The complaint that people don't know their neighbours any more seems to be a universal one. When I talk to my family and friends back in Blighty, it would appear that most couldn't identify their next door neighbour in an identity parade! 😂 I live in Australia now and while I don't exactly live on Ramsay Street with people popping in and out of my house to tell me their problems, we at least say hello when we see each other. There are even some neighbours who do seem to be on friendly terms and sometimes hang out together and so on.
It's all a far cry from when I was growing up in Manchester. Everyone knew everyone on the street or it seemed that way anyway. If you were having a party you often invited the neighbours you knew quite well. If you needed to pop out for a bit, you could leave your kids with the neighbour. Same as when you go on holiday, you could leave your key with a neighbour who could water your plants or feed the cat, collect any parcels for you etc. I can't see anyone wanting to leave their house key with the neighbours now!
And yes - us neighbourhood kids all tended to play together! 😀
What was the street like that you grew up on? Did you know your neighbours well and did you get on with them?
Even though I'm very much known for being a south Londoner these days, I grew up in an area of north east London that had a reputation for being well dodgy. It still does to be honest. It's not a place you'd want to be out and about in after dark. There's bad enough things that go on during the day! But as long as you're streetwise and savvy enough, you'll be fine. A lot of you here who have grown up in similar areas have talked about the sense of community you experienced, and that 's exactly what I found there. Perhaps in areas where there's a lot of hardship and danger, people pull together more. It's a real contrast to where my dad lives. My parents got divorced when I was quite young, so I used to spend weekends and holidays with my dad who lived about seventy miles from London. It was along the coast so there was more space, woodlands, parks, and beaches. It may have been a 'safer' and 'better' area and I always enjoy my visits there, as do my children, but that feeling of community is very much lacking.