Grandads Pig Farm

A Memory of Mitcham.

My memories of Mitcham  are primarily those of days spent at my grandparents' house. My grandad was Sidney Clark, my nan for some reason unknown to me was "Nanny Mick". My grandfather had a pig farm at the bottom end of Aberdeen Road. I can still remember as a youngster going out with my grandad in his lorry to local cafes and restaurants etc., to collect their waste product ,"pig swill", taking it back and boiling it up with what I think was bran, the smell was pretty horrible but the pigs loved it. Apart from the pigs there were chickens, racing pigeons, geese, cats and dogs, this place was so far removed from where I lived in Earlsfield, a densely populated area of Wandsworth, London. Going to my nan's was a real adventure for me. Although my memory is not particularly good nowadays I can still recall piglet deliveries and chasing "escapees" up and down Aberdeen Road, likewise errant chicks, and a scary memory of the gander who "ruled the roost" (who needed guard dogs?).
My paternal grandmother, nanny Sponder, lived in Western Road with my uncle Jim (her second husband), a few doors from the Star public house (where I am led to believe my dad was born). These memories are a little more sparse, however I do remember she also had chickens, and quite vividly remember collecting their eggs.
I also have fond memories of my uncle Perce (grandad's brother) and aunt Ive, who lived in Langdale Avenue. He bred canaries and budgerigars and was also secretary of the local pigeon racing club. The foremost memory here would be listening to the football results, interspersed with phone calls, and uncle Perce "clocking in" the pigeons as they returned from their races.
As I grew up then obviously these "family elders" one by one sadly passed away, however nanny Mick stayed in Aberdeen Road quite late in her years along with her brother, my uncle Ernie, a lovable rogue who appeared to have only one well worn suit with a huge split in the back of the waistcoat which he wore at all time. Surprisingly he was my nan's landlord, and I believe also owned the house next door, he was a true eccentric.
I still used to visit my nan into my late teens, me and my friends would quite often walk from Earlsfield up through Meads Path past the sewage farm, through Colliers Wood, past Frys metal works, and on up Western Road turning right into Aberdeen Road, I think there was a huge company called Harlands on the corner. We were always made very welcome with cups of tea and toast (proper cut bread on a toasting fork over a real coal fire) - lovely! Sometimes that would be the end of our journey and we would walk back home, other times however we would walk on right over the back of Mitcham Common to Croydon to what I seem to remember as a huge gun placement site, a legacy of the war years.
Anyway that's my most memorable moments of life in Mitcham and it's been a joy sharing them.

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