Comments on: Cecile Moss of Old Montague St

By: isa

isa — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 06:11:41 +0000

Dear Cecile I too was born in 1951 like you, and my first language was Polish.My parents were from PolandIt must of been such a change living in England after a warm country.The sharing of loos would have been grim but your writing of playing outside in those times reminds me how safe it was when I was a child playing all day without tvs,computers mobile phones just climbing trees and just exploring.

By: Molasses

Molasses — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 16:38:25 +0000

Inspirational!

By: belle

belle — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 20:31:12 +0000

I so agree with your mum Min. I lived in Brixton and likewise used to wish I could dress up like the West Indians on a Sunday especially as Sundays could be very dull then. They were a joy to behold and I sometimes wonder if there is a photographic record of this somewhere. I loved the inside of their homes too with all the lovely Caribbean coloured crochet cushions, nets and ornaments.

By: Min the Merciless

Min the Merciless — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 18:49:09 +0000

What a brilliant story! Cecile looks fab. My mum’s from Willesden and I remember her saying she used to sit on the wall outside her house watching the first West Indians in the area go to Church in all their colour, fun and finery. She says she wished she could have run along behind them. Life in Willesden was very drab, she said. In the end, she became a ballet dancer. She still has a little soft spot for West Indians.

By: Bridget Strevens-Marzo

Bridget Strevens-Marzo — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 09:35:16 +0000

What a fascinating story – thanks!
I live in Old Montague street and can see the space where you must have lived from across the road – and yes, it has changed! Not just those modern flats but there are more trees here too than in those wonderful Geoffrey Fletcher illustrations. That said, there is still one dark passageway from here to Whitechapel road, with the odd dark dealing still going on…
I myself moved here with my daughter two years ago, after nearly 3 decades in France. I feel at home here among immigrants of all kinds, even though my own differences don’t show and life is much easier than it was for you and your mum. My mum’s family were Catalan refugees from the Spanish Civil war, my dad was born in the East End so I’m a mongrel at home where different cultures meet. I have some French family too so I can spot that there’s more and more French spoken by young passers-by in this street, alongside the dominant Bengali, and the odd bout of gritty Cockney swearing outside the women’s hostel.

By: Caroline Bottomley

Caroline Bottomley — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 08:45:33 +0000

What a fascinating story. You look great Cecile Moss.

By: Vicky

Vicky — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 08:01:24 +0000

This is also one of my favourite stories, so glad your re-published it – and The Old Montague Street pictures are great.

By: belle

belle — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 07:12:32 +0000

I’m really glad to see this posted again. If I had to choose one post, this would be the one. Thank you.

By: GS

GS — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 03:49:20 +0000

A great account. Life has changed so much: imagine having to share one toilet with three other floors. Looking at the current photo I can’t believe Cecile was born in 1951!