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Bickley
Bickley maps
Historic maps of Bickley and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Bickley maps
Bickley area books
Displaying 1 of 13 books about Bickley and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Bickley
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Greater London memories
Happy Families
We lived on Red Hill from 1964 for 21 years. Both our daughters attended the school illustrated. Our house is now a busy doctors' surgery. Many of the houses in the village were taken down for the building of a large Sainsbury's store. The trees that lined the road were removed in order to widen the main road.
Happy Childhood Memories
I was 4 years old when I was placed in St Michael's home for children in Chislehurst. My brother and I lived at St Michael's for 6 years. I remember St Nicholas School, the church, our Sunday walks and the beautiful home. In those days Mr and Mrs North were in charge and I can honestly say they were some of the happiest days of my life. We had the freedom to explore the commons and the surrounding village and made many friends. I have since lived around the world and have lived here in the States for the past 36 years. My husband and I recently visited Chislehurst - things are still the same - the common, the school, the church are all still there. The home 'St Michael's' is no longer, but the house is there - turned into private residents - but still exactly as I remember it. I shall always cherish my memories of my childhood in that beautiful place.
St. Michael's Childrens' Home
I too have fond memories of Chislehurst and in particular of St. Michael's Childrens' Home. Along with my younger sister, I spent my earlier childhood in the home from around 1958 to 1964. Many children between those years came and went. I have warm memories of my "Uncle and Auntie" North who were in charge of the home for many years. The surrounding area was (and still is) beautiful, especially the woods and nearby ponds. I always remember the lovely daily walk to Edgebury Boys' School, through the woods, silver birches round the ponds. There seemed to be red squirrels up every tree. Chislehurst is still a great place, and well worth a visit if you have not been there yet. If anyone out there was at the home at the same time as me, then please get in touch.
Four Leaf Clovers
My family used to visit this pub, probably on Sundays in the late '40s. My mum, dad, brother Ken & me (Les). Ken & me were only kids so weren't allowed in. We all used to sit outside on the grassy bank, us kids, with a lemonade or orange squash. The main memory I have is that Ken & me used to find lots of four leaf clovers on that bank - but I don't think they worked. I'm the only survivor of the family now & am thinking of paying a visit after visiting the grave of a school friend who was killed in 1941. Les Kirkden
New Era Wallpaper And Paint Shop 37 High Street
In the latter part of 1959 my father John Maile established himself in business at 37 High Street, Chislehurst, selling wallpaper, paint and Wolf power tools. This site formerly traded as Bowmans Bakery. When the shop was being refurbished prior to my father taking over, he produced and installed an innovative suspended ceiling that created quite a stir with the locals. Indeed, the local paper turned out to photograph and feature it. In 1960, the Maile family moved into the flat above the shop as well as the flat above the antique shop next door. This was run by an elderly lady called Mrs Hoskins who had a son called Jeremy I believe. Across the alley from our shop was Coolings Stationers and just up the road stood The Chestnut Cafe. My eldest brother Richard used to cycle to and from Edgebury School, and he would occasionally come across Smokey Joe. My father thought Joe was a character and would chat to him now and again. My parents once recalled... Read more
Wolf And Hollander
There were a few sizeable department stores in Bromley, including Harrison Gibson and Wolf and Hollander (whose flag you can see waving on the left). I am pretty sure it was Wolf and Hollander that suffered an extraordinary fire in the early 1960's - the smoke was visible for miles around. I was in the crowd watching it from the street itself - a significant operation with many firemen struggling to control the blaze, which lasted for hours.
THE BLITZ
My Mother returned from a visit with her Mother to the Odeon Cinema in Petts Wood at 11 pm on Wednesday 16th April 1941, to find my father extinguishing, with sand from a bucket, an incendiary bomb behind our semi-bungalow at 154 Pickhurst Lane, Hayes. They heard more bombs falling and lay down with buckets over their heads. A 500-kg landmine came down though the head of my bed upstairs (decapitating me if I had been there) and into my parents' bedroom just six feet from where I was lying on a mattress at the foot of their bed. If the bomb had exploded, we would all have died - and if we had all been in our own beds, we would also have died. Suction, caused by the fall of the bomb, lifted the built-in fireplace in my parents' bedroom and slammed it onto their bed. It exploded at 1:30 pm on Friday 18th, leaving nothing of... Read more
