Mopar Muscle Association UK

Bloody hell Pete you should write a book!
Great story mate

Cannonball wrote:That is pure magic apart from the cars and motorbusses it could be early 1960,s the coppers look the blinkin same etc what a shame so few off them buses remain what did it say 4,000 of them ??? the little old cars still looking busy, it really is a brilliant bit off filming it all looked very clean as well,
when did they start to get london clean then ?????

i would love to go back in time and live a few days back then,

what was it like don, pete wise/ pete walton /ivor,

Oi, I'm not that Bananarama! old matey!
I vaguely remember trolley buses in Muswell Hill when we moved back from Switzerland, we stayed there for a short time before moving out to Hertfordshire. I think they ran until around the mid 60's

Yep, I remember the trolley buses Don.

I lived at various places up and down the Harrow Road from Paddington to Willesden to Sudbury where they used to turn around and if the pole came off the overhead power cable, the conductor would nip off the back a pull a great long bamboo pole from under the bus to hook it back on again...they used to smell a bit like underground trains.

With Pete's reminiscences still ringing in my head, I couldn't help remembering that while Pete was down Petticoat Lane, I was with my old dad up at Covent Garden market before it closed of course... that brand new 15cwt Thames van of his would be loaded to roof with fruit and veg...all the porters swearing and taking the p*ss out of my winklepickers, great days!

my mum told me the same story about the bamboo poles Ivor, great stuff, she also told me her older brother used to nick the pole when the conductor weren't looking. And the faithful old 400e thames van, our local pet shop in Tring had one and then traded it in for a commer pb

Ivor wrote:Yep, I remember the trolley buses Don.

I lived at various places up and down the Harrow Road from Paddington to Willesden to Sudbury where they used to turn around and if the pole came off the overhead power cable, the conductor would nip off the back a pull a great long bamboo pole from under the bus to hook it back on again...they used to smell a bit like underground trains.

With Pete's reminiscences still ringing in my head, I couldn't help remembering that while Pete was down Petticoat Lane, I was with my old dad up at Covent Garden market before it closed of course... that brand new 15cwt Thames van of his would be loaded to roof with fruit and veg...all the porters swearing and taking the p*ss out of my winklepickers, great days!

Ivor its funny how life goes round ,,,I worked on the new Flower market at Nine Elms ,,and get this i built the piers at the entrance to the Market and in the piers we built commemorative bricks for Charles and Dianas wedding.....I am 55 in two weeks time and i miss them days more than ever....I was no angel ,my mum and dad decided to make me join the sea cadets in a vain attempt to keep me out of trouble.... They had a clubhouse at Tobacco Wharf,,long before the yuppies turned up there ....So we would sail about the Thames ,with the Captain Mugwash as he was known lea howing and ready abouting ....Anyway one day me and me mate Brynn decided to knick the boat and sail to Broxbourne,which is up the river Lea....The plan was formed and two other like minded sea dogs were recruited..... Anyways we chorred the said vessel and set sail .....Any sea fairers amongst you will see the floors in this plan,,,,we quickly started rowing ..we eat all the food in about 10 minutes but we pressed on and believe it or not made it as far as Stonebridge Lock,,, which is about the end of East london and just North london,,were the old bill were waiting ....they had strecthed a rope across the river.....After a 20 minute drive to Hackney police station the copper in charge started to lecture us ..."were was you going son "he said to me mate Brynn "Broxbourne "he replied "How long did you think it would take you ??"He asked "I don,t Bananarama! know i have never rowed there before"...See now that there was not a sensible answer and the copper gave him a dry slap round the ear..."And whats your story "he says looking at me"Same as him " i says, dry slap number two..I swear my left ear is still half inch bigger than the other...Anyways we get 8 weeks on the Isle of Sheppy....But and heres the but i found out were all the kids went from my school when there mums said they was of sick with the colic or ricketts ,,they was all on the Isle of Sheppy