Barking, Longbridge Road c1950

St John's Ambulance Brigade

In the early sixties I was a member of the St John's Ambulance Brigade and often on a Saturday morning I would don my uniform and present myself (as instructed by my leader) to do my duty at the Odeon.

Often there would be 2 or 3 willing volunteers and we would always pray that no-one would get sick or ill so we could enjoy the movie as well. Great days.

In those days the Odeon was massive with a balcony and lower stalls, it was huge and most times everybody behaved themselves - it would only show one film maybe with a cartoon or something unlike todays Odeons.

Those were the days 1

Growing up in the 50s and 60s in London's East End (well the Essex side of it). I was born on April 14th 1952 at Upney Hospital. I attended Northbury infants and junior schools and then went to Eastbury Secondary Modern. I worked in lot of the places described herein. I left Barking in my 20s for Southend and Benfleet. I then left England in 1980 for fame and fortune in the USA where I still live, in Pasadena CA with my partner and our daughter and the prettiest little Cocker called Bella. But the heart of England, London and especially the East End still beats deep and loud in my soul. It's who I am. My earliest memories of Barking go back to when I was around 4-5 years old. I remember fondly riding the electric trolley buses with all the over head power cables that criss crossed the streets of Barking. Ducking every time it changed direction cos the arms would bang on the roof. Sounded like they were about to crash through. And then there were the tradesmen the knife sharpener who wore a big top hat, on his bike with a big grinding wheel on the front. The Chimney Sweep with his brushes strapped to his bike (funny he wore a topper too). The Coal man all dressed in leather with his brewers dray pulling a cart loaded with tons of nutty slack. The milkman walking in front of his electric cart. Gold, Red or Silver top maybe Sterra? No mate mines a yoohoo or fizzy orange juice. And next the ever popular Rag and Bone man. His cart loaded with old junk pulled by an even older horse. He was always slumped forward on his seat, cap pulled down over his eyes looking for all the world like he was dead, then his pitiful cry of "Any ol' rags n lumba" could be heard up and down the street. And who could forget the dustmen driving the little green dust carts with sliding curved doors on top. This little mix of the East End and Essex in Barking had a profound influence on me and left an indelible mark as well. (Sterra, Steralised milk; like evaporated milk. I asked about it once. Dad said it was evaporated I said it can't be cos I can see it the bottle. Idiot he said and clipped me ear) The gasman cometh. Under the stairs in our little house were the ever hungry gas and electric meters right in the middle of cooking or watching TV they would turn off. So you had to feed them vast amounts of shillings. Then these geezers showed up from the gas and electric companies every couple of months to empty the meters they wore the cap of company and huge leather satchels that they emptied the coins into and get this they paid you your rebates right then and there in shillings, how convenient was that. Now let's go for a walk around the Barking I remember. We'll start at Barking Station, a medium sized but imposing brick facade with huge green wood doors that led to the ticket office windows and the main stairs down to the platforms. I would watch all the old steam trains at this station from my bedroom window on Cambridge Road (where Barking Garage used to be and the Advertiser offices) It was all green fencing from the station down to Cambridge Road and an imposing brick wall down to the Spotted Dog on the corner of Longbridge Road.

Those were the days 6

Continuing up the street on the right was a long parade of various shops and we come to Salisbury Ave on the corner was a large modernistic furniture shop later the shop nest door became a KFC and across the street next to the station was the Spotted Dog and directly Across was the Magnificent towering Odeon Cinema where we spent many happy hours at the Saturday Morning Picture Shows for kids. We could go there and see a stage show usually a magician or singers and the like games competitions cartoons and a main picture usually a Buck Rogers cliff hanger film or a Laurel and Hardy comedy. It was always great noisy fun. I knew there at least my ear would be safe. Sometimes we would go with mum and dad to a feature film like the musicals of the era South Pacific and such like and mum would pack sandwiches and orange drinks and we would be allowed to buy ice creams bars from the tray ladies who walked up and down the isles. It truly was a magnificent building ne Palace all white marble with gilt accents and red velvet drapes and seats sumptuous to the extreme. Set back next to the Odeon was a Telephone box red sweet shop and later next door to that was the first Doner Kebab shop (in the early the 1970s I think). Both sides of Longbridge Road were full of shops and funeral directors that I have mostly forgotten that lead to Barking Park. Now this was an adventure to us. Going over the park meant a day full of playground rides, swimming at the Lido, A band in the band stand, tea at the little ice cream shop, Saluting the fallen at the Cenotaph and Guns. Taking a ride on the miniature railway past the Bowling Green to the lake where rental row boats and a paddle steamer took you on a leisurely trip around the islands. Where you could see all the Swans, ducks and geese that made the park their own. Fishing for tiddlers and tadpoles were the order of the day along with bringing your toy sail boats for racing I can't remember how many times I fell into the lake or through the ice in winter but usually ended with the inevitable clip around the earol for being a klutz. Mainly I believe cos dad got wet wading in to get me. Then once a year Barking had it's Parade which meant one thing and one thing only the traveling fair came to town and took over the Parks football, cricket and rugby pitches for a week of carnival funfair excitement. All us kids were wide eyed and awe struck. We would run in screaming with joy right into the barrage of loud music bright colorful flashing lights but not knowing what to go on first, the bumper cars the high swing chairs so many choices and so little time. Games of skill and chance in the penny arcades, a ride on the Big Wheel and the smells of those rissoles, chips and onions permeated the air. Hot dogs, Ice cream and candy floss abound all ending with a massive fireworks display. And we all went home happy, contented and a little worse for wear then, got the usual clip around the ear cos you threw up all those rissoles you were warned not eat but did anyway on dad's shoes. Happy days mate, happy days.

Those were the days 4

Then there was the greatest fish and chip shop in the world PESCIES. Decorated in true Italian style of painted scenes of the blue waters and gondolas of Venice with beautiful wood booths with frosted glass scenes and marble topped tables, tea and bread served with every sit down meal. I'm salivating now just thinking of Rock eel and chips with a big old pickled onion mmm. So being a lad an all. I go in one day and say "Hey I wanna buy some of you fish ana chips and a bigga de onion Ok?". To wit a very large man of unknown genealogical species leans over the counter and says "Are you making da fun ofa me eh?". I say "No, it's notta me?" and then smack he hit me in the ear'ole and told me to bugger off. Back to reality cos next to them was the Copper Shop, Barking's very own CID division and Police Station all foreboding with its steep steps and heavy doors and obligatory Blue Light (open all hours) and the nasty looking trunctions, "Allo, Allo, Allo what's going on 'eer then?". "Sorry sergeant it won't happen again", then with a smack in the ear'ole you were on your way. I can still see the first Panda car, remember those? The little pale blue and white Morris Minors with the flashing nick nick light on top. God that light moved faster than the car. My gran could run faster than that thing. But funnier still was the image I still carry of what seemed like a 7' constable with his helmet on getting out of one on East Street at night by the Capitol, how bleedin' embarrassing is that, I said to him. My ear still hurts. Then a couple of other shops and then Boots the Chemist on the corner it was still a bombed out building with a clock tower for years before Boots took it over (they used to be on East Street next to Kilwicks) Go round the corner and there was a men's wear shop, the Kilwicks furniture shop with signs in the window "Get this 3 piece suite for 10 guineas". I only had one but they turned me away cos it was dead. Well at 7 a guinea is a pet who knew! And then there was Sainsbury's where mum would get fresh patted butter to order, it was fun watching the girls pat the big lumps of butter with wooden paddles from the wooden churn in to 1lb squares and one of the butcher ladies would always give me and my sister - wait for it! - a raw sausage each and we would stand outside the shop bite the end off and see who could suck out all the meat first. Jeezus you could never do that today. But did we suffer any dire problems from eating raw pork no not a once. Then we come to covered market number 2 a very large one as well. There was a small sweet shop to the right in front of you at the entrance that sold all the cheap stuff like flying saucers, sherbet dibs and a main stay the threpenny Jubilee or Jamboree bags full of teeth destroying sugar sweets and a prize. But well worth a trip to Dr. Death the Dentist when the cavities showed up. There was a fish monger, a cobbler, a comic shop, a baker that had barrels and barrels of stale broken biscuits for a farthing a bag; I kept wondering who broke all those biscuits. That's a good job for me I thought, Biscuit Breaker to the Queen. The lady there liked me and one day she winked at me. I think I was about 6, so I winked back and she yelled at me mum saying I was too fresh and mum smacked me round the earol and we left oh well. Farewell my love. Clothes, pots and pans, records anything you wanted was in that market. It was a great place to wander around in.

Those were the days 5

Come out of there and you were at the Magistrates Court in the square I remember a big tree in the back behind black iron fencing and thinking that's where they did the hangings right in front of Barking indoor swimming pool and Turkish Baths. (I don't recall too many Turks in Barking in the 50s. Although I had my suspicions about old Mrs. Sopp and that beard of hers) not a pleasant image of your final moments on earth I think, that's why they put a bag on your head. On the next corner was the Capitol Cinema. Saw many a swashbuckling film or Disney Film there. I think here was the ever delightful Marks and Spencer's Food, Apparel and House wares of a higher standard. We used to really enjoy shopping here One always felt so rich. Next door was the CO-OP and its Green Stamps, I recall mum saving those stamps for years to get a coffee percolator. Don't know why though, she didn't like coffee. There was a jewellers I think and another furniture shop and at the end on the corner was Burton's Tailors. Crossing the street here (North Street and Broadway) we can see St Margaret's and the Abbey ruins but we are heading back up East Street towards the station. (This is just as well. I think Captain Cooke still haunts me for sitting on his grave, but that's another story.) I think there used to be a pub or a bank on this corner. I remember an alley here and next to it was a bakers who made the best cheese Bakewell tarts ever (she called them cheese cos the top was decorated with stringy desiccated coconut strands. Heaven) Next door was a very haughty Jewelers shop, mucho expenisvo. You could feel your money cringing in your wallet just looking in the window so we move along to a better class of shop, Woolworths. The everything shop. Here was another Alex Wheels toy shop (there was a third Alex Wheels on Longbridge Road an upscale version of his other shops as the clientele were more better off than us commoners) an undertakers a dentist, a men's fine tailor and a funeral directors. There were a lot of funeral directors in Barking, in those dayss it seems, why? What weren't they telling us? Must have been the over flow from the clinic. Anyway let's cross the street here back at Barclays Bank and walk up towards the station. Next to Barclays was a dry cleaners and various shops that I have long forgotten but I do remember a Stationers, very nice and classy all black marble with chrome and glass display cases. Bought many an item in there, they were so nice and very helpful and patient. And the record shop which was in the basement of the tool shop I spent hours in both those stores I remember the first record I ever bought for myself from there Charlie Drake's "My boomerang won't come back". I tried to play it on mum's big old 78 player well you can guess what happened next, my ear, her hand but, but it was worth it cos Dad went and got us a used 45 record player. God we were stylin' (no pun intended, yes it was). They had listening booths where you could listen to your record or snog your girly or both if you were adventurous (or is that amorous I was never really good at spelling) till the manager sussed out what you were up to and banged on the glass, left there with many a scratched record and an earache. That brings us safely back to Barking Station. Or does it?

Those were the days 3

There was a flower shop a fruit and veg shop furniture and household shops. It all smelled so rainy in there all the time. Next to Wallis's was the long alley entrance to Barking Football Club (Vicarage Field) and Barking library was on the right. Barking Library was an amazing gothic building all dark and scary and musty smelling but what a place to go and read and escape in the dimly lit central hall huddled on the floor all cold and shivery reading the Famous Five books but always looking out for the librarian. Next to that was Barking Post Office very drab inside and out, all the people seemed so angry banging letters with big rubber stamps making you wait for ever to get served. It's still the same and it's the same at post offices all over the world why do they do that? A power trip I think. Either that or they are all related. Then there was Barking Clinic where we all lined up for what seemed like days to get shots for the various nasty and sundry diseases du Jour that kept cropping up. The smell of ether filled the clinic halls and wafted out into the street filled with hundreds of families waiting their turn for the jab along with the terrified screams of us little ones who had just been killed with the business end of a huge nasty needle. So depending on where your name fell in the alphabet, the needle was either; very sharp, sharp, dull, blunt, very blunt and use the 6" nail and a hammer. But the fish in the large tank in the foyer seemed none the worse for wear. The inside of the building was all shades of pale blue on the walls and black and white tiles on the floor quite nice really, even through the tears. Next was a small parade of shops one being a large sweet shop where the bus stop was and then a children's apparel shop, school uniforms mostly and then an Army and Navy work clothes shop and I believe a fabric shop. Down from that I remember Wade's classical music shop. He had all kinds of brass and orchestra instruments there for schools and such. Then there was a Health shop that sold vitamins and the like There was a ladies dress shop and on the corner of Sunningdale Ave was Prentiss Fruit and veg shop. Then opposite was a Bicycle shop and I think a hobby shop. But lets cross over Ripple Road here cos there was a shop here that I loved; it was a delicatessen with the most incredible foods and smells. Me and John used to go there some Saturdays to get a good helping of Pease pudding a savaloy and a faggot for a tanner. God that stuff was so good. But, sadly it closed in the mid 60s. Next up was another funeral directors and another Wades Music Shop, this one for us loud music fans. John and I would help out there some Saturdays. I remember meeting Brian Poole and Hank Marvin. The Small Faces. Pete and John from the Who. Brian Jones along with numerous others! Happy days mate. There was also a third Wades Music shop on North Street.