Finchley Road recreation ground, 2010

“My earliest memories of Finchley Rd park were when my mother would take me there about 1939 to 41. … Having got her books mom would walk down College Rd to the park, it was divided down the middle by a brook fenced by railings, on one side there were a series logs built in a square which I liked to climb. … the playground area was all tarmac not like today, I would have a go on everything starting with the Swings, See-Saw, the Pump, in later years I was one who would be standing at one end pumping it higher. The Rocking Horse, the Pancake and the Slide. … Then down the steps to the pool, when my dad came back from the war he bought me a sailing boat and we would sail it across the pool. … When I got older 11-12-13 during summer holidays you could borrow a cricket bat, wickets and a cork ball and have a game behind the parkees place.”

“Do any of you remember the brook that ran from the pond, which incidently was fed from springs that issued from the grassy hill up towards the Kings road entrance. … The entire length of the brook, from the start, just below the pond, to where it went under ground at College road was fenced with metal spiked fencing about five feet high. This fencing was not removed during the war years, as was most metal fencing, why this was never taken towards the war effort is a mystery.”

“The pump which was like a bigger version of a see-saw that hung on arms on a metal frame. One person stood either end and pumped it up, there was room for about six … Lots of us from our grove used to take our swimming things round there on a hot day and swim in the pond. … There was a big shelter just by the exit to Finchley Road, I think it had three or four sides with benches where you could sit and talk.”

“Finchley Park had a lovely paddling pool with its raised grass verges, in the summer it was great to have a picnic there. I also liked the little sand pit area where we could build our sandcastles”

“Didn’t there used to be a little group of musicians entertaining occasionally on summer evenings?”

“I recall Finchley Park well. The Parkie used to lend us a complete cricket set and we took it back to him at the end of our day! We also used to ride Anderson shelter sides down the slopes in 1947. (the bad year).”

“I never new the park keeper as percy, we called him boldy bill a big tall bloke over 6 foot tall perhaps percy was before boldy bill i talking mid sixties”

“we used to take our little sailing boats on the pond in the summer we all sunbathed on the slope banks the one end was allways full of floting debry by the overflow”

“I well remember the brook. One spur ran from kings road, Binstead road, along the back gardens of Hurlingham and Cranbourne road. It then looped under Danesbury Crescent, and along Warren Farm road joining the chamber under Finchley road.”