Youthful Memories From A Member Of A 1960s'' Bromley Band
A Memory of Bromley.
In the 1960s, in my late teens, Bromley was the hub of my universe. I played in a local group - Paul and the Playboys (later 'The Machine' - I had a 1958 Ford Popular with 'The Machine' crudely painted on one door and stripes to match my striped blazer on the other). We played regularly at Bromley Tech. Paul Goodman was our drummer - he knew Dave Bowie and Peter Frampton. Peter played with us once or twice - I think he was thirteen! I MISS Bromley - where has all the beauty and charm gone? I miss Dunn's furniture store - so ahead of its time; the coffee store with the beans roasting in the shop window; Medhurst's department store; the traditional grocery shops and tea rooms. I guess it was inevitable that uniform high street-ism with the big chains and same names would oust the old. I remember being able to park virtually anywhere! There was always a bit of a traffic jam around Market Square with the buses parking. We used to listen to Ska music at the Penthouse Club behind Bromley South station, and always had a few beers at the Cellar Bar or Bromley Court Hotel. We enjoyed Eric Clapton, The Graham Bond Organization, Zoot Money and The Who. Bromley Court was a great venue.
It's funny how a lot of young memories are in black and white - but my memories of Bromley are always in the sun! I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
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I went to Ravensbourne College of Art from '72 to '76, living in rented houses in the area, and before that used to go shopping in Bromley with my Mum as a kid, and once went to the Coffee Importers cafe with my mum and my Auntie Nellie! I remember the giant red coffee roaster in the window as well, and the lovely cakes! I also went to school in Bickley (Stratford House School) as a teenager so know the area really well. Before I went to the college, I was in a band, Comus, who lived in a house in Beckenham. Two of the band knew David Bowie as well, and Comus supported him at the Purcell Rooms, part of the Royal Festival Hall/South Bank complex, in about 1969/70. Sorry, don't remember the name of your band, Peter!
The reason I'm contacting you is that I remember Dunns having a fabulous front window, curved in with a bar across, but can't seem to find any images of it anywhere? Was I imagining that??!!