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Benhilton, the Hilton 1904
Benhilton, the Hilton 1904 Ref: 51193
Memories of Benhilton, the Hilton
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 Forest Hill, Dartmouth Road c1965 (ref: F179007) |
Year: 1860s
H.l Daniel's Motorcycle Shop & Buckley's Bike Shop A memory of Forest Hill, Oxfordshire I lived in Forest Hill in the 1960's on a road off Dartmouth Road. Two shops on the road stand out in my memory. Probably in 1965 both were still trading. H.L. Daniel was a Norton works motorbike rider , probably in the 1930's and competed in the TT. Later he had a shop in Dartmouth road selling Nortons and there was always a big featherbed* twin and later the first Commando displayed in the window. He was an unlikely looking works motorcyclist, small, balding with pebble glasses and he wore a white coat while working in the shop. I had a motorized push-bike with a Trojan Minimotor, 50cc which drove the rear wheel with a roller. I bought it for £5 at Buckleys the nearby bike shop. Buckleys were a bike shop of the old school, at one time they assembled their own Buckley badged frames. On two occasions I needed to get the motorized push-bike MOT'd and for that I took it to H.L.Daniel. I have a lasting memory of a TT works rider, bald with white coat flapping riding my 50cc motorized push-bike along Dartmouth road during the test. I didn't realise how famous he was then, but I kept the two MOT certificates with his autograph... One of the shops might be visible on the right of the picture if you lighten it a bit, sadly I cannot get at it with Photoshop. *Bikerspeak for the Norton motorcycle frame which was so good it gave a comfy ride and superb handling, had one once, it was true. Posted: 25/06/2008 18:45 by Graham Chivrall |
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 Purley, High Street c1965 (ref: P121012) |
Year: 1950
Growing Up In Purley A memory of Purley On Thames, Berkshire When I lived in Purley, there weren't many stores. I can remember when Sainsbury's opened across from Purley Fountain. There was a toy shop in the High Street called Morgan's. I stole a whistle from there when I was not very old. I can remember it to this day. It was yellow plastic with one of those pea things in that made the whistling noice. I must have taken it home but I was soon on my way back to Morgan's to return the whistle and apologise for stealing it! We lived in Dale Road and there was a row of shops along the Godstone Road. A greengrocer's, Mr King's the grocers, Mr Nicholls newsagents, Mr Burrough's the tobacconist and a couple more than I can't remember. We were friendly with the Nicholls and went round there to watch the Coronation on their television. We did not have a television at the time. My Mom used to smoke and we often got sent round for 20 Churchman's No. 1. There was only one restaurant that I can remember. It was right beside the railway bridge. I don't know that I ever went there. People didn't eat out very much in those days. We called it Bobby Crittendon's. I don't know if that was it's actual name, but I guess it was run by Bobby Crittendon! There was the Astoria cinema in the High Street. That was a treat when we got to go there. I do remember there was a jeweller's in Russell Hill and my Dad used to have jewellery specially made for my mother. There was also a pet food shop in Russell Hill that sold horse meat that my Mom used to buy for the dog. We were never restricted in what we did or where we went. We used to go up to the woods in Northwood Avenue and hide in the hawthorn bushes, and build "camps" in the flattened grass and spy on people! I can remember once a whole crowd of us went to Grange Park and messed around in that canal type thing there and we all had to take our shirts off and run around to get them dry before we went on the bus back home again. Grange Park was quite a long way away. I think I was the oldest and I was probably around 12 at the time. We must have taken the bus because it was much too far to walk there. When I was in my teens, we moved to Meadow Hill. We moved from 18 Dale Road to 18 Meadow Hill. After that we had to catch the 234 up Foxley Lane and walk home. After I started work I often used to take a taxi home because I didn't like walking in the dark. When I went out in the evening I took the bus along to the bottom of Smitham Downs Road and I would walk up in the middle of the road because all the houses had big hedges and I was scared someone was going to jump out at me. They never did! Last edited: 18/03/2007 23:49 by Liz Williams |
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 Purley, Reedham Orphanage 1903 (ref: 49455) |
Year: 1952
Swimming At Reedham Orphanage A memory of Purley On Thames, Berkshire I went to Whyteleafe Grammar school. At the time it was an all girls grammar school. We used to go on a coach to swim at Reedham Orphanage. I didn't know how to swim and I can remember to this day, telling Miss Edwards, the phys ed. teacher who was very strict, that I had read in a book that if you put your shoulders under the water, you would be able to swim and I asked if this was true! She said why didn't I try it and see! I can't remember if it worked. All I can remember is that it was an indoor pool but it had leaves and stuff in the water and the water was not very warm. Posted: 18/03/2007 21:08 by Liz Williams |
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Year: 1947
Royal Family Travelling Through Reedham Train Station A memory of Purley On Thames, Berkshire I remember standing on the station platform to see the Royal Family pass through on the Royal Train. I have no recollection of where they were travelling to and I'm a bit hazy on the year. We all wore our best clothes and stood waving. The train slowed down as it passed through the station. Then about 3 or 4 days later we did the same on the other side. Myself and my two sisters, Janet and Eileen Hall were all at Reedham Orphanage. We were at Reedham from 1935 to about 1947/48. Posted: 18/07/2006 12:18 by Chris Wallis |
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 Harefield, the Village c1965 (ref: H428044) |
Year: 1955
My First Kiss A memory of Harefield, Middlesex When I was about nine I spent a year in Harefield Hospital. When I arrived I was put into isolation for two weeks. The treatment included a penicillin injection twice a day. After isolation I was moved into a double room, and then allowed out of bed for two hours a day. This progressed until I was allowed out of bed most of the time. The ward was laid out in a kind of half circle with the office in the middle of the curve. The boys were on the left and the girl to the right of the office. The dinning room come TV room was at the rear of the office. Pictures of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs hung on the walls. To the front of the ward was a grass area and beyond that a school house. These building were joined together with a wall and walk way. I assumed this was there to stop us getting out. I must admit I did think of running away, especially when the fair came to the village. You could see the fun fair light on the village green through the trees. There was so much fun going on just a few yards away and we were stuck in hospital. Like the prisoners on Alcatraz hearing and smelling the night life of San Francisco. The boys all wore hospital clothes, this was gray shirt and navy blue short trousers. The trousers were washed with so much starch that it was difficult to separate the legs when you put your feet in. There was a boy named Nicholas, I don't think I ever sore him out of a machine called an iron lung. He spent his life laying on his back viewing the world through a small mirror positioned above him. He drank liquid through a kind of tea pot. He was a difficult boy , but he had a right ti be. I became friends with another boy that taught me how to play chess. He also told me the universe went on for ever. I said it can't do it must stop somewhere. He said if so whats at the end of it? I don't know ,a brick wall maybe. He replied “what's behind the brick wall? Clever sod wasn't he. I was eventually moved to the big six. This room was for older boys, the eldest being fourteen. I was the youngest at nine. On the girls ward was also a big six and the boys started pairing up with the girls. This was the idea of the older boy I presume. We were not allowed on the girls ward and only met in the TV room. The problem was the girls were older than us. The eldest being sixteen, I was assigned Margaret a quiet plump eleven year old. We sat next to each other watching the television. When it was time for bed the older ones started to kiss good night. We stood up, She was taller than me. Margaret or me didn't want to do this, but we puckered up and moved in. My first thought was how soft and wet her lips felt, not like my mothers kiss at all. My next thought was, what's she in for I hope it's not catching. This was our first and last kiss as the pairing up thing seemed to fall apart after that night. But I will always remember Margaret. Although I lived in Harefield for a year the only part I saw was the Village Green through the trees if I looked over the wall. I do wish I'd climbed over and made a dash for freedom. Posted: 30/12/2008 14:10 by Barry Hawgood |
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