A week in Northall - Sunday
Unfortunately, I have an unfocused vision at this moment. This makes it difficult to model on the level I want. So I decided to work on my story. The story is about a regular week of the live of the family Page, living in Caroline Street in Northall. I will use pictures of my diorama’s to illustrate the story.
Sunday 23 August 1959
It’s a cloudy morning when Arthur Page is sitting in front of his late Victorian cottage in Caroline Street. Margaret Gates is telling him she is going for a walk with her parents in the park near Victoria Road. Their dog Ponto may come with them
Next to his chair lays the latest edition from the Northall Gazette, which he was reading before he was interrupted. Arthur is concerned about the main article about the new housing plans of the Northall Council.
His wife Lucy is busy in their small kitchen making the Sunday lunch – usually roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, because Arthur does not like most other meats. This Sunday she makes his favourite desert: apple pie.
Arthur, Lucy and their daughter Daisy and are enjoying the lunch together.
Lucy makes for Arthur and her some coffee brewed in the percolator.
After lunch Daisy is picked up by John Lovell, her boyfriend.
Arthur and Lucy are talking about the housing article in the Northall Gazette. They both don’t want to remove to the new estate. Lucy says she is a little worried about the friendship of Daisy with John. But Arthur says she must have an open mind, because he sees that John is working hard, despite of his colourful appearance. He also says that he can see that his daughter loves John.
William is now going listening to the radio to the Billy Cotton Band Show, one of his favourite radio programs.
Lucy is going to her son Frank, who lives in a flat on the Muriel Campden Estate, North Court. His wife Christine is at the end of her pregnancy and can give birth to her first child very soon.
At the end of the street is the premises of Robert Oxford and Sons, Steam Engine Printers. Here the Northall Gazette is printed. They also are publishers of fictive books.
Arthur’s daughter Daisy likes the work she is doing at Oxford Ltd and she hopes to be a book editor in the future.
John has picked up Daisy. They have met each other a couple of months ago at a party in The Phoenix Tavern when two colleagues of them got married.
They are walking to Station Road talking about the things they like to do in the future.
When John was 16 he took up amateur photography. He likes to photograph old derelict buildings. Daisy likes the picture he made of the old empty office at Northall Dock.
Last week he had a look in the window of Harry Parsons photo shop and saw a beautiful Rolleiflex. It’s is still above his budget, so he will have to save more money for he can buy one. He wants to show it to Florence. John likes to become a freelance photographer making social engaged daily life pictures.
John wears Teddy Boy clothing because he wants to stand out. He is in many ways a shy and humble young man. He actually loves a quit live, spending a lot of his spare time in his dark room.
Arthur works at the factory of Ince & Mayhew, where he got the opportunity to work as an industrial advertising photographer for the company. This factory produces well designed first class office furniture and publishes every year a high quality catalog.
Arthur finds Daisy a very attractive girl, but it is her warmth and kindness which likes he most.
Daisy is a fan of Elvis Presley. She looks with a lot of interest at the shop window of Arch Records, on Station Road, which has an Elvis Presley theme. They like to visit the record shop, as other Northall teenagers, because James Johnson can tell nice anecdotes of today’s music scene.
Last week they visited Walden books. Daisy loves to read and is always looking for some nice Victorian poetry and novels. John is not interested in literature, but he found a second hand example of Photography Theory and Practice from L. P Clerc and George E Brown from 1937 in the book shop. The owner of the bookshop Mr. Newton was very helpful and Arthur will now regularly go to his shop searching for books about photography.
After seeing the ODEON board Daisy suggest to go to Serious Charge featuring Cliff Richard next Saturday evening. She likes his new hit Living Doll.
John takes Daisy to the milk bar on the corner of High Street and Queen Street to treat her on her favourite sorbet, a Knickerbocker Glories. Arthur likes the Italian coffee they serve.
Then he will walk her home.
End.
When the total story is finished I will publish it aa a PDF.
And comments on the story are welcome. My only reference to that period are my memories as a boy living in a small apartment in Utrecht in 1959.
Thanks for reading.
Job
- 3
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