“Wiff stepped out the door and scanned London’s rooftops. Brick chimneys crowded the horizon. A flock of pigeons wheeled over Wolsey Road. If he shut his eyes, this was the scene that stuck in his head. This was home.”

Wolsey Road is a real place. I lived there for the first 7 1/2 years of my life. You can find Wolsey Road in north London.

Here’s a photo of Wolsey Road in the 1960s.

We lived at 7 Wolsey Road. Dirty George lived a few doors up. The white van is parked in front of 7 Wolsey Road. Around the corner was Mary’s Sweet Shop. I remember pinching (stealing) coins from my mum’s purse and carrying a fist full of coppers to Mary’s shop. I plonked them down on the counter and asked for sweets. Mary rang my mum. I got a good hiding (spanking). I was five years old.

I also remember the  only pub on the street was called The Lady Mildmay. My nan told me during the blitz of London the pub took a direct hit from a German bomb and two people were killed. They’ve rebuilt the pub and it still operates on Wolsey Road.