1961 Ros Mickleburgh
I was at Mayfield from 1956 to 1961 and the photo below was taken in year 4 or 5 when I was known as Rosalie. I remember Miss Tappenden, Miss Rayward, Mrs. Mendem, Miss Strachan (pronounced, as she kept telling us, Strawn), and Audrey Nicholson. She was very special, and her influence has led my career in the theatrical direction.
I now produce conferences for commercial and government bodies. Unfortunately, I don’t remember many of the girls. That may say something about me! My father was the tenant publican at the Cauliflower Hotel at Seven Kings, Ilford.
Reading this brought back memories of Saturday night dances at the Ilford Baths and the mad rush across the road to the Cauliflower in the interval. And before that, Sunday evenings as a 12 year old standing outside the pub with a glass of lemonade and a packet of crisps while older members of my family enjoyed your mum and dad’s hospitality inside. But it doesn’t end there, Ros. Your mum and dad did the catering for the Ilford Boys Football Team, and even took the lads on a free trip to a Holiday Camp in Norfolk when they won the English Schools Shield in 1952. A member of that team, Roy Goulden, is a listed pupil on Mayfield Memories.
I remember Rosalee Mickleburgh. I hope she remembers me, one of the Sadler twins Pat and Sheila who were in the netball, rounders and hockey teams. We were with Pat Faers, Margaret Arneil and Adian carter. We wore knitted bottle green jumpers with red and white stripes. I also remember the same teachers, the Ilford Baths, the Palais and the Cauliflower Hotel.
Hi Ros, It is great to see your story here. I am not sure you will remember me but I was a close friend of your sister Angela at the Ilford Ursuline and I used to babysit for you in Buckhurst Hill/Woodford. I spent many happy afternoons at the Cauliflower Pub and recall playing the new Beatles Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearclub band when it first came out! I am very keen to make contact with you and with Angela but I have no contact details for any of you.
I provided my email to the coordinator and would love it if you made contact.
Geraldine Doyle
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Cauliflower pub was great, especially the jaz bands on Thursday evenings. The saying goes the the name Cauliflower wasn’t really meant to be its name. It was to be called Rose and Crown or something only the sign writer that painted the sign made such a rotton job of it that it resembled a Cauliflower rather than a rose, so the the name Cauliflower stuck.
I did my apprenticeship at the garage Flower Motors in Green Lane which was in parallel opposite with the Cauliflower in the High road with just the Crickle field between. The propieter of flower Motors was the one Mr Reg Flowers, the meanest bloke you could ever meet.
He used to go to the Cauli for lunch most days. He had prised apart the railings of the steel fence at the back of the garage to creep through as a short cut across the Crickle field to the pub. One day we fancied extending our lunch hour by about half an hour, so after he’d gone for lunch we went round the back and forced the railings straight again. We got the extra half hour as he had to walk all the way back and use Highbury gardens instead to get back. He was was red faced and boiling when he returned but said nothing.