I was born at Peckham, London, and from 1929 to 1935 I lived
in one of 150 City of London-Police flats at Ferndale Court,
Stockwell, near Brixton, London, with my mother and father,
who was a City of London Policeman stationed at Bishopsgate
in the City. The flats were built around two asphalt squares,
ideal for children’s games, which we played in season.
IN
WINTER
Hopscotch
The
black asphalt was easy to draw on with white chalk. A rectangle
was divided into squares, numbered, usually, from 1 to 10. A
stone was thrown into the squares in number order and the game
was to hop on one leg, pick up the stone and return to ‘base’,
without using both feet on the ground. The first player to reach
number 10 and back safely was the winner. Another game was to
draw a long zigzag with chalks and hop from end to end, and
back, picking up the stone as before. Any number of players
could join the game.
Balls
up Walls
Various verses were recited as the balls were bounced up the
walls. Perhaps you can remember some of the rhymes? I cannot
remember any. Sometimes two balls were used. Sometimes the balls
were bounced on the ground, between the legs, on to the wall
and then caught. Any number of players could take part - sometimes
we picked teams to play against each other.
Skipping
For skipping alone the rope had two wooden handles which made
the rope easier to hold. For skipping in teams a longer rope
was needed, without wooden handles, usually knotted at each
end to prevent the rope fraying. "Salt, Mustard, Vinegar,
Pepper" was popular, the rope turning getting faster and
faster until all the ‘Skippers’ became entangled in the rope
- or ran out of breath! "Bumps" was enjoyed by the
"clever show-offs" who could jump high whilst the
rope was turned twice between each jump. I was not good enough
to do that!
Whips
and Tops
You
could buy a whip and top set at the nearby sweet/toy shop, but
a lot of children had a home-made whip, made by Dad from a stout
stick and an old leather boot-lace. There were two different
kinds of tops. One was a sturdy round wooden one with ridges
cut into its sides into which the ‘whip’ could be wound. My
favorite kind was thinner at the bottom and wider at the top
- like a button mushroom and the ‘whip’ was wound tightly round
the lower part. Both kinds of tops had a metal cap at the bottom
to help the ‘spin’. The game was to try to whip ones top right
round one of the squares without it stopping spinning. I was
good at this and perfected the art of throwing my spinning top
long distances, running after it quickly to whip it again before
it stopped spinning and fell over.
Dolls
and Prams
Girls
up to about twelve years old played with dolls and prams in
the 1930s. I had a baby-sized doll clothed in real baby clothes
- knitted bonnet, coat, leggings and gloves. Underneath my ‘baby’
wore a blue smocked dress, white lace-trimmed petticoat, white
‘drawers’ and white knitted woolen vest. I had a white shawl
for carrying ‘baby’. In my toffee coloured pram I had a mattress
and small pillow with frilled-edged cover, and a floral covered
feather eiderdown or coverlet. There were three re-movable boards
in the bottom of the pram (like the real baby’s prams) which
could be removed after the doll and bedding had been taken out,
so I could give small children a ride round the Court. I enjoyed
doing that.
IN
SUMMER
Five Stones
I
bought my five stones at the local sweet/toy shop. They were
square with four ridged sides and a smooth surface top and bottom,
and were made of what we called “pot” - a hard material similar
to that used to make the “stone” hot water bottles. Each five-stone
was in a different colour - mine were red, blue, green, yellow
and white. The five stones were balanced on the back of the
hand and thrown up. They were left where they fell, one being
thrown up and another snatched up making two in the hand. Then
two thrown up and another snatched up and so on. The object
was to throw four up, catch them in mid-air after snatching
up the last remaining stone from the pavement. Easier said than
done!
Marbles
I
seldom played this game but I ‘collected’ pretty and unusually
marked glass marbles, both small and large. Having had two sons
I now have a huge tin full of marbles of all sizes and hues.
I think the idea was to throw your marble and hit a marble belonging
to your opponent, which then became yours. Maybe that was not
the way it was played? Can you remember?
Flicking
Fag-Cards
This game I did enjoy and I was good at it and my pile of ‘winnings’
grew. A card or cards were set up to start the game. Then the
idea was to flick ones own cigarette card so it fell on one
of the opponent’s cards, which was then ‘won’. If ones card
did not cover another card it was left on the pavement for the
opponent to try to win. Some cards were more popular than others
so if a set was being collected a certain amount of bartering
went on after the card had been on - say “two of yours for that
one of mine”. Some players struck a hard bargain!
Tin
Can Copper
This
game was very popular in the flats because there were a lot
of entries and corners in which to hide. An old can was placed
on the ground and someone was chosen to be “it” by dipping,
reciting a rhyme and pointing to each player in turn. Can anyone
remember a ‘dipping’ rhyme? I remember “Eenie, Meenie, Myney,
Mo” etc. and , “Ip, dip, Allabadar!.”, etc. The person who was
“it” covered the eyes and counted to 100 while the other players
hid - but not too far away from the tin. The idea was to creep
nearer and nearer, unseen by “it” to grab up the tin and whack
it on the ground three times, shouting “Tin Can Copper”, before
being touched by “it”. If touched, you became the next “it”.
Handstands
I was no good at this because if I turned upside-down I had
a nose bleed - and my mother forbade me to do it. Handstands
were almost always done, up the wall, by girls. They put their
hands on the ground, about a foot away from the wall, then kicked
their legs backwards and upwards so their heads were near the
ground and their feet vertically up the wall, toes pointing
upwards. The idea was to see who could remain in that position
the longest. My mother did not approve at all. “Disgusting”,
she said, “Showing all their knickers with all those boys around”.
But I never heard any of the boys complaining.
Cricket
The
cricket games in the squares of Ferndale Court had rather different
rules from normal cricket games. Any number of children (boys
and girls) could play. Not everyone was allowed to bat and field.
The chosen team captains chose players carefully, balancing
good batters and fielders. I could not hit ‘for toffee’ but
I could catch, so I was always chosen to play, until one disastrous
day. I was batting and the ball being used was rather a hard
one which put me off. I swiped wildly and up the ball soared,
behind me, and straight through one of the bedroom windows of
the flats behind me! Off I went to knock on the door of the
flat to apologize. “You will pay”, said the policeman’s wife
- which of course I expected. Then off I went to report my accident
to the Steward who accompanied me home to get the 3s 6d. (Three
shillings and sixpence) to pay for the new pane of glass to
be fitted. It took a time to get the money out of my red money-box,
using a knife. When father came home he banned me from playing
cricket ever again, so my cricketing days came to an abrupt
end.
Tiddler
Fishing
I
have included this last occupation because it was a bit unusual,
although it was not strictly a game. I was an only child and
I used to look after several babies and small children in the
flats. I often had a few coppers payment from busy mothers who
were glad to know that the tinies were being safely amused and
occupied while they got on with the housework. During the long
summer holidays from school some of the older brothers and sisters
joined me for outings to Brockwell Park or Clapham Common -
a long walk, but it was nice to lay on or play on the large
expanses of grass in those areas. Sometimes I took six or seven
of the older ones with me to Clapham Common to go catching ‘tiddlers’
in the pond there. Before we went the children brought pound-size
jam jars for me to fix string handles on so the tiddlers could
be carried home in some pond water. Then off we went with nets
and jars - a few biscuits and a bottle of lemonade for a picnic
carried in an old shopping bag for our ‘tea’ - to spend all
afternoon fishing. The girls tucked their dresses into their
elastic knicker-legs and the boys rolled the legs of their trousers
up. Both boys and girls removed shoes and socks and waded in.
I had an old towel for drying feet afterwards. we came home,
tired and happy and the fish were shared out equally so everyone
was satisfied.
WHEN
TRADESMEN DELIVERED
Memories
of street tradesmen who delivered goods to Corrance Road, Brixton
in the 1920’s.
COALMAN
We
could hear him shouting “COAL” as he entered the street, and
the slow “clip-clop” of the iron-shod feet of his huge heavy
horse. Prices were chalked on a board above the black sacks
of coal. The coalman had his “regulars” who bought the same
number of bags each week, but my Mum had to go outside and stand
by the gate to shout at him if she wanted to buy. Some houses
had a round iron manhole cover in the front path, which was
lifted so the coal could be shot down into the cellar. Otherwise
the coalman had to walk through the house with the sack on his
back, leaking coal-dust as he went. Coalmen wore thick canvas
hoods on their heads, with a flap hanging down their backs,
to make sack carrying less painful. Coal was sold by the hundredweight.
MILKMAN
The
milk was carried on a cart, either horse-drawn or pushed by
the milkman. United Dairies had an orange and white cart and
uniform. Express Dairies had a blue and white cart and uniform.
As I remember them, all milkmen were jolly, cheerful men who
bustled about and whistled all the latest tunes.
CATS
MEAT MAN
He could be heard shouting “Me-Me” before he could be seen,
followed by a trail of cats of all shapes and sizes, which mewed
loudly in anticipation of any small scraps of meat which might
fall from his basket. The horse-meat had been cut into little
squares which were threaded “washer-fashion” on to scraps of
wooden skewers - as I remember, five pieces on a skewer for
one penny. (Hence “A penorth of cat’s meat”). The loaded skewers
were pushed through the letter-boxes along the street. It was
up to the pet-owner to try to get to the door before the cat
- or dog! I was told that cat’s meat was “not nice”. When I
was left in charge to nip down and collect the meat from the
front door mat and give one piece to our cat, Tibby, I ate half
the square and gave Tibby half. But I gave the game away the
next time I was told that cat’s meat was not nice - I said,
“I tried some and it wasn’t nasty”. Then the warning was amended
to “cat’s meat is not safe for little girls to eat”.
RAG
AND BONE MAN
He appeared from time to time, his hand-cart rustling with many
paper windmills which whirled round in the breeze. Goldfish
swam in jam jars, or in a bigger tank to be fished out with
a little net when needed. Many were the arguments that an old
coat or blanket was really worth a goldfish when only a windmill
had been offered. Good stuff might bring a small cash payment,
as also would a collection of clean jam jars.
MUFFIN
MAN
He carried a large brass bell which he clanged as he walked
along shouting “Muffins”. He carried the muffins on a wooden
tray covered by a cloth, on his head supported by his other
hand. I think he only came once a week.
SHRIMP
AND WINKLE MAN
He was a noisy man, pushing his fishy-smelling barrow along
the middle of the road at tea-time. Either a pint or half-pint
measure of shrimps and winkles could be bought. His shout of
“Shrimps and Wink-er-alls” brought housewives out with bowls
or basins to buy the fresh fishy delicacies to eat with new
crusty bread for tea. Sometimes he came round on a Sunday, which
displeased my Baptist Mum who said how dreadful it was to hear
him trying to sell his wares on the Lord’s Day. She would not,
of course, buy any on that day.
Dora
Tack 1994
These
marvelous memories were collected by the late Ken Dixon. Unfortunately,
they were collected too late to be included in his book Brixton
Memories. Rather than leave them unpublished, the Society
has decided to publish them in its 'BRIXTON abridged'
series.
Copies of Brixton Memories (52 pages, A4, with 16 illustrations)
may be obtained from the Society for £4.99 plus 50p postage.
BRIXTON abridged:
an occasional series of short pieces published by the Brixton
Society
Number: 1/96 price:
30p ISBN: 1 873052 08 1
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