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California name debate

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1 minute ago, iris123 said:

Is it similar to where Plough Lane was ?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summerstown,_London

You don't really get many mentions of Summerstown as a place,just a road Well not from my memory

Yeah, there were so many areas like that. Beddington Corner, Benhilton, Summerstown, and a bunch of others.

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11 minutes ago, chunky said:

Okay. I played in a lot of pubs in the whole area, and actually played for The Eagle (Reeves Corner) and The Fisherman's Arms (Windmill Rd). Of course, both are gone now...

I went to school in Wallington (Croydon Rd).

I think the eagle was a dodgy eastern european gym the last time i went past there.  Don't go to that side much tho.  Never even heard of the other place..  perhaps before my time.

4 minutes ago, iris123 said:

Is it similar to where Plough Lane was ?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summerstown,_London

You don't really get many mentions of Summerstown as a place,just a road Well not from my memory

I went on a date with a girl when i first moved to london who claimed she claimed lived in Lonesome a little cute enclave in south london.. turned out to be Mitcham Streatham borders and frankly a bit of a dive.  Never heard anyone call it that before or since...

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26 minutes ago, The Doctor... said:

I think the eagle was a dodgy eastern european gym the last time i went past there.  Don't go to that side much tho.  Never even heard of the other place..  perhaps before my time.

I went on a date with a girl when i first moved to london who claimed she claimed lived in Lonesome a little cute enclave in south london.. turned out to be Mitcham Streatham borders and frankly a bit of a dive.  Never heard anyone call it that before or since...

Last time I looked, I think The Eagle was a community centre. You familiar with the story of Derek Bentley, who was executed for the murder of a cop in the early 50's? He didn't do it, and he was actually under arrest at the time! They made a film about it, called "Let Him Have It". That took place on the roof of the warehouse at Barlow and Parker, opposite The Eagle on Tamworth Lane.

Coming across Mitcham Common, you turn left on Sumner Rd before you get to Reeves Corner, then onto Windmill Rd. It's more up towards Thornton Heath, near the Mayday Hospital.

Yeah, that is by Lonesome Primary School. Not a great area!

Edited by chunky

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8 hours ago, chunky said:

Last time I looked, I think The Eagle was a community centre. You familiar with the story of Derek Bentley, who was executed for the murder of a cop in the early 50's? He didn't do it, and he was actually under arrest at the time! They made a film about it, called "Let Him Have It". That took place on the roof of the warehouse at Barlow and Parker, opposite The Eagle on Tamworth Lane.

Coming across Mitcham Common, you turn left on Sumner Rd before you get to Reeves Corner, then onto Windmill Rd. It's more up towards Thornton Heath, near the Mayday Hospital.

Yeah, that is by Lonesome Primary School. Not a great area!

Well i'll be f'ed... i knew the Derek Bentley thing as i'd heard of it growing up in Wokingham as a kid, but never knew it was here.  Bog standard houses now by the tram tracks and the shopping centre. 

You might remember the old Philips Hq near Mayday aswell then - lived there for a good while -  lovely re-do of a pretty grim building.  A little too close when the riots kicked off but still nice place to live.

Blimey, just looked up that Fishermans place properly..must have went past it today to get my hair cut.   "Bar and Shisha Lounge" apparently these days...whatever the hell that is.

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6 minutes ago, The Doctor... said:

Well i'll be f'ed... i knew the Derek Bentley thing as i'd heard of it growing up in Wokingham as a kid, but never knew it was here.  Bog standard houses now by the tram tracks and the shopping centre. 

You might remember the old Philips Hq near Mayday aswell then - lived there for a good while -  lovely re-do of a pretty grim building.  A little too close when the riots kicked off but still nice place to live.

Blimey, just looked up that Fishermans place properly..must have went past it today to get my hair cut.   "Bar and Shisha Lounge" apparently these days...whatever the hell that is.

Oh yeah, Bentley was a local. You know that cemetery at the Croydon end of the Common; that's where he is buried. I've been to his grave...

I'm not aware of the Phillips HQ, but they had a big factory in Hackbridge called "Mullard of Mitcham". My mum worked there.

"The Fish" was regarded as one of the best dart pubs - with some of the best players - in the whole of Surrey, and I did play for them for a while. It was one of the last pubs I played in where they still used an old elm dartboard for league, rather than the standard bristle ones. I always look on Google street view at the old areas, and I've seen that "shisha lounge"; at least it's still the old building.

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Just now, chunky said:

Oh yeah, Bentley was a local. You know that cemetery at the Croydon end of the Common; that's where he is buried. I've been to his grave...

I'm not aware of the Phillips HQ, but they had a big factory in Hackbridge called "Mullard of Mitcham". My mum worked there.

"The Fish" was regarded as one of the best dart pubs - with some of the best players - in the whole of Surrey, and I did play for them for a while. It was one of the last pubs I played in where they still used an old elm dartboard for league, rather than the standard bristle ones. I always look on Google street view at the old areas, and I've seen that "shisha lounge"; at least it's still the old building.

Yeh is good that it hasn't gone completely. So much redevelopment work round here now.  

Been past that cemetery stacks of time - i heard years back that one of the steptoe chaps were buried there aswell but just googled it and he's up in streatham.. near lonesome oddly enough..  

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15 minutes ago, The Doctor... said:

Yeh is good that it hasn't gone completely. So much redevelopment work round here now.  

Been past that cemetery stacks of time - i heard years back that one of the steptoe chaps were buried there aswell but just googled it and he's up in streatham.. near lonesome oddly enough..  

Wilfrid Brambell is only one of many famous entertainers in Streatham Park. His ashes were scattered, but some of the others in there (and yes, I've been there several times) are comic actor Will Hay, music hall stars Gus Elen and Lupino Lane, comedian Ben Warriss, singer Dorothy Squires, American Pianist Charlie Kunz (who was the highest-paid pianist in the world - and is buried next to Lupino Lane), and reggae star Desmond Dekker. I haven't been there since Dekker was buried.

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5 minutes ago, chunky said:

Wilfred Brambell is only one of many famous entertainers in Streatham Park. His ashes were scattered, but some of the others in there (and yes, I've been there several times) are comic actor Will Hay, music hall stars Gus Elen and Lupino Lane, comedian Ben Warriss, singer Dorothy Squires, American Pianist Charlie Kunz (who was the highest-paid pianist in the world - and is buried next to Lupino Lane), and reggae star Desmond Dekker. I haven't been there since Dekker was buried.

Embarrassingly i've heard of virtually none of those but i'll certainly look em up - When i lived in N5, i had a few interesting days wandering round Abney Park, Highgate and the mentally big Golders Green..  as morbid as it may be sound, all were interesting as hell to see. 

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8 minutes ago, The Doctor... said:

Embarrassingly i've heard of virtually none of those but i'll certainly look em up - When i lived in N5, i had a few interesting days wandering round Abney Park, Highgate and the mentally big Golders Green..  as morbid as it may be sound, all were interesting as hell to see. 

Most of them were before your time, but they were ALL very famous. Desmond Dekker you should know, and you will have heard his biggest hit, "Israelites".

Been to Abney Park (creepiest place I've ever been), and Golder's Green (and Golder's Green Jewish Cemetery opposite). One of my favourite hobbies is visiting famous graves.

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2 minutes ago, chunky said:

Most of them were before your time, but they were ALL very famous. Desmond Dekker you should know, and you will have heard his biggest hit, "Israelites".

Been to Abney Park (creepiest place I've ever been), and Golder's Green (and Golder's Green Jewish Cemetery opposite). One of my favourite hobbies is visiting famous graves.

Yep Desmond Dekker was the only one of the list i knew.. never knew he died out of Thornton Heath tho as i've just seen online..

Golders green blew my mind even for the size - i went there for Marc Bolan at the crem across the road and stayed hours walking around in the huge cemetry.  Also spent a lovely couple of hours listening to football on the radio at Hendon St Marys at the side of our legendary manager Herbert Chapman .  Very therapeutic.  

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   Hi chunky, I was joking, thanks for your reasoned reply, however the Wokingham council Wiki site calls it a village so I'll phone them and report back.

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I live in Lower kingswood in Surrey, which is a bona fide village. I work and grew up in Earlsfield in South West London, where since its gentrification, is now referred to by some of the 'locals' as a village!. Nearby Southfields has suffered the same fate. Both areas are now so congested, that you need traffic lights on the pavements!

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To quote from some of the material I have:

"The name California appears on local maps as early as 1761."

1930s adverts refer to "Longmoor speedway at California."

Apart from the country park there is little evidence of California as a settlement, the church and hall already referred to and the double mini roundabout. These are generally shown as having Finchampstead addresses.

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On 10/13/2019 at 4:28 PM, iris123 said:

Yeah, the same barber. Tom !! My dads barber as well. Small world.

Not sure if i`m allowed to post on this thread- as it appears to be private conversations between 2/3 posters  :) Anyway all the talk about the barbers and the murders is hair raising stuff.

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3 hours ago, arnieg said:

To quote from some of the material I have:

"The name California appears on local maps as early as 1761."

1930s adverts refer to "Longmoor speedway at California."

Apart from the country park there is little evidence of California as a settlement, the church and hall already referred to and the double mini roundabout. These are generally shown as having Finchampstead addresses.

Now, that is interesting - particularly the 1761 info. It appears on maps, but in what form? Of course, that means it predates the US state...

Things likes this genuinely intrigue me.

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