Peckham memories
Here are memories of Peckham and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Peckham or a Peckham photo.
Bellenden Road School
Having been born in Camberwell Hospital in 1935 and after being bombed out of three different houses during the war around Queens Road, (St Mary's Road, Consort Road and Raul Road), my sister and I were then evacuated to Ifracombe in Devon where two buses collected all of us children to travel two miles to the village of Northam where we went to school. Eventually we came back to Peckham at No. 74 Danby Street, where we continued our schooling starting off at Bellenden Road School for infants, then progressing to Ady's Road School then on to Choumert Road School, then with one year before leaving School I went back to Ady's Road School to decide what I was going to do when I leave. My interest was in the classroom where they did Bookbinding, we actually made and bound our own books. I used mine for drawing Bren Guns etc for the two years I was in the School Army Cadets. Then one day a case of... Read more
Happy Days
Hi, my name is Kevin Watts, we lived in the flats next to the bus garage in Purdon House from 1953 to 1964. I went to John Donne School in Woods Road. Just on the left of the photo is the police station, one of the girls in my class, her name was Jennifer McFee, her father was a policeman and many a time we would visit the horses in the stables there. I think there was a army surplus store called W & HS where we as kids would buy old army gear such as helmets and belts etc, we would play on the bomb site on the corner of Clayton Road. Peckham in those days was a really nice place to grow up in and I was sorry to move when I was 16. Now I'm nearly 64, I have such happy memories.
The King And Queen Visit Queen's Road
Some time, soon after the Second World War, with our next door neighbours, we walked down to Queen's Road, to watch the King and Queen drive by. We stood near Evan Cook's Depository. I assume that their Majesties visited a lot of London's suburbs at this time, in order to cheer people up after the war. Ken Cook
Peckham, Queens Road
My mum was born in Queen Road in Peckham in the 1930s, her maiden name was Francis, her mum was May and her dad was Daniel, he was a painter and decorator, he used to paint all the pubs in London and down to Kent.
Grandma Long
I knew Queens Road, Peckham from around 1932 as a child - my grandmother lived there and my parents and all the aunts and uncles nearby as families did the., Peckham then was rather like a village, everyone knew each other.
Peckham Girls, Jones And Higgings
I remember Jones and Higgings very well. I attended Peckham Girls School, and used to walk through Jones and hHiggings to get to Peckham bus garage, this would have been from from 1976 to 1981. It's not there any more. Does anyone remember Debbie O'Brian, Gillian Hassan, Shirla Boyce, Julie Ginnaw, Zahidia Rashid, Jackie Jackman, Sharon Powley? A maths teacher named Mr Stephen Belk? Those were the days. Peckham has changed a lot now. June Gordon, age 45.
Up And Down.
My friends and I loved Rye Lane, it had more shoe shops than Oxford Street. On Saturdays we would meet in Manzes Pie and Mash in Peckham Hill Street, then make our way up one side of Rye Lane, shopping if we could afford to, window shopping if not. We would navigate all through the arcade, and carry on to Choumert Road market, there used to be a lovely pub at the top, where my sister was engaged to a fellow called Mickey whose family owned a large greengrocers there, we would then cross over the road and come down on the opposite side, stopping and usually buying a record in a smashing record shop in Bournemouth Road, then another small arcade,into C & A's to try on the latest fashions, then Woolworth's, B.H.S, and Littlewoods and into Jones and Higgins to browse for a long while. On one occasion I bought a beautiful pair of bright red patent stiletto's in 'Saxone's' at the bottom of the Lane and could... Read more
Commercial Way or Road
Hi, I worked on bomb damage for Bishop & Clarke (a firm of builders from Horley), the foreman's name was Mr Collins. In the August of 1945 I was teaboy and builders' labourer, it was my first job after leaving school in Horley, Surrey. One street we cleared was Commercial Road, I remember a cafe just round the corner, I think called 'Janes', I know one day there were whale steaks with onions on the menu,(they weren't bad, can anyone else remember? We also had 'double plain and syrup', good memories, I bought a pair of long trousers at the big shop on the corner, I think Queens Road. I remember walking to the market by the railway in Rye Lane. I now live in Australia. Tony
Jones & Higgins
In the picture with Jones & Higgins, on the right, that is my nan and mum pushing the pram, with me in the pram. We lived in Walworth but they always walked there to do shopping and to see my dad who worked in his mum's shop in Choumert Road.
James Walker
This photo shows the James Walker jeweller's shop in the foreground on the right, where I bought my wife's engagement and wedding rings!
Ken Cook
Those Were The Days
I remember Rye Lane in Peckham as a very busy shopping centre. I was born in the area and lived in Mcdermott Road in the prefabs (it is now a Charlie Dimock Garden) until I married in Blenheim Grove Church (behind the station)and moved away in 1963. I remember shopping in Jones and Higgins (in this picture) - to us children it was an aladdin's cave with all its different departments. Later on I worked in Woolworths, which I believe is still in the same place, while still at school in the evenings and weekends, and went to school at Bellenden Road and then on to Peckham school, firstly in the old building then on to the the new glasshouse as we used to call it. We would all play on the shelters on the corner of Peckham Rye Park - they made good slides when it was wet on the shiny stones, then we would go off into the park for a day's fishing in the pond, just playing... Read more
Peckham Grove< Peckham
My name is Wendy and I was born in Camberwell in 1961 and we lived at 9 Peckham Grove, Peckham. My brother was born there in 1964. My parents were Lin and Ron Clackson. We immigrated to Australia in 1968 as 10 pound poms.
The Lane
I grew up in Peckham, went to Peckham Rye Primary school, Peckham Rye park and common was in fact my playground, how lucky was I! This was in the late 1960s, early 1970s. My mum did all her shopping down the lane, she was a dressmaker and I remember going to the haberdashers under the arches by the railway station to buy buttons, zips and yards of ribbons for my sisters and my hair, going into Jones & Higgins where she would spend time looking through various pattern books to find the right style that she would have in mind and then of course the material. We would walk up to the tiny little Sainbury's where you would be counter served, all the groceries were kept behind the counter, that shop is now a Clarks shoe shop, there was also a tiny Tesco 'supermarket, the first of it's kind I'm sure, it only had one checkout if I remember, and we used to go into Liptons supermarket... Read more
Goldsmith Mansions
I lived in the mansions from 1951-1960. Does anyone remember them? I went to Leo Street School. And I went to the Regal cinema every Sunday afternoon in the Old Kent Road.
Josiah Viney of Peckham
I am doing research for the family book on our Viney Line. The Vineys all lived in Peckham and I am know looking for there descendent's. My Line Josiah Viney did an indenture in the printing business for Edmund William Mason Carey in 1877. His father Robert Viney was a grocer and had 3 men working for him and they lived at 102 high st camberwell surrey. Robert married Elizabeth Finncane(finucom)Watson of Hazell Watson and Viney Printing works.There children John Robert Viney, Alfred Watson Viney(grocer Assistant),Mary Grace Viney(Music Teacher),lydia Viney,Emily Viney,Josiah Viney and Charles Viney(Clerk). If anyone can help me with this i would appreciate it greatly.My line Josiah came to Australia with Charles and that's all i know of my descendants so far in England.
Did You Know 'Jack' of Evan Cooks?
I am trying to put together something special for a dear but frail old friend of mine and have been tracing the name of old employees at his workplace Evan Cooks around 1952 - in particular at their garage which was 72 Queens Road, Peckham SE London. One name eludes me, I understand he may have been the manager and was named 'Jack'. I'm told he lived in Morden but cannot find his surname. If any of your readers have information, memories or photos they can share I would be so pleased.
Many thanks.
My Dad.
Hi There,
I live on Vancouver Island in Canada. My father was born in 1906 in Peckham. His name was Albert James Jakes. He had a brother John and sisters Dorothy, Elsie, Billy, and Hazel. He married Rosa and they had three children - Peter, Marina, and Terry. If anyone knows of their whereabouts please contact me at cyjakes@shaw.ca or in Canada at 250-338-8127.
thankyou.
Memories of Greater London
Searching The Tombs!
Oh I know it always seemed so huge and scary, with its giant red doors, but my brother and I had such fun in the churchyard climbing the trees and exploring the broken tombs and crypts. Pretty scary as I always expected a monster to grab me and take me down inside never to be seen again! I think the horror movie of the time was about zombies and living dead and stuff! We also used to pick the daffodils and sell them in bunches for a tanner a bunch till one day the vicar caught us and gave us a right telling off!
The canal ran alongside the churchyard and we used to 'boat' up and down it on a bit of old wood we'd found or anything that floated! We had no fear!! I used to catch the sticklebacks and take them home. I wondered why they died when I'd carefully filled my plimpsole with water for them to live in? Mum wasn't too pleased either!!
My brother... Read more
Old Blokes in White Coats!
Sometimes on the way to the Green we would watch the men walking up and down the Bowling Green. They really took things seriously! The Green was mown to precision and I'm sure the bloke that cut it measured the length of the grass with a ruler! We were amazed!
When the bowler would prepare to bowl my brother and I would shriek and put him off his run or whatever you call it! Since we did this most weekends I bet they really hated us (we thought it was great fun). As is usual though we got older and found other things to amuse us!
Mendleson Wrote His Spring Song in The House.
With Denmark Hill and about level with the Old Henly's garage behind you was a house within the ruins with a metal sign. It stated that during his stay here, Mendleson wrote his 'Spring Song' here. Camberwell was in the suburbs and fields were around the area filled with bird song. During my grandfather's time there were still cows in the area. Ruskin Park was one of the nicest parks in London and is still worth a visit. I enjoyed many a good time there as a boy playing in the children's area, watching doctors and nurses from nearby Kings College Hospital on the tennis courts and seeing the steam trains going down to the coast on the Denmark Hill Station. Later on the station was converted to the Phoenix and Firkin PH and as I moved to North London I was able to comsume a few pints and travel to my apartment in Mill hill. The Parky's (park keepers) as they were known kept the park in excellent shape... Read more
Those Were The Days !!!
My twin brother and I were born in 1960 and I think we were about five or six years old. Mum always did the shopping at Camberwell Green and we regularly and always unwillingly traipsed after her or my sister Cora from our home at 53 Rainbow Street through the green to the shops. If mum had been lucky on the horses or dogs we got a taxi back with all the shopping! More often than not she didn't and we had to lug everything back home.
I vaguely recall the play park inside the green and the pigeons we used to chuck bread at.
Also I remember the time an old tramp was drunkenly hollering at my brother and I and threw all his money at us. He scared us half to death but we kept the money he threw! I think we pocketed a good couple of half crowns, two bobs and shillings, and a fair few tanners and threepenny bits as well! We bought loads of sweets... Read more
Church Street, Camberwell
1950s. This is the view down Church Street from the cross road which we all knew as and called "the green" which is to the left of this picture. The large double fronted shop on the right was at the time a Joe Lyons where you could get a cup of tea and a bun from a lady in a white apron (and I have no doubt more substantial meals too - but I cannot remember that). A little further down Church Street on the right, past Wren Road turning was the Police Station with its blue lamp. Note the tram lines - I rode on the last tram from the Oval to the green - but I have now lost the ticket :-( Church St lead to St Giles the church in the picture and on to Peckham Rd and to Peckham the north end of the high street with Jone and Higgins.)
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