Leytonstone In The 1950s

A Memory of Leytonstone.

I was born in Walthamstow in 1952 and moved to Drayton Road in Leytonstone in 1953. We lived there for 10 years and my brother and sisters were born there. I went to Goerge Tomlinson School from 1957 to 1963, my teachers as I remember were: Miss Maslin, Mrs Isaacs, Mrs Hawkes, (infants), Miss Martin, Miss Howells and Miss Lynes (juniors). As schools go it wasn't too bad although I do recall several times having to stay in at playtime to write out times tables as punishment for being naughty.
Out of school we spent a lot of time on Wanstead Flats and Hollow Ponds, just like most other Leytonstone kids. I doubt today's younsters would be allowed the freedom we had. Totally unsupervised we stayed out from after breakfast till tea time and if we got into a scrape we got ouselves out of it.
During the days leading up to Guy Fawkes night our Dad would take my brother and me to 'Miss Buck's', the sweet shop in Grove Green Road next to the Post Office to buy 5/- worth (25p) of fireworks. Riches indeed.
Every Christmas meant a trip to Father Christmas at Bearman's. How easy it was to dupe us! I really believed we were travelling somewhere on that sleigh!
I particularly remember the library in Church Lane which I joined at a very early age and which helped to kick-start my love of books and reading. It was a beautiful, ornate building (for all I know it still is) and I loved my visits there.
Whipps Cross Hospital always had a forbidding air - I remember my brother being in there to have his tonsils out and, not realising that siblings of patients were forbidden to enter the wards, I sauntered in after my parents, only to be summarily ejected by a dragon of a ward sister. Continuing on a medical theme, does anyone remember Dr Mahood?
I remember sitting the eleven plus exam but we moved away to Southend shortly afterwards (where I sat it again) so I never went on to secondary school in Leytonstone. Our house move took place during the big freeze of February 1963 and in the weeks leading up to this, we kids spent a lot of time sledging at Giant's Dip.
I live in Sussex now but occasionally return to Leytonstone for old times sake, and to visit my grandparents' grave in St Patrick's cemetery. I loved the place. I love it still.
For any George Tommers out there, yes, I'm Kathy Keenan.