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Noak Hill
Noak Hill maps
Historic maps of Noak Hill and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Noak Hill maps
Noak Hill area books
Displaying 1 of 13 books about Noak Hill and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Noak Hill
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Essex memories
Carefree Days
I remember Bedfords from my childhood. When I was about 12 years old my friends and I used to cycle to Bedfords Park from nearby Elm Park, about 7 miles away. Bedfords Mansion as we used to call it, was being used as a Natural History Museum and had numerous stuffed animals and birds all said to be from the local area. Next to it there was and still is a deer pen with numerous deers. Sadly Bedfords was demolished in the latter part of the 1950s but the park remains as does the deer pen. I am retired now, but before I retired I worked for the local council and often had the job of feeding the deer, and cutting the grass over this very large park on a tractor and gang mower. I still visit the park with my daughters and grandchildren for walks over its many acres. From all over the park the views are far reaching and on a clear day you can see all... Read more
Born in Lower Bedfords Road
I was born in Lower Bedfords Road and as a young child I can remember cattle coming down the road to go in one of the fields in Bedfords Park. My mum used to shoo them out of the garden with a tea towel. I played over there all the time as a child. My children also loved seeing the deer over there, as do my grandchildren now. Sadly my father passed away 3 years ago so I can no longer go to my family home in Lower Bedfords Road. But it was a lovely area to grow up in.
Shops
Picture shows the junction of Main Road with Crossways. I moved to Crossways aged 7 in 1961. The shop on the corner by the phone box was a Co-op, and the one on the far side of Crossways was a Post Office. From 1961 to 1970 I caught the bus to Brentwood for school from stop opposite on left on photo.
My father still lives in Crossways in 2010.
When Buses Ran Past Lloyds Bank .....
I am told that once upon a time buses ran through Romford Market towards Gidea Park. Apparently I was happily standing in the queue with my mother and newly-born sister in a pram waiting for a 174. I held tight to Mum's coat so as not to lose her. Imagine my surprise to find that the coat in question belonged to a stranger, and my mother and sister had boarded the bus and were moving away! Luckily the kindly lady looked after me until my poor flustered mother and sister returned. Thank you, kindly lady. Louise Hands-Heathfield (now living in Bournemouth).
Oldchurch Hospital 1956-57
I have such memories as a 17 year old of working in the 'Admins Office' in Oldchurch Hospital. I think I just walked in one day, got an interview and started on the Monday - no job centres or CVs needed then. The boss was Mr Totts and Mr Izzard and Mr Jarvis were his under colleagues. I used to have to walk across every morning to the Matron's office to collect the personal belongings of anyone who had passed away the previous day, which were then collected by relations at our office some time later. I remember there were relatives coming in on a regular basis to collect the belongings of a small child that had died of leukaemia. It seemed to be rife in those days. I also recall a young man coming in to the office one day looking for a position. his name was Colin and he was very keen on cycling and I think he had served in Korea. He had a start there... Read more
My Early Days in Romford
I was born in 1929 in my parent's house at 40 Medora Road, adjacent to the old football ground. Any time I hear the Sousa march - 'Liberty Bell' - I am reminded of Saturday there. It was played at the close of every match to get the people to leave in an orderly manner. My father worked at the Labour Exchange on North Street. In the first days/nights of the air raids we slept in the employees' air raid shelter behind the office building. Later on we slept in Shelter No. 4 on North Street across from the Henry Haysom furniture store. That store was hit one night and burned to the ground. The Alms Houses across the street, of wooden constrution, also burned from the heat of the fire. Apart from his day job as manager, my dad also had a full time voluntary night job with the ARP. I became a messenger boy at age 13 and spent one night weekly at the Report Center under the... Read more
First Home
I was born in Hornchurch in 1934, but my mother, father and myself were the first residents of 121 Warren Drive, Elm Park. My brother was born in the house at 121, in 1945. This is the last view I had of the street, as we left in a taxi, to sail to Canada in 1946. Made a brief visit to Warren Drive in 1956. I remember queuing up outside Meyers Greengrocers with my Mother to try and get a few oranges in 1940. I also attended Romford County High School for Girls for a year and a half. Other friends and myself used to play in the fields behind the house, which had corn growing in it. Also, the railings had been removed from the back to make, I presume, guns, tanks etc. for the war. A doodle bug had dropped not far from Benhurst Avenue primary school. All the mothers rushed out thinking that the school had been bombed, as a pall of smoke appeared to be in... Read more
