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Northfleet
Northfleet maps
Historic maps of Northfleet and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Northfleet maps
Northfleet area books
Displaying 1 of 24 books about Northfleet and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Northfleet
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Northfleet.
There are 18 shared memories to read.
Add your memory of Northfleet
or of a photo of Northfleet.
College Road
Whilst staying with my Grandparants (Weekes) of College Road, I liked to play down the bottom of the road with my friends (I was about 8 years of age at this time) - playing steppy stones in the mud of the river - a very dangerous thing to do as a child.
This particular time I slipped into the mud of course, which was very smelly, filthy & deep, thick with oil from the ships and tug boats (Tilbury Docks being opposite).
All my clothes were completly ruined, lovely white shoes and socks, plus my pretty dress. Everything was black with oil etc and had to be thrown away. I was in terrible trouble and forbidden to go there ever again! But I did of course! I was always fasinated with the area!
My Grandfather worked at The Northfleet Cement Works until his retirement.
The Coop Hall Harmer Street Gravesend
I was a war baby and born in Dartford but moved to Gravesend when I was about 4. Moved to Kingsfarm area when about 7. Sadly my mother died when I was 9 and I was taken in by my great uncle and aunt in Denton. I actually walked out of the Gordon school gates when I was 14 at the Christmas holidays of 1957. I was 15 at the beginning of January 1958 and started work the day after my birthday. I started to go to the Coop Hall in Harmer Street about a year later. The hall was always packed with teenagers with a few older people pretending to be teens. Dancing was every Monday night and it cost one shilling to get in. I thought it was the high light of the week! No alcohol was allowed and they only sold Peardrax and Cidrax. The cost went up to two shillings and sixpence if they had Pop Stars performing. I was lucky enough to see the likes... Read more
The Queens Head
I was born in Springhead Road in 1945, and I went to St Botolphs Primary School from 1950 to 1955. After my Mum, Ethel George, died in 1959 my father, Arthur George, started going to the Queens Head, and in 1962 he married the then landlady, a Wynn O'Leary. We moved into the pub, and I inherited a step brother, John, and a step sister Cherril. I left in 1966 and joined P&O for a few years, but my father stayed on in the pub until about 1976. Wynn had died and he married again before retiring. I now live in Hoo, and it would be great if I could meet up with and talk to anyone about Nothfleet, The Hill, and particularly the Queens Head. I look forward to hearing from you. regards, Ray George.
Working in Pelham Rd South
In 1955 I worked in Brands bakery as a shop assistant. We were allowed to eat any cakes that were damaged. Gee an awful lot got damaged! I then moved along the road to a paper shop/tobacconists for 2/6d more. From there I went to Gravesend to the Rainbow Stores opposite the big Catholic church until 1958.
Miss Daniels was Old Mr Brand's neice and she was in charge of shop staff. It was a family run business and the bread and cakes were to die for!
Still Here in Northfleet
Hi, I was born in Lewisham in 1968 but have always lived in Northfleet with a short spell in Gravesend, I know the areas in all these photos very well and lived in Vale Road until I was 21. I have seen many changes even in my time, and like the chap in the memory above, I went to Dover Road School and then Colyer Road Boys School, now Northfleet Technical College. The bakery in this photo on the right where the Hovis sign is was painted inside from top to bottom by me in 1998. It's a shame that so many of these places have changed so much since I was young.
Perry Street/Pelham Road South
I live in West Sussex [between Brighton and Worthing] now but lived in Northfleet until 1971. Several photos bought back some vivid memories. In 1955 I would have been attending Cecil Road junior school, just off of Perry Street, the little shop just past the cyclist with the white canopy was Deakins fancy goods and I think it contained the post office as well, the cyclist I think I am right in saying is outside of Baldwins, a furniture and toy shop. The toy department had a exciting window display every Christmas! The bus routes I remember were the 495 and 496. At the Pelham Arms was a shop called Caveys, where my sister Rene worked for a while, before going to the Co-op dairy in Churchill Road. The local fish and chip shop was called Ladds [situated by the Gravesend bound bus stop]. I had better stop now, I hope this small history evokes a few memories.
Sincerely, Terry Young [formerly from The Crescent, Northfleet]
Those Were The Days by Kathleen McCarthy
I am sure this is St Botolph's church on The Hill where I used to be in the choir around 1949. The vicar was Rev. Johnson at the time. His wife and family lived in the vicarage a stone's throw away. There were some church cottages by the front church gate where my playmates, Ingram, David and Joy Dines lived with their parents. Over the road lived a couple more, Alan and Angela Dagger. We played Tarzan and Jane, swinging from the trees in the cemetary. We never did damage though!
I did go down memory lane with my cousins from Eastham in 2004, on a visit from Australia where I now live. It was a bit overgrown but nothing much had changed in that area. We used to see it all with a childs eye, so everything was MUCH smaller now we have gotten older.
The Queens Head on The Hill
The 2nd tall building on left is the Queens head and was my home from 1945 - 1951. My name was then Kathleen McCarthy. On the right where Jones Butcher shop is, is where my friend Ann was killed when a coal truck reversed over her and her bike...on my Birthday around 1948.
The first building on left was later turned into a florist shop. The tall steeple is of the catholic church. I went to the St Joseph's catholic school in Springhead Rd. Out of sight on the right was St Botolph's school and church.
Behind the buildings on the left was a chalk pit with a long tunnel which was used as shelter during the air-raids. The foreshore and River Thames was the other side of the pit with many Orient Line ships etc tied up alongside the wharf at Tilbury. In those days the shipping was vast, plying their trade as far as St Catherines dock, London. Most ships would empty their bilges into the... Read more
