Mitcham Redskin village/ Phipps Bridge

[shirley1962]

HI Tracy my name is Shirley, my family were born and lived in red skin villiage.
my grans family were Dixie's the red skin village was called that because of the travelers that lived in mitcham, most lived on the fair green in the 1901 census. from what i can remember most of these were horse traders flower sellers and of course the usual fair ground workers. they tended to stay close together and were regarded  for most part unwanted in the area my great gran and great grand father sold flowers made wreaths has did my gran Lydia, my nans son was one of the first to win a scholar-ship from the old star school this was a big thing and was taken up because they were too poor for him to go, this was a great shame out of the six kids she buried two by the end of the war.. that's when red skin village was then built because of the bombings they were all re-housed into homes the first time ever some still remained in the yards so called. the sparrow hawks and grays fair round workers the sparrow hawk family still have a scrape yard in Mitch common to this day the grays sold their ground to the council back in the 1990S houses are built there now hope this was helpful Shirley

[berri]

Hi
whilst we are on the subject of new close, redskin village, the dust ect. does anyone know of, or are related to, the smith family? Rachel and samson/samuel. around 1920-1940 ish
Berri.

[juliacol]

Hi
I lived at no. 86 New Close from 1956 - 1967 our house was in the circle oposite the pylon,next door to the Brookers.
I remember your Nan & Grandad's house , It was the one on the corner and It always seem to have runner beans growing up strings.
I moved to New Close from Colliers Wood when I was nine but I still went to the same school ( Fortescue)and I went past your Nan & Grandad's house every day on the way to and from school. I cut through the alley to Phipps Bridge road.
I remember Lofty more than anyone else, he sometimes came over to talk to my dad but thats about it.

People from New Close were looked down upon- but I have never known such a good community

[aug]

I notice someone said about brookers my nan was a brooker until she married my grandad whos a foster..

my gg-grandparents lived in a tent on mitcham common who was Harriet cooper who married a George gladwin or he could of gone by name richard one of these names is a middle name... Would anyone know these people..

[buddy H]

HI DAVE redskin vilage or rokie got its name because origanally travelers stoped their in there caravans and the women went to work in the mills along the river wandel which done taning and dying of leather hides and the men went and done their thing some made pegs some made artificial flowers from wood and dyed them diferent colours i know because as a boy i made both with my father my family are of gypsy origen and still live round rokie they also went and picked lavender and sold it thats how lavender avenue got its name their was lavender fields around mitcham hope this helps  HIRAM

[Redskin blood]

So everyone agrees that "New Close" is from the Romany blood then, and not travellers.

Does anyone know my Nan, she was called "Ivy Lee" and lived on the bend of new close. she was married to Charlie Lee. I am interested in her side of the family, I think she might of been from either the woods family or the lyons, I'm not really sure.

Thanks

Davey

[loggie]

 

[Mark1973]

my family are from romany blood (ayres family) and i know a few more famlies that are. i still live round new close i would love to hear anyones storys about redskin village or mitcham. i can trace my family in mitcham to at least 1901. some of my family still live in the same house in new close that they moved in to in 1937 when new close was built

Thank you i always wondered when New Close was built, My great great Grandfather was living there when he died in 1939.

[loggie]