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Barnehurst
Barnehurst maps
Historic maps of Barnehurst and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Barnehurst maps
Barnehurst area books
Displaying 1 of 13 books about Barnehurst and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Barnehurst
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memories of Barnehurst.
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Pubs
Does anyone remember the Duke of Ediniburgh pub, run by a great couple Eric and May Afrters every night done my early pub training in there all a by gone era now sadly.
Happy Days.
I remember spending many happy times at Martins Grove Swimming Pool.The hot summer days, the park packed with children and parents. The high jumping board, the slide and fountain. I lived in Bramar Avenue. My Grandparents lived in Pinnacle Hill, I have happy memories of living in Bexleyheath.
Early War Years
This is very much a shot in the dark. My parents, Jim & Eva Davidson, moved to Barnhurst in the late 1930s and lived in a maisonette, ground floor I believe. My father worked at the Woolwich Arsenal ordinance factory and I was around 3-4 years old, having been born in Ilford in 1936. Obviously my memory is minimal but there are a few things that may jog somebody's. My father dug a out and erected an Anderson Shelter in the back garden. The husband of the couple who lived above us was an Air Raid Warden who my father used to say drove him mad with his whistle when the sirens went. They had at least one child, a daughter, who would be roughly my age. We left in 1941 I believe when my father was transferred away to Glasgow where he originated from. One thing I do remember was the shrapnel bouncing off the Anderson shelter during the air raids. We did call back once in the 1950s and met the upstairs neighbors. Other than... Read more
Parkside Avenue, Barnehurst, Kent
Growing up in Barnehurst still gives me some lovely memories, like Mr Bink's fish & chip shop and the Hairdressers which was run by Mrs English. We used to go dancing in The Embassy Ball room on a Saturday evening which was always good fun. My father bought our house on Parkside Avenue in 1932 which I lived in with my three brothers and one sister. It was a friendly road where most of our neighbours knew each other. I had a very happy childhood growing up in Parkside Avenue, we felt safe playing on the golf course as children. We didn't have to lock our front or back doors and the neighbours would often knock on the back door and let themselves in. Oh what fond memories I have of lovely Parkside Avenue, Barnehust Mary Lingard (Bailey)
Albion Road
I used to live in Albion Road, when it was used as a small single road. People used it to access Hides car park, now the new dreaded shopping centre. I used to work in the greengrocers in Hides on a Saturday morning. I lived in a large detached house called 'Highfield' in Albion road before we sold it to the British Legion, which was subsequently sold to make way for the new shopping centre. I loved those times, Silver Lounge, Astor cinema, bowling alley, Regal cinema, Wimpy bar, the Redmoon pub in Pincott Road near 1940 cleaners and Margo's and many more. I used to go to the Court School of Dancing in Welling next to the Granada cinema in my new Hepwoths suit..I think it was a gold colour..yuk. Saturday morning pictures at the Regal, 6d downstairs 9d upstairs. The film was preceded by the usual singsong...marvellous. Later on in the sixties I went to the 'Twisted Wheel' which was a haunt of MODS in those days. I went to Graham Road... Read more
Halcyon Days
During the Second World War a land mine fell by parachute in Courtleet Bottom, somewhere near the junction with Rydal Drive, I believe they called in the navy bomb disposable team. I went to Barnehurst School, Mrs Mumford was the head teacher. The sheltered accommodation wasn't built then, it was all overgrown. On the way home from school we had good times playing on the steep path and in the bushes (including kiss, chase, and truth, dare, promise or must!). That path was brilliant for toboggans in the winter. My mate Chris Rainsbury's family was something to do with one of the shops, I also worked as a paper boy in the newsagents and also the other newsagent corner of Merewood Road, Mrs Clark owned it. The car showroom at the corner of Grassmere was a petrol garage, in the mid fifties I used to get my scooter petrol there, 3/6d a gallon! I moved to Barnehurst in 1940 after being 'bombed out' from Catford SE6, we were the 'Blitz' refugees, not... Read more
Mayplace County Primary School
Absolutely loved my time at Mayplace County Primary! It is sn old cliche but they were best days of my education! Great atmosphere at the school - I remember two teachers, Mr Jakeways the headteacher and Mr Cooker my form teacher. We lived in Bexley but used to cut through Shenstone Park and in the summer go to the open air pool near the school (Martins Grove).
I now live in NW England and work as Director of a disability charity. I went through the education route myself with PGCE and M. Ed, and am very grateful to the school for giving me such a great start in life.
Colin Thornton.
Barnehurst - Where I Grew up
I lived in Mayplace Road East - firstly at no. 332 (from the age of 4) and then (after returning from living in Essex for a couple of years), at no. 310. Both these houses were more or less opposite to the Manor House and the delights of the golf course where we wandered for hours finding stray golf balls and birds nests! I recall the ruins of what we thought was a wonderful old castle - I have never found out what it really was.
I had been born in March 1949 at my auntie's house in Manor Road, which although just round the corner was actually Crayford. My parents had left the area when they married in 1946 as my father was then to work at Huyton, just outside Liverpool. But my mum was so home-sick and the Xmas before I was born they went down to stay with her sister and mum never returned to the North. Dad sold the house and they bought a house a... Read more
