don’t remember much more about it.
I also remember Macfisheries opening at Hounslow West.
In the High Street Edmunds was the department store which became Boots. There was also a Waitrose in the High Street which became WH Smith. Lavells was a large stationers across the road. Also there was a grocers called Platts which had an open access into the cellar.
Abanethies was the school uniform shop. Richards was a ladies dress shop. I, too, remember Trebles with the cash on rails above us. Memorydiscs was on the corner of Douglas Road and there was also a Chinese restaurant on that road. A very large Co-op department store on the Staines Road with the Regal cinema opposite just before the Bell. Also the trolley bus that ran along the High Street and Staines Road and turned at the Wellington. All long gone now.