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There was a cottage hospital (1) (now called Field House), to the right of
which was a gravel path leading to houses occupied, I think, by service policemen and their families. Old’s (formerly Morrell’s) grocery shop (2) was to the right of this path, with a
public house “The Victory” (3) on the corner of Park Street. On the other corner of Park Street was a terrace of houses, a dairy called Cathery’s (4), (from which we collected our
milk in a jug) and on the corner of Elm Grove was Diment’s, the butcher’s (5). The slaughterman there would blow up a pig’s bladder for us to play with as a football. Then
came Dr. Quinnell’s surgery and house (6), World’s Stores (grocer’s) (7) was on the corner of Moreland Road, and our favourite sweet shop “The Gem” (8) was on the other
corner of Moreland Road. We used to save every week all through the year with a little club at this shop in order to buy special sweets at Christmas. Then came Hunt’s shoe repair shop
(9) with a shoe shop (10) owned by a Dutch couple who rode a tandem bicycle. Crossland’s chapel of rest (11) comes next, with St. John’s Church (12) and hall (13), with St. John’s
School (infants’(14), girls’ (15) and boys’ (16), showing the five classrooms marked “A”, “B”, “C”, “D” and “E” on the map).
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Daisy Hemming’s sweet shop (17) was next to the school, Reed’s
Chemist shop (18) was on the corner of Lees Lane, and another sweet shop (19) was round the corner in Lees Lane. Abraham’s (later Jeffery’s) furniture shop (20) was on the other corner
of Lees Lane and the Criterion Cinema (now Crown Bingo) (21) came next. We used to go to the children’s show on a Saturday morning for 2 ½ d. I think the next two shops (22 and 23) were
another sweet shop (later Ben’s) and draper’s (later Le Mettez) and Cooper’s butcher’s shop (24). Hezekiah Mason’s garage (25) was on the corner of The Crossways, our
Sunday School (26) which was run by Mr. Old and the Civil Service club (27). Then came two shops (28 and 29), a radio repair shop (30) which sold spare parts and charged accumulators,
Hammond’s sweet shop (31) and a row of cottages, with a short road leading to the rear of Vaux’s ironmonger’s shop (32) which had a timber yard at the back. Then came a small
house and then a public house “Queen Charlotte” (33) run by Mr. Luther, and a house called St. John’s Cottage (occupied by the Seldon family) which was later converted into two shops
(34) a greengrocer’s/grocer’s and (35) Stanton’s, a shop which sold faggots and peas and hot pies. Then came another public house called “The Stag” (36) which was run
by Mr. Kitchen, a row of houses, including that occupied by particular friends of ours, the Hillier family, (37) and at the entrance of St. John’s Square a house occupied by the Davis family
(38). At the rear of this house Mr. Diment (the butcher whose shop was opposite in Forton Road) kept his live animals before slaughtering them and Mr. Diment’s son Jack had his garage.
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At the other side of the entrance to St. John’s Square was Mr.
Miller’s house (40), at the back of which was the blacksmith’s Bob Buckett’s forge (41). He was tall, wore a leather apron, polished brown leggings and a flat, peaked cap.
As children, we spent a lot of time at his doorway watching him make horseshoes. Local contractors who used their horses and carts for delivering coal, bricks, etc., would bring their horses
wearing their polished brasses, coloured ribbons and harnesses, and this was a source of entertainment for us. There was a terrace of houses with long front gardens, in the middle of which was a
very popular baker’s shop, Marsh’s (42) and on the corner of Mill Lane was Reeve’s, another sweet shop (43). Just round the corner in Mill Lane was Chatfield’s (44), a
bicycle shop, where it was possible to rent a bicycle for 2d. a day. I ran errands for a neighbour whose husband was in the Royal Navy and when he was on commissions I was allowed to use his
bicycle as long as I looked after it, which I was only too pleased to do. In those days commissions could last 2- 2 ½ years. In Mill Lane, on the corner of Willow Place, was another sweet
shop called Cowdrey’s (45) which sold lovely toffee apples and toffee pokers. There was another public house called “The Dog and Gun” (46) on the corner of Cobden Street and
another grocer’s shop (47) in Cobden Street on the corner of Caroline Place.
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