It Must Have Seemed Like Bluewater Then!

A Memory of Dagenham.

It was either a long walk or a ride on the 174 bus from Oxlow Lane shops to the Heathway. It surprises even now just what variety there was there, no need to have to travel miles to get a new shirt or the new Beatles record, all here on the Heathway. My favourite shop was Palmers which was on the far side if the hill opposite the Gaumont. This was the local toy and record store as I recall (strange mix). Above it, or thereabouts was an opticians where I was fitted up with my first pair of glasses. There was a choice (?) of two styles as I recall, black or tortoiseshell plastic, or wire rimmed. No 'designer' frames then! I recall going to the Gaumont for Saturday morning pictures. I had sixpence in my pocket, threepence for sweets and threepence to get in! And the films - 'The Cisco Kid', 'The Lone Ranger', 'The Invisible Man'. It's a wonder we didn't all turn into gangsters! Later when I was a teenager and earning my keep, I thought it quite sophisticated to take my girlfriend to the local cinema on a Saturday night. The Doughty School of Ballroom Dancing above Burtons has special memories and whenever I smell floor polish, I am transported back to those Saturday mornings where we got a legitimate chance to get close to a girl and spin the 'Gay Gordons' or 'The Valeta'. When I was 12, I was taken to piano lessons at Mrs Challis' house in Downing Road, just off the Heathway. One evening when cycling home along Dagenham Avenue, I saw a bright red glow in the distance - it was the night that Woolworths burnt down. There was a local rumour that it was an 'inside job' as Woolies needed the insurance money to refurbish the store - who knows. Haven't been back to the Heathway in years but I bet it's no longer how I remember it. Hey ho.