A amateur poet who lived in Surbiton for 15 years has penned a paean of praise to the area’s 1930s suburban dwellings.
Former civil servant Steve Glason, 58, lived in the town between 1980 and 1995 and was inspired to write his verses by Sunday walks along the streets of Tolworth and Berrylands.
He said: “I have always had a soft spot for all those 1930s houses in the Berrylands/Tolworth area.
“No particular favourites but walking around on Sundays up Alexandra Drive, Elgar Avenue, Raeburn Avenue and Chiltern Drive.
“They have a whimsical charm about them – a quintessential 1930s charm. A lot of them have been butchered by attics so you are very lucky to find an original.
“I just love these houses. My Bible is Semi-Detached London by Alan A Jackson. I occasionally dive into the Bible to look at the old adverts.”
The rail enthusiast was inspired by John Betjeman, and has self-published two anthologies of work, Along the Right Tracks and I Remember.
.
It’s blossom time in Berrylands
And in a garden statue stands
Looking there oh so forlorn
Greets the milkman every morn.
Windows with their Fleur de Lys
.
Open onto cherry trees
With dainty flower in petals pink
(Buses – red – a Kingston link).
.
Lazy cats on doorsteps doze
And cars are given weekend hose
Thus midst all these Thirties homes
The Poet, in contentment, roams.
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