Growing up in West London

Hi Lully. I grew up in Hounslow, and went to school in Isleworth, but probably a good bit before you, as I left school around 1956. I wasn't a music fan, but have been ' educated' by DH, and my learning continues to this day

Antieflo I lived a bit further out than Hounslow but went to school in Isleworth - left 1958 when I was18. Did you go to the girl's school or the co-ed one? I frequented Richmond quite a bit and the coffee bars etc and dancing at the Castle. Always went to Kensington or Oxford Street for clothes shopping - even when the shops closed at 12 on a Saturday. Never seemed so tiring then !

I was born in Isleworth Hospital but lived in Southall. Had a great childhood, and then went back to teach in Southall and Hounslow, both inspirational places to work.
Used to go to The Ealing Club, Eel Pie Island and of course the wonderful Southall Community Centre. Remember being astounded that the Community Centre was charging 9 shillings, yes 9 shillings, to see the Animals. Great times.

I too remember those heady wonderful days in the 1960s in Birmingham. I went to see the Beatles, Dusty Springfield and Bobby Vee in one show. Also Bill Haley at the Hippodrome. There were jazz clubs too where we saw Georgie Fame, Alan Price. A fab jazz style pianist who was married to the singer Katerina Valentie, oh yes his name had come to me now Roy Budd. Truly wonderful

The very first live artist I saw in a club was Big D Irwin who sang 'would you like to swing on a star'.

I would love to travel back in time and enjoy it all over again.

The Green School?

My sister was born in West Middlesex hospital in Isleworth in the mid forties. I too taught in Hounslow for a bit.

I went to Spring Grove - my next door neighbour went to the Green School and would have been about your year. My cousins went there too but we're a lot younger than me.

L'Auberge was one of the coffee bars and the Copper Kettle a nice little restaurant on the top of Richmond Hill. They did squashy meringues there if you asked them to put the cream in the middle early while you were eating your main course!

Happy Days!

I did some work at Spring Grove, but taught full time at Chatsworth.
You beat me to it by mentioning L'Auberge. They were happy days.

Yes, L'Auberge was very cool. I can see everyone sitting in the sun on the wall.

My brother went to Spring Grove Grammer in Isleworth and half way through it moved to Lampton. Born in the West Mid..We saw the Animals in the Zambezi Club in Hounslow. The supporting group was Steve Marriott's Moments!!!! ( later the Small Faces.One or 2 of them went to Spring Grove.)My Dad didn't want me to go, even though all my friends were going. Took a lot of persuading.

Yes, The Green School for me

Welcome fellow school pal. Will pm you soon, May know each other.

I remember the The Green School LullyDully as I went to school in Isleworth as well, the Catholic grammar school. Although as I lived near Staines, I had to catch the train to Twickenham and then the trolley bus to get there. Was the Spring Grove blazer blue?

I had one good friend who lived in Isleworth but my social life (such as it was then) didn't really include that area. I wasn't too disappointed when when my dad wouldn't let me go to Eel Pie Island, announcing it a "den of iniquity".
DH who went there at about the same time ( having read the same report in the Sunday paper,) said it wasn't.

I remember going dancing at the Castle in Richmond almost every Saturday at one stage. We used to go skating in Richmond as well.

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Eel Pie was wonderful. Just murky enough to feel rebellious but safe as houses. Had to pay a 6pence toll to a very old lady who sat by the bridge in a hut. May have been a shilling. Lots of dark corners which are good at 17.

They had a light show, all very low tech . A mirror, a magnifying projector and coloured water I should imagine. Very psychedelic. ( Not)

When I was there Spring Grove girls had blue blazers and skirts/ pinafore dresses and the original cream blouse was changed to a white shirt and a blue tie. We had the same blazer badge as the boys - the Middx badge in black and white. The hats were skull caps - all bought in Abernethie's on Hounslow High Street. We got our summer dress material from Trebles on the High Street but you needed a chitty thing signed by Miss Taylor to get any!

When I first came to London, aged just 19 from my Swiss mountains- I lived above the launderette in Isleworth- sharing with 5 nurses (1970)- used to love going to the London Apprentice at the week-end, and Chequers sometimes. Worked at Beecham's on the GW Road. Met OH who was working at West Mid- as I got on the wrong train coming back from an evening in London- in the carriages going to Twickers rather than Isleworth...

Later lived in Putney, opposite the Hospital for Incurables- and also in Roehampton. Just loved getting lost in Richmond Park or Wimbledon Common ... when I found London just too overwhelming...

Where to start? We lived in Southall till I was 10 and I remember my mother taking me to the Community Centre to see the Gondoliers. My grandmother lived in Isleworth and we used to see her evry weekend and go down to the London Apprentice or Syon House. When we moved to Acton I went to Chiswick County School. I remember we played a hockey match against the Green School - can't remember who won!

I wasn't supposed to go to Eel Pie Island dustyangel it was wonderful when I did! I went to Twickenham College and spent a lot of time in local folk clubs. Went to the Castle with my best friend and was trodden on by Paul Jones when The Animals played an early gig at The Attic in Hounslow.

Loved going up to the west end. I seemed to be able to roam round places like Leicester Square late at night quite safely. Not something I would do today! Went to The Marquee and The Flamingo. Kensington of course for Biba and Bus Stop and Earls Court for The Troubadour. Happy Days

Lovely shared memories welshwife Abanethies was where we bought our green blazers with the middx coat of arms on. Trebles, there for the striped green dress fabric . Can see them now.Brother at Spring Grove until about 1964.

Deeda, yes. The Zambezi became the Attic.

The coffee came in lovely white mugs at the Troubadour. We loved it there. I remember seeing Battleship Potempkin in the basement at the Vietnam Solidarity Film Society!!!!!!
Laura Ashley was in a tiny shop in SouthKensington. I bought a long purple dress with a high collar, pin tucks, leg of mutton sleeves and a bow at the back. I loved that dress.

I'm a Southallite, too. I went to the grammar school there. We used to go up to Oxford Street on the 232 or the 120 bus on Saturdays at quite a young age. C&A at Marble Arch was a favourite shop. Sometimes we'd buy a dress there, take up the hem, wear it out that night, then return it the following week having turned the hem down again. Naughty! We went to Southall Community Centre for the bands and the dancing, Eel Pie Island and the Castle at Richmond. We also went skating at Richmond rink. Ealing Town Hall was another favourite on Saturday nights, after which we'd go 'up west' to a coffee bar although this exceeded my curfew so could not happen too often. I saw Heinz (the bloke, not the beans!) and his band - was it the Telstars? - at Greenford Granada.

Any one remember Martin Fords shops for really cheap clothes? I had a denim mini that I bought for about 15 shillings and wore till it fell apart.

Yes! deeda middle of Hounslow High Street, had many a hood shuffle through their rails! and Edmonds in the middle of the high street - was it that shop or the cinema which closed and became Waitrose? That Waitrose was one of the first supermarkets. They had the loveliest chap there who collected the baskets and entertained the babies left in their prams lined up inside the door while their mums did their shopping.. He knew all the babies and if any of them got distressed he went and found their mother!

Wow Hounslow High Street. Not what it was I fear. We used to meet in the Golden Egg after school and go to the bowl at the top of town near the Bell. Also there was a swimming baths at Treaty Road.

We used to go to swimming lessons at the baths in Treaty road . I think they knocked them down and built the new Civic Centre there.
When you think about it we were well served for cinemas too - the Regal at the Bell and Dominion near the bus garage (saw Charlton Heston in the Ten Commandments there!) and one in the middle and also an Odeon at Hounslow West opposite the tube station.

The June of O levels, if there were a few of us with no exams that day, we were allowed to go the Isleworth pool which was just down the road. I remember it as very large and modern but I expect it's shrunk like everything else. We felt very daring if we sneaked off home early.
Not long after I started work I bought a two piece outfit in Martin Fords, black and white houndstooth check with a very short pencil skirt and blouson jacket. I thought I looked wonderful and wore it to a wedding.

This thread has made me wish I'd got to Eel Pie Island.

I remember the area well. I was born in Teddington and moved to Hanworth, where I lived until we moved to Wiltshire. I went to Twickenham County School and was lucky enough to have been around when Eel Pie Island was popular, as well as the Crawdaddy Club and Ricky Tick. We used to watch the Rolling Stones (in fact, I had a date one night with Keef!!!), The Others (I used to run their fan club), The Yardbirds, Brian Auger Trinity ( Long John Baldry, Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger) to name but a few. My sister used to go to Eel Pie Island before me, when you had to wave to a ferryman in a boat to take you over!

Oh, I'm off on a trip down memory lane now! We had swimming lessons at Twickenham open air baths and had to get in the water if the temperature was over 49 degrees! The Odeon cinema at the junction - my dad used to play the Wurlitzer organ for Saturday morning pictures. The Cave cafe, where we used to hang out with the rockers. Chertsey Road, Hanworth, where the rockers used to race up and down on their motorbikes from the Hope and Anchor car park.

Stop me, someone!!!