All Discussions Tagged 'harringay alumni memories' - Harringay online2024-03-28T16:41:25Zhttps://harringayonline.com/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=harringay+alumni+memories&feed=yes&xn_auth=noChildhood Memories - 4 - From My Windowtag:harringayonline.com,2015-01-30:844301:Topic:7214652015-01-30T11:34:03.009ZStephen Hollidayhttps://harringayonline.com/profile/StephenHolliday
<p>Our top-floor flat in Wordsworth Parade had a bay window that gave a grandstand view over a section of Green Lanes with Frobisher Road and the Queens Head opposite. There were no traffic lights on the junction as Alfoxton Avenue then formed a separate "T" junction with Green Lanes slightly nearer Turnpike Lane. I spent many hours at this window watching life go by.</p>
<p>My earliest recollections of Duckett's Common was that it was covered with wartime allotments.</p>
<p>The Queens Head was…</p>
<p>Our top-floor flat in Wordsworth Parade had a bay window that gave a grandstand view over a section of Green Lanes with Frobisher Road and the Queens Head opposite. There were no traffic lights on the junction as Alfoxton Avenue then formed a separate "T" junction with Green Lanes slightly nearer Turnpike Lane. I spent many hours at this window watching life go by.</p>
<p>My earliest recollections of Duckett's Common was that it was covered with wartime allotments.</p>
<p>The Queens Head was a noisy place in the evening, especially in the summer with the doors open. The word "Flowers" was written alongside the pub name and I wondered why a pub would sell flowers until I was told it was the name of the brewer! This later changed to "Watneys" which meant the arrival of keg beer and (fortunately) the rise of CAMRA. One bit of excitement was seeing the beer delivered. The cellar doors would be opened and the empty barrels raised up. The burly draymen would place a short ramp at the back of the motor dray and roll a barrel down on to the ground. A stout rope was then wound once round the barrel and it was lowered down the special rails into the cellar. Once all the barrels had been delivered the empties were put back on the dray which departed and (relative) peace returned.</p>
<p>Like the brewer's dray by the early 1950s a lot of horse drawn vehicles had been replaced by the plentiful supply of motor lorries after the War. Still remaining were the horse drawn milk floats used by Express Daries and United Dairies for their daily deliveries. They all seemed to be well turned out and they could be seen trotting quite fast along Green Lanes to and from their rounds. The horses which were still used by the "rag-and-bone-men" were not usually so well cared for.</p>
<p>The usual practice for daily deliveries was that you had a standing order which could be modified by placing a note in the clean empty bottles put out for collection - "One pint extra, please". Milk came in bottles with a broad neck with a foil cap, the colour of the cap denoting the quality of the milk. "Gold Top" was the creamiest and most expensive followed by "Red Top" and "White Top". (Not totally sure about the latter but I am sure someone can remember better than me!" The other milk available was "sterilised" which came in a taller bottle.It lasted longer in the days before fridges but tasted horrible.</p>
<p>Soon, the horses were all gone. The scene now was that the smartly trotting horses were replaced by electric milk floats grinding slower and slower along Green Lanes, hoping to get back to the depot before the batteries ran flat. Such is progress!</p>
<p>The milkman called to collect the payment for the week's deliveries on a Friday. I seem to remember that there was a robbery of the takings at the United Daries Depot in Station Road Wood Green that resulted in a murder.</p>
<p>Another familiar sight was the policeman patrolling his beat. There were the (pre-Tardis) blue Police Boxes where anyone could contact the police directly. Now and then a black patrol car with its shiny bell on the front ringing (no sirens or blue lights in those days) would speed past. They had two-way radio and as "wireless cars" could be contacted by police control which led to the phrase "Calling all cars" to be common in comics, films and early TV programmes. The 1950 film "The Blue Lamp" captures the atmosphere exactly. Later the foot patrols were issued with Velocette motor bikes which were immediately christened "Noddy Bikes". Later still they, in turn, were replaced by "Panda Cars", pale blue Morris Minors with white doors. When these were eventually sold off they were much sought after at the car auctions held on the old railway station site at Alexandra Palace.</p>
<p>A more dramatic happening resulted in my first sight of death. A motor bike with three riders was going quite fast towards Harringay. As it approached the Frobisher road junction the man on the back fell off backwards and landed flat in the road. The motorbike stopped a little way down the road and the other two riders ran back. A small crowd gathered around the man who lay motionless. A policeman soon turned up and took control of the situation. A short time later the ringing of a bell announced the arrival of an ambulance. They brought a stretcher from the back of the ambulance and set it down beside the man. After a brief examination the placed the body on the stretcher and covered it with a blanket. They then placed the stretcher in the ambulance, closed the doors and drove off. There was no need to ring the bell. The crowd dispersed.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, being so detached from it all, I was not really upset by watching all this. More traumatic was seeing a dog run over some time later!</p>
<p></p> Childhood Memories - 3 - Getting Abouttag:harringayonline.com,2015-01-24:844301:Topic:7195942015-01-24T14:08:53.338ZStephen Hollidayhttps://harringayonline.com/profile/StephenHolliday
<p>In the 1950s trolleybuses ran along Green Lanes. There was the 629 Enfield to Tottenham Court Road, the 641 Moorgate to Winchmore Hill and the 521/621 Holborn to North Finchley (by slightly different routes).</p>
<p>The trolleybuses were always quite smooth (no need to change gear!) and were very fast off the mark. If you were not seated you had to remember to hang on tight. They were wooden-bodied and, as a child, I was under the impression that the body swayed backwards slightly when they…</p>
<p>In the 1950s trolleybuses ran along Green Lanes. There was the 629 Enfield to Tottenham Court Road, the 641 Moorgate to Winchmore Hill and the 521/621 Holborn to North Finchley (by slightly different routes).</p>
<p>The trolleybuses were always quite smooth (no need to change gear!) and were very fast off the mark. If you were not seated you had to remember to hang on tight. They were wooden-bodied and, as a child, I was under the impression that the body swayed backwards slightly when they started.</p>
<p>They normally ran smoothly along Green Lanes but there could be problems at a cross-roads such as at Manor House. A worse place was at the Nag's Head, Holloway where there was quite a complicated junction.</p>
<p>At these junctions it was not unusual for one or both trolley poles to jump off the overhead wires and rise above them. The conductor had then to go round to the back of the trolleybus and remove a very long bamboo pole that was in a tube that ran under the length of the bus. If traffic had built up behind this could be a bit difficult! He (or she) then had to use the pole, which had a hook on the end, to pull the offending trolley pole back down and set it back on the wire. Being bamboo the pole was quite light but it was very long so that it required quite a bit of dexterity. The pole then had to be put back in its tube before the trolleybus could proceed.</p>
<p>The most spectacular incident I saw (it may come back to me exactly where)was when a trolleybus came round a bend a bit too fast. Both its poles came off the wires, swung round and hit a tree by the roadside. It sat there with the poles bent and twisted waiting for London Transport's special recovery vehicle.</p>
<p>The motor buses were not so smooth. Some Sundays we we take the 29 bus which started from Turnpike Lane Station to visit my Uncle Sid who lived in Southgate. I always tried to sit up the front so I could watch the driver. These "RT" buses had a pre-selector gearbox. To change gear the driver would first select the gear he wanted with a small lever on the steering column, you would then see his left knee rise up and then he would stamp down on the pedal. The bus would then lurch slightly as it changed gear.</p>
<p>In 1959 the new Routemaster buses started being produced. They were soon put on the 41 route on which I used to go to school. They had a semi-automatic gearbox and were quite a bit smoother. They were produced to replace the trolleybuses and the 41 route was used for training the trolleybus drivers. One problem was that the drivers being trained were not too familiar with the route. On one occasion I was on a bus travelling up West Green Road to the junction with Green Lanes. At the junction the driver turned left and headed down Green Lanes towards the Queen's Head instead of turning right towards Turnpike Lane. There were immediately lots of shouts from the passengers (which the driver couldn't hear) and the bus was brought to a halt by the time-honoured method of the conductor rapping on the glass at the back of the cab with the "T" handled key he carried for opening the covers on the destination blinds. After a very awkward "U" turn in Green Lanes the bus regained its proper route!</p>
<p>Up to about the mid 1950s the conductor had a long wooden ticket rack with all the pre-printed tickets held in with spring clips. He would select one of appropriate value and use a bell-punch to make a hole on the edge at the appropriate fare stage. This system was replaced by a more flexible one by a rounded silver machine with a handle on the side. The conductor wore this rather like a hitched-up sporran (must be near Burn's Night!) and the machine printed tickets as required.</p>
<p>Trolleybus and buses were fine but the real excitement lay in the trams. On several occasions my father took me on a trolleybus to Manor House where we would change to a tram waiting on the other side of the junction. These were the last trams running in North London. The trams were much rougher and noisier than the buses but the great excitement lay in going steeply down into the tunnel at Holborn Kingsway. There were two stations on this underground section and the tram would emerge into daylight again under Waterloo Bridge. One memorable trip on this route was a family trip to the Festival of Britain in 1951. Here was plenty to excite a "technically-minded" six-year-old. Best remembered are The Guiness Clock and the various wonderous creations of Rowland Emett including the "Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Branch Railway".</p>
<p>Sadly the next year marked the end of the trams in London but I am grateful to have some memories of them.</p>
<p></p> Childhood Memories -2 - Shopping in Wood Green 1950stag:harringayonline.com,2015-01-22:844301:Topic:7188072015-01-22T16:00:03.074ZStephen Hollidayhttps://harringayonline.com/profile/StephenHolliday
<p>Wood Green High Road was our first choice for shopping. Walking from home on Green lanes you passed the Ritz Cinema - two different programmes every week each with the "B" film, Pearl & Dean advertising, Movietone News and the feature film (I was taken to see "The Dam Busters" several times in 1955 as my father had been in the RAF!)</p>
<p>Crossing the entrance to the bus station you came to Conways Furnishers and then Turnpike Lane Station. After crossing Westbury Avenue and Whymark…</p>
<p>Wood Green High Road was our first choice for shopping. Walking from home on Green lanes you passed the Ritz Cinema - two different programmes every week each with the "B" film, Pearl & Dean advertising, Movietone News and the feature film (I was taken to see "The Dam Busters" several times in 1955 as my father had been in the RAF!)</p>
<p>Crossing the entrance to the bus station you came to Conways Furnishers and then Turnpike Lane Station. After crossing Westbury Avenue and Whymark Avenue there on the right-hand side of the High Road were the three large stores - British Home Stores, Marks and Spencer and Woolworths (actually the original F.W.Woolworth). One source of entertainment was the antics of the "spivs" who illegaly sold things (possibly of doubtful origin) out of suitcases in front of the stores. They had a look-out hovering on the kerb who signalled the arrival of the patrolling policeman. The suitcases would then snapped shut and the spivs would quickly disappear into one of the stores only to re-appear again when the coast was clear. The day of reckoning came one day when the police came through the stores from the back entrances on Bury Road and several spivs were "nicked".</p>
<p>Further on down past the Wood Green Empire was Halford's who were then mostly a cycle and sports shop and further still the Co-op. This was a strange building in two parts joined by a long ramp. They still had the central cashier's desk set up high with overhead wires connecting it to each sales desk. The assistants would write out your purchases on a form which would be put into a cylindrical canister with your payment. This was put into the overhead system, a lever pulled and the canister sped quickly to the stern-faced cashier. A few minutes later the canister would be back with your receipt and any change.</p>
<p>Further along still the road curved to the right past Strakers the stationers and then you passed under the railway bridge at Noel Park & Wood Green Station. Sometimes high over the road a train would come in with a screech of brakes, you would hear the brake pump on the engine going "thump-thump-thump" then, with a slamming of doors, the train would start off again. Past the station there were more shops or you could cross the road to see what films were on at the Gaumont Cinema.</p>
<p>On this side of the road going back towards Turnpike Lane just after Alexandra Road was a shop selling cooked meats. We usually bought some Polony sausage (special treat!) which was sliced off from one hanging in the window.There were many more shops including J.Sainsbury who had two adjacent shops. Just before arriving at the Wellington was a toy shop (best shop in the road!) where my first train set was bought - an OO gauge Rovex.</p>
<p>Other names and shops come to mind although, after 60+ years I can't locate them - "David Grieg, Provisions Merchant", "Home & Colonial Stores", butchers with skinned rabbits, plucked chickens and the odd animal carcase hanging outside. Greengrocers where potatoes were tipped straight into your shopping bag with things like lettuces just having a sheet of newspaper wrapped round them. The price of everything was calculated and added up in the head (in £sd of course) as you were served. For example - three pounds of potatoes at ..., one cabbage, one pound of carrots at .., three parsnips and half a pound of tomatoes at .. that will be ... thank you! - no need for pocket calculators even if they had been invented!</p> Childhood Memories - 1 - Local Shops Early 1950stag:harringayonline.com,2015-01-20:844301:Topic:7185432015-01-20T13:00:38.674ZStephen Hollidayhttps://harringayonline.com/profile/StephenHolliday
<p>From 1945 (when I came into the world) to the mid 1970s I lived in the top-floor flat above the <a href="http://www.harringayonline.com/photo/george-brooks-bike-shop" rel="noopener" target="_blank">George Brooks (later Dave Davey) cycle shop</a> in Wordsworth Parade opposite the Queens Head Pub.</p>
<p>Our nearest shops were in West Green Road to the back of us. On the right-hand side of the road there was Mr.Draper the butcher (confusing!) who was always dressed appropriately in a straw…</p>
<p>From 1945 (when I came into the world) to the mid 1970s I lived in the top-floor flat above the <a href="http://www.harringayonline.com/photo/george-brooks-bike-shop" target="_blank" rel="noopener">George Brooks (later Dave Davey) cycle shop</a> in Wordsworth Parade opposite the Queens Head Pub.</p>
<p>Our nearest shops were in West Green Road to the back of us. On the right-hand side of the road there was Mr.Draper the butcher (confusing!) who was always dressed appropriately in a straw boater and a blooded apron. He had a reputation for resting his hand on the scales. On the corner of Harringay road was a pet shop where you could buy your cat some nice cooked horse meat from the large slab in the window!</p>
<p>On the other side of the road stood Robert Yalden "Oil and Colour Merchant". The right hand window by the door had a ladder of narrow shelves against the glass with rows of small dusty dishes containing highly coloured powders with labels such as "yellow ochre" and "ultramarine blue". On the pavement outside the shop were boxes with bottles of bleach, washing-soda crystals, large bars of soap and neat bundles of sticks for fire-lighting bound with iron wire that was twisted together with a neat loop at the end. Inside the shop on the bare-boarded floor were buckets and yet more boxes containing scrubbing brushes. Brasso metal polish and all the others essentials for maintaining a clean home. Smaller items were strewn on the counter with more shelves behind. Hanging from the ceiling were longer items such as brooms. There was plenty for the eyes to see but also much to delight the nose - dozens of various "scents" - paraffin, camphor (moth balls), etc - all mingled together.</p>
<p>A little farther down the road was the surgery of Dr. Shaw-Smith ("He's very good with babies you know!"). You entered the square waiting room from the street and sat down on one of the vacant chairs that lined the walls, making note of everyone already waiting so that you would not "jump-the queue". When it was time for the next patient the door at the back of the waiting room would open and the good Doctor would appear, large and quietly Scottish. You would be ushered into the surgery noticing his large desk and an impressive framed certificate on the wall above the couch proclaiming his medical credentials.</p>
<p>Shaw-Smith had a younger doctor (whose name escapes me) as assistant. There was a smaller door in the back right-hand corner of the waiting room with a sign above it "NEXT PATIENT".</p>
<p>When the bulb behind the sign lit up it was time to go through the door and down the corridor to the assistant's less impressive surgery. There was usually some confusion in the waiting room as to which doctor you were waiting for. Many preferred the older, more experienced doctor and if nobody responded to the "NEXT PATIENT" sign the assistant would come to the door to see if he could entice anyone.</p>
<p>After your consultation you went with your prescription, written in the scrawl only decipherable by pharmacists, a little way down the road to Mr. West the Chemist.<br/> Mr West's shop and pharmacy (it was always referrred to as "The Chemist") had the usual etched glass windows and inside were polished wooden cabinets with many small drawers and large elegantly-shaped bottles. If your medicine was liquid it came in a tall rectangular bottle with graduations for dosage moulded in the side. The bottles had a narrow round neck with a cork as a stopper.</p>
<p>It was quite usual for the locals to go in and ask for "A bottle of Dr. Shaw-Smiths medicine to save troubling the doctor". There was the brown medicine for coughs and the white medicine for stomachs.</p>
<p>Dr.Shaw-Smith died suddenly while still practicing sometime in the 1960s - he was a great loss to the community.</p>
<p></p> Roller Derbytag:harringayonline.com,2009-07-15:844301:Topic:1164902009-07-15T21:00:15.163ZROY BOWKERhttps://harringayonline.com/profile/ROYBOWKER
Hi, Anyone remember the Roller Derby at Harringay Arena I think in the 50's? I can vividly remember the guy that used to skate round combing his hair, an American of course.<br />
great times.<br />
Roy Bowker
Hi, Anyone remember the Roller Derby at Harringay Arena I think in the 50's? I can vividly remember the guy that used to skate round combing his hair, an American of course.<br />
great times.<br />
Roy Bowker I would like to see more sharing of memories of Harringaytag:harringayonline.com,2008-03-24:844301:Topic:327212008-03-24T08:54:04.450ZLizhttps://harringayonline.com/profile/Liz
Looking at Flower's picture of Beresford Road on VE day and Stephen H's pictures, it occurs to me that there must be lots of people on the site who have important memories of Harringay. A picture may be worth a thousand words but it is nice to read about who was in the picture, the atmosphere, how people felt...<br />
I have only been here 10 years and have seen many changes . We have site members who were here in the 40s/50s/60s etc and must have lots to tell us. I was wondering if they would like…
Looking at Flower's picture of Beresford Road on VE day and Stephen H's pictures, it occurs to me that there must be lots of people on the site who have important memories of Harringay. A picture may be worth a thousand words but it is nice to read about who was in the picture, the atmosphere, how people felt...<br />
I have only been here 10 years and have seen many changes . We have site members who were here in the 40s/50s/60s etc and must have lots to tell us. I was wondering if they would like to write up some of their personal memories, maybe in their blogs or in the history of Harringay group. This site could be a v important repository for collecting the modern history of this area. Seeking Former Pupils of North Harringay Schooltag:harringayonline.com,2008-03-19:844301:Topic:320782008-03-19T20:23:57.534ZAngelahttps://harringayonline.com/profile/Angela
Did you, your parents, grandparents or even friends or neighbours go to North Harringay School in Falkland Road?<br />
<br />
If so, the PSA would love to hear from you. The school is celebrating the re-installment of its old school bell next month and is organising an exhibition of the school's history as part of the event.<br />
<br />
If you have (or know anyone who has) any personal memories or photographs, it would be greatly appreciated.<br />
<br />
Thank you!
Did you, your parents, grandparents or even friends or neighbours go to North Harringay School in Falkland Road?<br />
<br />
If so, the PSA would love to hear from you. The school is celebrating the re-installment of its old school bell next month and is organising an exhibition of the school's history as part of the event.<br />
<br />
If you have (or know anyone who has) any personal memories or photographs, it would be greatly appreciated.<br />
<br />
Thank you!