Most people pretty much have some mundane things to say about their home towns, mainly because they either come from a small town where nothing really exciting seems to happen or they have just lived there for the majority of their lives and are used to everything! However, this unexcitable viewpoint of our hometowns doesn’t mean we love them any less or that there isn’t anything memorable about the places we come from. With this being said, I grew up in a small, suburban town called Southall which is located in West London, England.
Although I lived there for eighteen years of my life and finally moved away in order to go to university in Scotland, I soon realised that there were some things I will never forget about Southall. I can admit it, I grew tired of the same old thing, thinking there was nothing much to do there and no opportunities for me to grow as a person. Although this might have been true, there were some things that made it a special place to call home.
So here’s a list of the 10 things you’ll never forget about growing up in Southall…
People usually joke that there is “a Starbucks around every corner” but it usually goes for people you know where I come from! This is because my hometown is quite small and so everyone seems to know each other. Yes, that’s right so your best friend’s mum’s sister will probably know YOUR mum in some bizarre way! What would seem like a 5 minute walk from A to B will turn into half an hour’s journey because of the amount of times you would have to stop and talk to all the people you meet along the way!
Southall is a multi-cultural area which means that there are many people with different races and cultures living there. Because of this, you can except to see an array of places of worship in the form of Sikh and Hindu temples, mosques and churches! They have also been built on any kind of main road, side road and even dead end road in Southall, making me unable to forget my religious and cultural roots that have been bestowed upon me by these incredible landmarks!
Coming off from my last point of Southall being such a multi-cultural place to live in, it should come as no surprise when I tell you that it pretty much looks like a modern day version of India! Southall Broadway in particular has been labelled as ‘Little India’, with its array of Indian styled markets, restaurants and busy atmosphere. So, if you’re ever short of cash and therefore can’t afford the trip to the East, why not try heading over to Southall instead where you will surely be able to see the uncanny resemblance- making Southall a place you will not forget for some time!
When I say ‘kid friendly’ I am not talking about safety hazards or anything but just the lack of entertainment/ recreational places to go and have fun as a kid! I remember, to do anything remotely interesting I had to hop on a bus to my local tube station and go to central London where the possibilities of doing something exciting were endless! Although this is probably not much of a shocker as most small towns are limited in this department, thus alluding to why bigger towns and cities are so busy and widely visited! However, the lack of a local cinema and a museum or two makes me unable to forget the days where I would be bored senseless in my house!
If I was ever made mayor of Southall, the first order of business would be to make sure the 105 would come when it says it would! I know what you are thinking, buses not coming on time is such a standard problem in any place! But for some reason I am adamant to believe that the 105 will go down in history for being the biggest vain in the life of all Southall residents ever! The fact that this bus is on service for 24 hours and goes to all the major places in the town like the tube stations, town centre and schools makes you think that it will eventually master the art of coming on time but that stands to be corrected! Anyways, mini rant over- this was just one major reason why it will be hard to forget Southall!
Yep you got that right, Southall Broadway or as you now know it as ‘Little India’ made it to the box office/our TV screens in the form of the much loved and critically acclaimed film Bend it Like Beckham! The film centres on an Indian girl who eagerly wants to become like her sporting hero David Beckham by making it as a professional female football player. In doing so, she befriends another football fanatic (Keira Knightley) and the two try to conquer the football pitch together! One scene was actually filmed in the busiest pat of the town- Southall Broadway where the main character’s sister was shopping for her wedding outfit at one of the many Indian garment stores on display. The success of the film both in and out of the UK was a huge surprise, making all us locals really proud of our hometown and also a little star struck by Keira Knightley herself of course! 😉
As well as the Hollywood A- Lister Keira Knightley gracing us with her presence, the Queen did the exact same thing by making a good old fashion royal visit when she opened the newest Sikh holy temple in Southall in 2003. We could not blame her for wanting to see the temple for herself, as it cost £17 million to make- all of which was raised by the local community! This hefty amount of expenditure was largely due to the fact that a huge dome was constructed purely out of real gold- where it breathtakingly sits on top of the building’s roof! The building itself covers a total area of 6,000 square metres and provides a first floor prayer hall and a second floor gallery area designed to seat up to 2,000 people, giving a total capacity of 3,000 people. It also serves as a community centre, with facilities including a library, teaching seminar room, a multi-use space and dining hall capable of serving in excess of 20,000 meals in a festival weekend. If this historic moment isn’t worth remembering then I don’t know what is!
Now this one is definitely something I will never forget! Over 10 years ago, the town’s local library was demolished in order for a new modern library/ doctors surgery (makes sense?) to be built in its place! I, along with many others were heart broken by the fact that the place which I used to go to every weekend was being torn down for good! Nothing could have stopped this from happening, not even the volunteers who were petitioning against it, going door to door around the area to get people to sign their names to stop the demolition from occurring! It was not just the sacred childhood memories we were yearning to keep alive, but the sheer old school, traditional look of the library was something worth keeping- aesthetically speaking of course, making this a heart breaking moment I will never forget!
As a kid, there is nothing better than the times you see huge posters around your hometown telling you “The funfair is coming to town!” This is literally music to a child’s ears and we all immediately start being EXTRA good to our parents- hoping that they will take us to the fair when it arrives. From the roller coaster rides to the duck in a pond games, the candy floss to the hot dog smell that seemed to permeate to every inch and corner of the parks, fun fair season definitely paved the way into being one of the most important memories I will hold onto about my hometown!
Although I mentioned that all the fun places to go to were pretty much non-existent in my home town, on the opposite side of things some places were really nearby and that just so happened to be the most important places! For me, it was my local Primary school- Lady Margaret Primary School which was just a 5 minute walk away from where I lived! This was obviously highly beneficial to no one other than my mum who had the ultimate privilege of getting my young, tired and highly moody self get ready in the morning! Luckily for us, being late wasn’t really an option considering that the destination was merely just down a couple of short roads! I will forever miss this simple time in life where I didn’t have to get up a few hours early just to catch my bus and then tube on time for work #adultingishard
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