Childhood

Childhood memories are often among our fondest, filled with nostalgia for a bygone era and a longing for a simpler time.

 

Several interviewees grew up in Marylebone, especially north of Marylebone Road in the Church Street and Lisson Green areas.

 

Church Street is particularly known for its bustling market, where one can find anything from fruits and vegetables to clothing and antiques. This market has been a defining landmark of memory for our participants, capturing the lively spirit of the community.

 

Though they didn’t know each other as children, the memories shared by our interviewees almost intersect, conveying a similar sentiment of childhood freedom and the power of imagination to transform the every day into epic adventures.

A World of Imagination

Jeannette and Ray didn’t know each other in childhood, but their memories remarkably intersect. They both share incredible stories about playing in bomb craters as areas of Marylebone still showed damage from the Second World War.

Ray grew up in the Church Street area and looks back on what childhood was like – playing out with friends with a sense of independence and adventure.

 

Jeanette looks back on how childhood imagination and excitement could transform sites of bomb damage into an epic adventure, shared by the whole community of children in the local area.

Church Street Market

Church Street Market has always, and continues to be, the heart of the community of North Marylebone. Running everyday and offering everything from food to clothing, it is a hive of activity and excitement.

Leda moved to Marylebone from Soho and remembers feeling like a slight outsider, not having been born in Marylebone, but recalls how she met people and became integrated into the community through her friends and working at Ellis Bags, a store which had a stall on the Saturday market.

Everyday Life

Gill is a true Marylebone resident, born and bred. She grew up in Church Street and continues to live there today. She looks back on her family life, playing out with other kids in the neighbourhood and her dad’s career in food and retail across London.

Gill talks about where she grew up.

Working hard for his family, Gill’s father often worked nightshifts.