Eastcote Lane - Roxeth Manor School

Philippa Blacker

Dear Syd,
Thanks for your message, glad to give you my memories of Eastcote Lane it's still in my dreams. I was born in 1948 at 2.15, virtually opposite Roxeth Manor school, in the house that my father bought for £160 as the owners went abroad to avoid the war. I spent the first 10 years of my life looking through a spotted net curtain onto Eastcote Lane. The big hedge over the front wall precluded the nearside pavement but I had an excellent view of the opposite side of the road.
In front of me was the interesting movement up & down the pavement, a derelict field full of roaming packs of skinny dogs & the ominous bulk of a gasometer as a backdrop.
To my right was Roxeth Manor & to the left the bus stop, this was positioned in front of a dingy cafe inhabited by a rough crowd playing pin ball; worth braving entry though as they sold blue spearmint ice-lollies for a pennyha'penny
On my side of the road to my left was a short walk to the doctor’s surgery, the American base, & the gipsy encampment. One of the Americans lodged with our neighbour & cheerily threw chewing gum over the fence to us, he was noticeably more easygoing than the grown ups I knew, my sister spent many forbidden hours talking to the gypsies, one of whom later became a celebrity, so my sister was right when she found her so charismatic.
A good walk to my right took us to St Paul's church where we walked dressed in white, gloves & shoes too!
The Vicar went my way & we often walked together, he was a good listener. My sister took the Sunday school we spent ages making models for the story, & I remember the lovely big picture stamps we were given portraying that weeks story.
Further on was the park, with passage to South Harrow, containing the strange American Swing, given by the Base; this always occupied by large boys going too high who climbed the pylons when bored with terrorising the small kids.
In the 'Lane' I watched RED, Red was the milkman's horse, big, red , cross & magnificent & I loved him, his driver was as bad tempered as he was & only stopped muttering when Red was given his nosebag outside the Tithe Farm pub. An eerie and echoing cry was heard periodically starting far away, RagBone! & the ratty old pony & cart of the rag & bone man would shuffle to the bus stop I would be sent with a coat & told not to return without ten bob, since the intimidating tinker would never pay ten bob this was a daunting task. The French onion seller called door to door once a year & the knife grinder wish they still called today. All the kids ran out to the Tizer man who sold large bottles from his lorry, the fun sort with ball & wire tops & you got money back on the bottles.
Our back gardens were still full of fruit & vegetables since the war days & Sandra Goddard had chickens, so eggs fruit & veg were handed to neighbours, I remember my Mother still using coupons to buy food in the parade of shops opposite our house, we had a small Hovis loaf as a treat once a week & very occasionally if someone was coming to tea a trip to Pinner meant a lovely cake from Elizabeth's cake shop., & a peep into Peter's pet shop for me.
When I was 4years old I went to Roxeth Manor School, I had bussed previously into Harrow to St. Kevin's kindergarten, so I was inordinately happy to just cross the road to go to school. I made some good friends, some of whom I have been in contact with just this year, after all these years. It was really important at 4 to have a dolls house & wallpaper with fairies on, I didn't but the others were happy to share. I remember milk at playtime, cocoa when very cold and some good teachers, especially our last one (a lady with a Morris Minor car) A song about orange trees & Island breezes, odd snatches.
Curiously, just reading this I did get a Victorian dolls house and a Morris Minor many years later.
The teaching methods were chanting & by rote, stupidly dismissed nowadays, but I cannot thank Roxeth Manor enough for a good solid grounding in basics I use without thinking everyday & which I passed on to my children when their teachers refused to teach the old methods.
The only outing I recall was when I went to the Lord Mayor's tea party, Robert Leutchford & I were chosen to go, my Mother was ecstatic, Robert & I knew we were only chosen as we were the only pupils to wear school uniform.
It was a memorable day though, the bus ride with Robert, us against the other school's couples and the enchanting scene that met us when we arrived. Tables laid for tea in a beautiful garden with hedges & gate in the distance, quite Alice in Wonderland & one of the happiest memories of my childhood.
I left Roxeth Manor just before taking my 11 plus as my Mother was killed in a road accident & I returned only once at the end of that year to say Goodbye to my school friends, after that I returned only once more to Eastcote Lane, just a few years ago to find a building on the field, very heavy traffic and NO Hedge at my old house- I bet the dust & rubbish blow into the front garden!!
All the Best to those of you who now live in Eastcote Lane, this is the place of my childhood memories and I love it still.
Philippa Blacker (nee Baylis.)

Phillia Blacker