Happy First School Days

A Memory of Ardleigh Green.

I went to Ardleigh Green school from 1955 to 1961.
The photograph stirs up many memories, such as playing with other kids on the old fallen tree on the then waste ground in Cecil Avenue and iced buns from the bakery opposite the school. Mr Kipps was the milkman with his United Dairies horse and cart. There was a knife sharpener who sometimes came round knocking on doors for trade.
I enjoyed the school and I particularly remember Mr Lucock the teacher who taught us cricket and football, Miss Noel the teacher who taught us music and of course Mr Reece the headmaster. I can also remember we learned some maypole dances while in the infants school.
My favourite sweet shop was called the Fir Tree run by Mr and Mrs Palmer next to the wood yard. I think there were 4 shops selling sweets at the time including the newsagents.
I particularly loved watching the steam trains from the railway bridge on the Southend Road.
There were so few cars around in those days but I also remember the lollipop crossing man and once the police came to the school and gave a very dramatic road safety display in the playground staging mock accidents with a car and bike to scare us into behaving on the roads - it worked! I think we also took a cycling proficiency test in the playground too.
Happy carefree times.