Camberwell, Green c1955

Mendleson wrote his spring song in the house.

With Denmark Hill and about level with the Old Henly's garage behind you was a house within the ruins with a metal sign. It stated that during his stay here, Mendleson wrote his 'Spring Song' here. Camberwell was in the suburbs and fields were around the area filled with bird song. During my grandfather's time there were still cows in the area. Ruskin Park was one of the nicest parks in London and is still worth a visit. I enjoyed many a good time there as a boy playing in the children's area, watching doctors and nurses from nearby Kings College Hospital on the tennis courts and seeing the steam trains going down to the coast on the Denmark Hill Station. Later on the station was converted to the Phoenix and Firkin PH and as I moved to North London I was able to comsume a few pints and travel to my apartment in Mill hill. The Parky's (park keepers) as they were known kept the park in excellent shape and would grow all the flowers etc on site. There was a paddling pool next to a small shop and would come in handy for a ice cream on a hot day. We would walk miles in the 1960s just to give our mums a break. My uncle Bert lived at the Art Deco flats. I knew some people who lived in the Ruskin House flats who told me that there were some famous people living there. The pub on the hill was the Fox on the Hill and behind it was Hambledon House, during the war it was hit by a bomb and the inside was constructed as a house inside a house, I was told that it was used by the S.O.E to train agents, it became an Air Training Corps base and was haunted by a white fiqure on the staircase, I once stayed there overnight and the drums in the armoury started playing behind a locked door. Sadly it has been knocked down, replaced by some new houses, I wonder if they get house guests? In the picture the park is in all the glory and shows the pride that the park keepers had. Woe betide you if you dropped litter in those days, although I think the look of the place made you feel bad to spoil such a great place. The photograph is seen from the house ruins towards the garden wall, on the other side is a path leading to the childrens area.

Police

My father was a police constable in Camberwell from 1945-1960s. I used to be very worried when I saw him in the centre of this huge crossroads, with doubledecker buses and belching great lorries streaming past him on all sides, this was 'Point Duty' directing the traffic before traffic lights were erected. He didn't worry about his own safety standing in the middle of all that traffic, as he had been a Police Warden in the Blitz of the Second World War, when he had been dodging bombs from night to night! The Police Station was very conveniently located in the centre of the shopping area of Camberwell Green, and as a kid I remember dropping into the Police Station for a cup of tea with Dad, while mother rested her feet after a long day's shopping.

Katie Barnes and the Hermits Cave

The one thing that sticks in my memory about growing up in Camberwell was the newspaper stall outside the Hermits Cave pub and the young me being in awe of Katie Barnes (I think that was her name), the 'old' woman who used to sell the papers. She knew everyone's gossip and had a slightly hairy chin!

my ancestors

The Soulby family and the Audy family all lived around this area, the Miller family started my ancestral name from here too.

Church Street, Camberwell

1950s. This is the view down Church Street from the cross road which we all knew as and called "the green" which is to the left of this picture. The large double fronted shop on the right was at the time a Joe Lyons where you could get a cup of tea and a bun from a lady in a white apron (and I have no doubt more substantial meals too - but I cannot remember that). A little further down Church Street on the right, past Wren Road turning was the Police Station with its blue lamp. Note the tram lines - I rode on the last tram from the Oval to the green - but I have now lost the ticket :-( Church St lead to St Giles the church in the picture and on to Peckham Rd and to Peckham the north end of the high street with Jone and Higgins.)