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Leytonstone
Leytonstone maps
Historic maps of Leytonstone and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Leytonstone maps
Leytonstone area books
Displaying 1 of 13 books about Leytonstone and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Leytonstone
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memories of Leytonstone.
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Picnics With Sandwiches And A Bottle of Pop With Mum, Paddling in The Pond
We used to have lovely picnics, mum took sandwiches and some pop in a bottle, a towel and a flannel to wipe dirty hands and faces. We spend all day paddling and catching minnows with our net. My brother Tom always used to send a model boat out and they usually got stuck or sunk by a wave !
Didn't Know I Was Supposed to Use The Microphone..
I was asked to read a lesson by my teacher at St Johns Church, Leytonstone for one of our school services. To my horror, she had me practice reading loudly in the school corridors and left me standing there, reading aloud, when all the other kids came back in from playtime. However, when it came to the event, no one mentioned I was to step up to the microphone (never saw one before) so I don't know if anyone heard me at all in the end.
Leyton in The 1950s
My family lived 7 Newport Road, my sister was even born there. As a kid in the 1950s I would go to Saturday morning pictures at the Essoldo, on Leyton High Road, it cost 7 pence. That's also where the library was. I had to get up earlier to visit the Rialto cinema but could get in for sixpence, afterwards it was into Bearmans to listen to the latest pop singles from America. Newport Road seemed to be quite long and the kids from both ends had wonderful snowball fights every winter. My Nana and Grandad lived on Albert Road. A fishmonger pushed a cart with prawns for sale. Milk was delivered with a horse-drawn wagon. The rag and bone man had a carousel attachment which was fun, and kids drove mums crazy for something to donate for a ride. Epping Forest was a favourite Sunday picnic area, there was a huge dead, hollow tree that every child wanted to climb, when I finally succeeded on getting inside my father had to... Read more
The Flats, Bearmans, Lyons Cafe And Pie & Mash
I often think how lucky we post-war Leytonstone kids were to be born in the East End of London, yet have the whole of Wanstead park, the flats and what we called the forest at the end of our street, Browning Road, to get lost in. The mysterious Quakers Meeting house that was surrounded by the massive and famous 'Red Wall' where we all scratched our names in the soft red bricks and collected prized conkers nearby. In those days Bearmans, the local department store, seemed to us to be the biggest and best store in the world, perhaps comparable only to Harrods! Looking back though it was not that big at all by today's standards. Lyons corner house was a treat as you lined up with your tray after shopping with your Mum and had pie and chips with gravy, I'll never forget those lovely trifles in little cups. However as far as real authentic East End gourmet food is concerned what could compare with Pie & Mash from... Read more
Hollow Ponds.
A great place for everybody from picnickers to people going fishing or just out for a walk. I used to go there quite often especially in the summer. The boats were good fun and even in winter, it was a good birdwatching area. Does anyone remember opposite the road from the Ponds, a forested area which was hidden until you entered it, known as The 'Dirt Track'. This was a track where we used to ride bikes and have races as kids, it was really fantastic, not sure how it was created but everyone respected it and took care of it, smooth surface to ride on and you could ride very fast.
Leytonstone From 1939 - 1958
I grew up in Leytonstone. Lost our home in Dyson Road from the bombing, and then moved to Forest Glade. Played in the Forest (and climbed the 'King and Queen tree' often) and rode my bike around Hollow Ponds - they were fun times. Went to Canterbury Primary School and then on to Connaught School for Girls. Does anyone have any photos of us at Copnnaught around 1953 - 1954? Miss Threadgold was my Form teacher and Miss Smith was the Headmistress at that time. Watched several weddings at St. Johns Church. My mother worked at Bearmans for several years and I worked at Connelly's Hat Shop on Saturdays when I was 14! I have lived in the USA for many years, and get back to 'home' frequently. My sister, Pauline Daines, also went to Connaught 1954 - 1960 - she lives in Chigwell, Essex and comes often to the US to visit me, my children and grandchildren.
Christmas at Bearmans
I was recalling just the other day about a Christmas many years ago when I was a very small child and as I was talking about it to my mum of 84 years, she exclaimed 'That was in Bearmans where you got the 'Pelham Puppet from'. For years and years I was in awe of a a childhood Christmas I once knew. I remember the fairy lights and just that smell of Christmas and how the wrapping paper used to smell. It was so epic for me to have that memory placed, as afterwards my family went through a break up and I'd thought all my childhood memories were set at a later time in my life maybe around 4 or 5 years old, but now I can recall I must have been much much younger, but I do definately remember the Christmas activity and now I am proud to say 'it was in Bearmans Store'. It has made my Christmas! From Zoe Layton, my maiden name then.... Read more
Leytonstone
We lived at 12 Brewster Road in Leyton E10 - my sister was born there, we had the upstairs flat and Nanny Mantle lived downstairs. My real nan lived at 6 Coopers Lane for about 50 years (Mrs Johnson from "old Gees" wool shop at Bakers Arms). We moved to Canvey Island in 1966 and back to Leytonstone in 1968 to 88 Forest Drive West. The best times were at the Lido, but we weren't allowed to go on our own because of the "rough boys". We used to walk in the forest around the Hollow Ponds on Sunday afternoons and sometimes in the evening. We played in Abbotts Park and went to Barclay Juniors, I also went to Connaught and Leyton Senior High School for girls. I still remember Terry's sweet shop near Connaught and what a huge deal a Cream Egg was - it was 5p. We used to go to Saturday morning pictures at the Odeon on Leyton High Road - my favorite films were the Dr... Read more
