A sailing boat on the Finchley Road pool

My earliest memories of Finchley Rd park were when my mother would take me there about 1939 to 41. We would walk from our home in Hurlingham Rd to Perry Common Public Library, Kingstanding didn’t have a library then, on our way we would call first at the Octagon Library on Hawthorn Rd and get books for Grandma Stokes our next door neighbour. We walked the length of Hawthorn Rd to the library, I got bitten by a dog tethered to the handrail of the library steps, I still have the scar. The centre of the library had an area where an incendiary bomb had come through the roof and set fire to the block flooring. 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. We crossed Homerton Rd into the real park, 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 parkie’s place. Once or twice a week adults (teachers) would supervise the game. I have very happy memories of Finchley Rd Park