Sandycombe Road

A Memory of Kew.

I was born in Kings Farm Avenue, just off Manor Road in Richmond in 1964. When I was a baby we swapped council houses with my Uncle and moved into 28 Sandycombe Road - this was to be my home until 1987.

My grandparents lived at number 103 and were almost opposite the corner shop, when I was a very small child it was run by an elderly couple (I remember the man being blind). About 1969ish the shop changed hands and the couple were Mr and Mrs Silva (De Silva?). I used to take the Corona bottles back to them and collect the money which was maked on the bottle tops, I think it was 6d.

Of course, the whole road has changed, I still drive down it sometimes and have a great longing to knock on number 28s door armed with a handfull of old photos of me in that house, adn ask if I can have a look around. Even up until the 80s there was the Chip Shop, Wilshers - the Bike Shop, Rainbows Greengrocers, the Shoe Menders and the 90b bus used to go from Kew Gardens station to Richmond.

I miss the old Sandycombe Road, I even went to Gainsborough School for one year before it closed...sometimes progress is a horrible thing - it creates nostalgia and fades memories.

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