Maria Petri, one of the oldest Cypriots born in London

Maria Petri was born in London in 1939; her parents came from Akanthou and immigrated to London in 1938. She grew to become the darling of Arsenal Football Club who she has supported for over 70 years, has been present at most home and away games, and has even travelled as far as Shanghai, Australia, Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur to watch them.
Maria’s parents, Michael and Eleni, were a shoemaker and seamstress respectively; when they came to England, they opened a restaurant in Rathbone Place which catered mainly in English food, and they lived above the restaurant. From there, they moved to Holloway Road and opened another restaurant and also lived above.
During World War II, at the age of five, Maria was sent to live in a nursery in Sevenoaks and when she returned to London, it was her parents’ aim for Maria and her brother Sotiris to be educated.
Maria attended All Souls School in Goodge Street, then a Grammar School in Maida Vale called Paddington High, and from there to Chichester where she studied to be a teacher. Her brother became a leading accountant for Beechams, the large pharmaceutical company.
Maria’s teaching career spanned 32 years. She taught mainly in Islington; one of the schools she taught at was Woodberry Down.
One thing that struck Maria during her early childhood was that most Cypriots congregated in Goodge Street where she and her family were living and had several businesses, mainly in catering and providing services like shoemaking and grocery shops.
She started supporting Arsenal at the age of eleven and took a keener interest during her college years when she went to Portsmouth to watch an Arsenal match – since then, she has been an ever stay.
The biggest match she has ever been to in her own eyes was the UEFA Champions League Final when Arsenal played Barcelona in Paris. Her favourite player was Kenny Samson.
During the pandemic last year, The FA Cup which Arsenal won beating Manchester City, visited the home of 81-year-old Maria, along with Arsenal legend and 2002 FA Cup icon, Ray Parlour.

Entrants are being invited for the new Cypriots in the UK and Cypriots Worldwide books.
For further information visit www.cypriotsworldwide.com, call 07958 207412 (UK) / 00357 99 887 329 (Cyprus) or email [email protected]