My friends and I would all gather in the courtyard of William Parnell House or the adventure playground in Langford Gardens to watch the boys play football. There was a park caretaker called Butch who used to run us all out of the park when we were caught smoking or larking around. Great bloke though and very funny.

There was also a small clubhouse neraby called Rathbone Hall where we had Sunday school as kids. This later became a youth club where we all used to gather together and play music. It gave us somewhere to go. You could also hire the hall for parties. My families had loads there. I had a 21st Party, my sister had her wedding reception there and the list goes on.

When we were older we used to go out down the kings Road/Fulham Road and being Chelsea fans a gang of us used to go football every other Saturday (only £3 to get in then). This was when I was about 16-18. 

I lived in William Parnell from when I was born in 1959 until the late 70s. My dad was a stoker at the Power Station which is now  Sainsbury's on the river, quite a desired residential area now. Mum worked on the exhibitions at Olympia and at Earls Court as a domestic.

My sister Julie worked in the Gas Board Offices at Watson House, Peterborough Road when she left Hurlingham School in the 60's. She married and moved near to the White City Estate until she died from Cancer in 1984. She had two daughters now age 30 and 25. My brother John Freeman is still with the Gas Board but at a different location. He's 63 now. My older half-sister is Margaret Freeman ( now Margaret Carrick) and lives in Ireland. She moved out of WPH when I was still very young. I also have an older half-brother John who lives in Roehampton, His wife grew up in William Parnell with her family, the Lavells. She sadly died in 2007.

There were two large families on WPH - the Bradleys and Burns who I knew very well at the time. The kellys also lived there in the maisonette flats and Kathy kelly was a good friend of mine. I moved to Pearscroft Court when I was 18. Both estates are now demolished. There was the corner shop on Langford Rd and Gilstead Rd where we would get our sweets and also an Off Licence along that stretch too. The lady who owned the 'offie' was a right miserable so and We were all frightened to go in there.

I moved to Hammersmith from Pearscroft Court in 1984 when I was 24 and had my daughter in 1987 but my mum and dad remained in Pearscroft Court until my dad died. My mum then moved to Stanford House in Bagleys Lane until she died in 1994.