Reg Quick

75 Wellington Street

Reg Quick’s story comes from the London Public Library’s Oral History Heritage project.

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There’s a lot of memories I have. For instance, the coloured people they actually lived just over the bridge on Wellington Street and they always had a rink in the winter time on the River Thames there. So, I skated down there, well then we made our own rink at the foot of Colborne Street and we had our own ice rink there. And I’ve been on the river there when I’d been able. I remember one Saturday particularly there was a strong west wind blowing and we held our coats open and we skated clean up to Dorchester, from London! Oh yeah, we’d do that all the time. Well, we held our coats open and the wind pretty near blew us up there! But then coming back, why it was so strong that we had to keep getting up on the shore and walk part way, y’know? Or zigzag like they do with sailing, you know? Kind of going crosswise on the river and then back this way ‘till we got back. That was one thing I remember.