At the Precipice of Poverty

by D.T. Blakeley

This is the story of life in a street in Croydon in 1907. It is also the story of a young man’s dream. And this dream is a simple one – to leave the street with all its violence, drunkeness and poverty behind, and to give his parents a
better life.
Based on tales told by the author’s grandparents, At the Precipice of Poverty vividly and dramatically captures the daily battle for survival in the infamous Wilford Road: the quick pulling of a knife from beneath an apron, the bloodstained scullery walls and, lurking in every alleyway, the expectation of a swift and ugly reprisal. An existence relieved only by a jug or two, or three of ale from the local public house...

249 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 28, 2011