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Memories of the 1940/50s

Earning my pocket money

I lived at Robertson Road, in the late forties to early fifties.We lived next door to the dog’s home and my parents were friendly with the vet and his wife, a Mr and Mrs Gardener. I used to do a paper round for Mr Boswood across the road from me. I also in the mornings, used to fill an old barrow up with papers, and take them up to Preston Park Station to sell. We had a trestle table that was kept in a room up on the station and I used to set it up outside the entrance at the top of Clermont Road. The commuters used to come running up the road as the train was coming in and just throw their money on the table, grab a paper and not wait for their change, I made a lot of pocket money doing that.

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Robertson Road: PDSA on the right

Robertson Road

Sledging down The Drove

In the winter if we had any snow, we used take our sledges up to the top of The Drove, or ‘Black Hill’ as we called it, and come zooming down and under the arch in South Road. You certainly could not do it these days. I remember doing my mum’s shopping at White and Wilsons grocer’s shop and Terry Turnbull’s butcher’s shop. I also remember ‘Soft Water Laundries’; they had a chute for the baskets to slide down. Of course that was just too much temptation so we boys used to slide down there for fun.

Andy Grant wrote a piece about the dogs’ home for some while ago, which can be found here

Do you remember?

Did you live in Robertson Road?  Do you remember the ‘dogs’ home’ now the PDSA? What other shops do you remember? If you can share your memories with us, please leave a comment below.

Comments about this page

  • I didnt live in Robertson Rd but I did live in Hampstead Rd up until the time I was about 15 years old, and I worked as a paperboy at Boswoods Newsagents opposite the dogs home on the corner of Black Hill. At that time the shop was owned by old Mr Boswood but run by his son Dave and wife Betty. God how the time has flown, I am now 74.

    By Tony Duke (23/02/2014)
  • As an addition to my previous post, at the top of Robertson Road was a very small general store run by a Mrs Smith and I think on the corner of Scarborough Road was a greengrocer.

    By Tony Duke (24/02/2014)
  • Yes, great memories. I did a paper round too for Boswoods – up Millers Road – Tivoli Crescent – can’t remember all the roads – across Dyke Road into Hove.
    What else? We lived in Scarborough Road, my mum did her grocery shopping at White and Wilson across the road from us. There was a general shop called Balls – which us lads made dirty remarks about!. A man who did haircutting from his front room at a house just above Boswoods. A butcher on the corner of Kingsley Road – and of course the laundry – can’t remember the name.
    I left to join the RAF in 1951- as a pilot, much to the surprise of my pals.

    By Bavid Blackford (14/06/2014)
  • I’m working on a Hampstead Road house history and would love to hear from anyone who can remember living in or near this road in the early to mid 20th century.

    By Jules Davis (15/09/2014)
  • I lived in Scarborough Road from 1930 to 1950. I did a paper round for old Mr Boswood. I have fond memories of my time during those years.

    By Roy Tullett (12/07/2015)
  • Many years ago I interviewed an elderly gentleman who worked most of his life for White & Wilson, which was a very superior grocers. His name was ‘Mr Port’ and however much I tried to obtain his first name for the references I would need, he refused to give it! After a very long, and not easy, interview I left and returned home and played the tape back (it was that long ago!). The tape was concealed within the cover and then I realised the recorder had not been turned on correctly! I was too cowardly to contact him for a second interview! However I do remember that he delivered groceries in a small van in the 1950s to the then new housing around Queen Victoria Avenue and Woodland Drive.

    By Geoffrey Mead (14/07/2015)
  • Mr Dave Boswood is my dad. I don’t expect anyone has got photo of his shop? He is 90 now and still going strong but just a shame he has dementia now 

    By Lisa Boxwood Watson (24/10/2016)
  • My grandmother lived at 19, Kingsley Road back in the ’40s to ’80s. I’m trying to remember a little boy I used to play with who lived opposite further down road. He apparently died and his father was David an actor. I was never told he’d died when he was young; I am now 50.

    By Kim Reynolds (11/01/2018)
  • I remember a boy in the 70s, father called David an actor. Lived in Kingsley Road?

    By Kim Reynolds (13/04/2018)
  • I worked part time in White and Wilson’s in the early 70s making up and boxing orders for delivery. They bought in bulk and everything had to be weighed and wrapped loose individually. One of the employees was an old boy who had worked for Fortnum and Masons – he was wonderful and taught me how to wrap any sort of order. – desiccated coconut, rice, glacé cherries, coffee etc. The Wilsons were lovely people and one of the sons took over the business sometime later.
    Good times and really the last of an old way of providing groceries.

    By Mick Wright (27/03/2020)
  • I worked for Mr Wilson of White & Wilson (high class) grocers in Robertson Road from 1968 to 1970 and whilst a small company working there was a brilliant experience, the real foundations of grocery retail. We delivered to the upper class of the Dyke Road
    Avenue and surrounding areas.
    Mr Port (mentioned earlier) and Mr Shaw were the roundsman who visited homes to collect orders, and Maud who took orders over the phone supplied the backbone of the home delivery service.
    I loved working late with a great team in the run up to Christmas with coffee breaks including large chunks of Canadian cheddar with high bake biscuits.
    The Wilsons were decent and fair and my memories are all good. My time there laid a fabulous foundation for a career in retailing.

    By Brian Pond (17/02/2021)
  • Lisa Boswood Watson, David Boswood was my grandad but I haven’t seen him since I was a young child, about 5, so 30 odd years ago. I have a wonderful photo of the Boswood corner shop on Robertson road from the 1930s if you want a copy? I’ll keep an eye on this site if you, or anyone else would like a copy.

    By Jake Boswood (04/04/2021)
  • Jake, I’d love the photo If you’ve got it!
    I don’t want to put my email address online, but if you have a look for me on facebook, I should pop up and we could have a little chat!

    Shane.

    By Shane Boswood (16/05/2021)
  • My mother was widowed in 1942 & consequently needed to find day care for my brother Peter & me. She found Elsie Lilywhite at 24, Scarborough Road. She also got a job in Horley which required her to take the train from Preston Park station. So daily she would walk us to Scarborough Road, often with laundry to drop off further up Robertson Road. So that area became my ‘neighbourhood’ over many years. At age 11 in 1949 we stopped going to the Lilywhites for care, but continued to visit Boswoods & meet friends at the Claremont Church youth club. Inevitably I started a Newspaper Round from Boswoods, which itself was the hub of our activities where we would meet after school. I too delivered papers up Millers Road as far as Tivoli Crescent; one of the chores was to collect money from each customer on a Sunday morning.
    Names? Tony Grey (or Watts) was the ringleader of our gang, I remember Brian Blackford from Scarborough road and Ronald Jones from Robertson Road, Brian Cox from Kingsley Road. Tony joined the Merchant Navy. Mr.Wady lived with his wife & children Bob and Ann further up Black Hill. Seeing me in my Scout’s uniform led to Mr.Wady becoming Scoutmaster of the 10th Brighton Scout troop.
    I’m now 83 &
    have lived in Canada since 1962, but memories of those years don’t fade easily.

    By Colin Young (09/03/2022)
  • Jake Boswood, would you contact me, I would love a copy of the photo you have but there are other things I would love to chat about regarding that era and area!
    I will let you have my personal contact details once you have replied to me on here.
    Many Thanks,
    Tony.

    By Tony West (05/02/2023)

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