Chiswick Revisited

Harry and I are planning on moving away from London and hopefully joining Mike and Tricia Benge in New Milton, on the South Coast of England. I had been thinking for some time I would like to take some photos of Chiswick before I left, we currently live in Ealing, close by. I made it to Chiswick last Saturday, when I had lunch with Janet (Gray) McGovern and then spent some time taking some photos. I might add to these later if I get chance to go back to a different part.

Chiswick High Road

This Catholic church has been at the corner of Dukes Avenue and Chiswick High Road for ever and its distinctive red brick makes it a land mark.

Linda James (a good and close of Grace Gouldthorpe's) ran the florist shop in this parade of shops just down from the Catholic Church

In between Linda's shop and the Catholic church is the former location of Mylos, kids ice cream paradise. The Mylos name has been left in the ground outside Tanner's the shoe shop. In the 50s every child in Chiswick loved to stand just there as the ice cream lady scooped up soft ice cream and added flake to the cone before handing it to you. The next few moments were ice cream heaven as you savoured the wonderful creaminess of a unique brand made on the premises - all this was long before soft ice cream was fashionable or common.

Opposite Mylos was a well known and much loved department store in Chiswick - Goodbans, famous for its payment system which comprised a complex set of wires along the ceiling which routed canisters containing customer's money, and on their return a receipt. Watching these containers whizz around the store was the only thing that kept you entertained as a child while adults shopped.

Close by to the former Goodbans' site is Waitrose. This version of Waitrose is a new addition to the high road and has replaced Woolworths. There was formerly as Waitrose opposite Turnham Green, which closed when Sainsbury's opened behind it on the grounds of the Fromow nurseries. Waitrose has popped up again and is very popular. Brian and Marian Morris love it; they live a couple of streets away.

A few doors down from Linda's florist shop and Mylos and opposite Boots is the Barley Mow pub another Chiswick landmark.

The Barley Mow pub was where Frances, Grace and Martin and I met up for a small Chiswick County Girls Grammar School reunion. We sat in this courtyard on a warm sunny day I think in 2002 and met Christine nee Palmer who told us about Lesley (Nicholson) Vickers and thus began trail of a reunion within a reunion, because eventually as a result of talking with Christine, Grace and Lesley were able to find Lesley Vickers after many years.

A bit further down the High Road towards Sainsburys is Turnham Green Church - landmark No 3.

And this is Turnham Green (part 2) separted by a road yet opposite the church. In the far corner you can just make out the beginning of Wellesley Road.

Just round the corner from Turnham Green is Chiswick Road where Lesley (Nicholson) Vickers lived before moving to Isleworth.

Lesley lived in one of these flats. The blocks have been seriously rennovated since she lived there with her parents and brother Keith. I remember that when we were about 12 or 13 Lesley invited me for tea. We were in the same class and later became close friends and are still in touch today.

Chiswick Town Hall is also very close to Turham Green Church on the end of the Green.

Alwyn Avenue the road where Marian and Brian live, and in times past where Lilian Fromow, Joy and Frank Driscoll lived too. All these people were members of Gunnersbury Baptist Church for many, many years and where many Grangers worshipped too.

The next road down is Wavendon Avenue. As mentioned at the beginning we are planning on selling to move to New Milton. There are only two Wavendon Avenues in the country : one in Chiswick the other in New Milton. One of our abortive purchases was a house in Wavendon Avenue in New Milton - a quirky coincidence.

Just along from Wavendon Avenue is Barrowgate Road, this connection is much more relational. My husband Harry lived at No 33 in a flat-share with John White and Marian (Barrowclough) Morris also had a flat near to Harry and John. Tommy Cooper, the well-known British comedian and much loved Chiswickian, lived along here and I have never quite worked out if it was true that he lived the house formerly owned by Gonda Merwyn, who ran a ballet school on the premises, where I and several of my little friends learned to dance.

This is the flat where I lived, just off Sutton Court Road, from the age of sixteen and at the age of eighteen, I became a Christian here in this flat, the night I went to my room after a Grange meeting, and prayed the Jesus would come into my life.

Opposite our block was and is a school, I think it might be called St Thomas' Primary School. I have a feeling that my good friend Frances West attended this school as for a while she lived in Devonshire Gardens which is just the other side of the railway.

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