Yesterday, I had this lovely email sent to me out of the blue:

---

Hi Lucy

I used to live in New Southgate – 1955-1966 – and we regularly walked from there to Wood Green to see my grandmother, via Myddleton Road and the market.

I had just set myself a challenge, to see if I could remember the route from Natal Road, N11 to Forfar Road, N22, given that the last time I walked it was 52 years ago, and the colours and smells and sounds of trader’s calls all came tumbling back to me as I traversed Myddleton Road on Google Maps. I then Googled ‘Myddleton Road Market’ and jumped for joy that it still exists, and by the look of the pictures, as popular as ever. Alas I cannot re-visit it as I now live in Wales, but that marathon walk and that wonderful market will remain in my memory for the rest of my days.

Good on you all, that you preserve this special place, and thank you for bringing my memories back to life.

With kind regards,

Anne Williamson

---

How amazing is that?! I replied thanking her and to ask if she had any more memories of the market I could share with others, and she added this:

---

I can remember walking there with mum and my sister in the pushchair, so that must have been 1960/1. Being small in such a crowded place daunting, which is probably why I remember it, because initially I dreaded walking through it. On later walks I recall asking mum why the market people all wore buff coloured coats, it seemed to be the accepted attire for the people who worked there, and most wore hats or caps. Few had cars or vans in the early sixties, some barrowed the produce there and some came by horse and cart, but where they put the horses for the day I have no idea! One man on the ‘sweety stall’ always used to give me a piece of honeycomb or toffee crunch, which he used to say he’d saved for me special. People were always so friendly.

We used to come along Brownlow Road, down Goring Road and over the railway at Bowes Park (in the early days my highlight of the journey was standing on the footbridge engulfed in steam!), cross the road and into the first section of Myddleton Road ……. and it all looks so much as I remember it, which is very unusual these days.

I recall my mother saying that her mother used to shop at this market so that would be going back even further, probably the 1950s but could have been earlier. Have you ascertained whether it existed during the war years?

By all means post my email on Facebook, it may encourage other people to step out of the shadows and share their memories!

----

So it got me thinking about any other people who might have memories of the market at that time - I don't even know when it was running from/until. If you do have any facts, memories, photos even, please could you share them here? Or if you have an older neighbour, perhaps ask them? I'd be happy to come and record a short interview with them. @Richard McKeever perhaps you know some info?

Many thanks

Lucy