Valerie Hammond’s memories of ‘Petticoat Lane’

Prompted by our earlier listing of this film, where we referred to ‘Petticoat Lane’ being a fictitious place Valerie brought to our attention that whilst there was no road or street named as such, it was in fact, “a bricks and mortar, flesh and blood real vibrant part of London”.

She went on to provide us with her fond memories.

“My grandparents and parents lived at 19 and 67 Wentworth Street.  My grandpa Sam Kronby was a stall holder there for decades, selling china and handbags. When the film as made, my grandma had the cast and crew up to her flat for tea and biscuits during breaks. Joe Robinson (Sam Heppner in the film) took a fancy to my mum, and I have a photo of her with him, and two of her friends, taken during the filming. I was 5 at the  time. Jonathan Ashmore, who played Joe, the young boy, was a bit of a toffee nose, and refused to play with the plasticine my grandpa provide for us to amuse us during the scene changes and tea breaks. He told me “ i’m very important and don’t have time to play”. I remember I was crying, because he was mean. Lol. I have one or photos, the one of my Mum and one taken from the  roof of Wentworth Buildings, looking own at the film set. You can see Diana Dors bright platinum hair, as she stands on the side, in a crowd of people waiting to walk on set.   When my mum and dad got married, Prince Monolulu moved the crowd apart ( like the parting of the red sea, ) to make room for the car (a Bentley. Hired for the occasion by my dads family, They were from Finchley and “ well off “ compared to my mum and her family) to get to the opening of the courtyard by Izzy Paul’s Textile shop.  It must have been something, to see her walk into ‘The Lane’ in her white wedding gown, on a Sunday. I have memories of many of the wonderful characters from ‘The Lane’ in the 1950’s as a child. Sarah Sideways, Mary Green ( who spent her days looking up in the sky , waiting for the American pilot who promised to marry her but never returned )  The Beigal  ( pronounced bygel ) man who had the bagels on a broomstick, and would cry “Bagel for the rich, bagels for the poor , when i’m sold my bagels I don’t got any more”. It was a real world, full of amazing real life characters.  My Uncle Tonie ( Tony Crombie ) formed the first rock and roll band in England and went on to become a well respected musician, with Ronnie Scott, Count Basie, Duke Ellington Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, and more. My Dads Father, David Arram, was the person who booked all of the entertainers for all of the Butlins Holiday Camps and when my dad returned from Monte Cassino, as a wounded soldier, he went on to become the stage manager for London theatres. We all have these wonderful rich family stories. Many of which were born in ‘Petticoat Lane’.