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LIVING IN CLYDE ROAD 1950s - SUSAN ROWE (nee BRAY) |
My family lived in Clyde Rd for a short time, moving there not long after my dad left the RAF in 1949 when I was a few months old. My brother was nearly four. We took over the newsagents/tobacconists shop at 45 Clyde Road, living above it. From Stan Woods valuable Memories of Clyde Road it seems we had as neighbouring shops a small Fruiterers on one side and a Fried Fish shop on the other. My mother - Joan Bray - is passed away now, but well into her 80s she laughed about the smell of fish wafting up to our flat, and shared pleasant memories of going dancing with one of the neighbours, a Jewish lady. They used to go to the Tottenham Royal, where Mum was once awarded First Prize in a Best Hat competition. | |
PARADE OF SHOPS IN CLYDE
ROAD WHERE BRAYS NEWSAGENTS ONCE STOOD AWAITING DEMOLITION 1980s |
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Thomas & Joan Bray are listed on the 1951 Electoral Roll as living at 45 Clyde Rd, and so are Thomas and Peggy Neal. This is very interesting to me as I recall an Auntie Peggy from my earliest years. The husband of Auntie Peggy was Uncle Geordie, so named due to his strong Geordie accent. Perhaps they were Thomas and Peggy Neal, I dont know. |
TYPICAL NEWSAGENTS
SHOP FRONT FROM THE 1950s |
I do know that
aspects of our stay in Tottenham were apparently difficult for Mum, the transition from
RAF married quarters in Norfolk hard to cope with, perhaps. At any rate, she ended up
sticking her head in the gas oven, but was luckily rescued and taken to hospital. This
must have been in 1952 or 1953, because I recall having to stay with my grandparents in
Norfolk who I didnt really know. (They had a horse in their back garden which I
wasnt allowed near, sadly!) I think my brother might have been away at boarding
school when this occurred. He started when he was five.
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EXTRACT FROM 1894 MAP SHOWING CLYDE ROAD -
TOTTENHAM (Position of Red Arrow is the approx location of the shop) |
Unfortunately there are no family photos of our Clyde Rd era - or not that I have come across as yet - but I revisited Tottenham not long ago, living on Bruce Grove for a time. While there I busied myself mapping the old All Hallows church gravesite, which led me to find out about the lives of Tottenham folk from all walks of life, from the late 1700s and on through the Great War. There was clearly a very strong community spirit with the churches, as used to be the case, at the heart. |
While the passing
years have brought about many changes, for good and bad, it was lovely, living once again
in Tottenham, to discover that there is still today a resilient and caring community
determined to preserve and celebrate the areas rich history, not only of buildings,
but people. It seems to me that sharing memories, and making sure that we dont
forget, is like forming a baton to pass on into the future, in light of which I would like
to thank Alan Swain for this Summerhill Rd website, which is so delightful to look
through, and also to thank the many contributors, and all those who take an interest. You
can always trust the ancients for a good quote, and I cant resist this one of
Ciceros to sum up: To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history? Marcus Tullius Cicero 106BC-43BC |
Article by Sue Rowe November 2017
Background Image - Selection of 1950's Comics<