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South Woodford, Gates Corner c1965
South Woodford, Gates Corner c1965 Ref: S643008
Memories of South Woodford, Gates Corner
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Year: 1950
Wonderful childhood
I used to live in Churchfield, my old house is the only one left standing amongst a maze of flats. It was a council house in those days and we shared it with another family, the Caines. I went to Churchfields Primary and Junior Schools, as did my two sisters. I have wonderful memories of my time at Churchfields and me and two friends went back there recently to have a look and to our amazement there was a caretaker there who let us go in and wonder around. he even produced a large box of old photos to show us. Sadly the old school is being demolished this year as it is so old the maintenance on it is too expensive. A new school will be built on the site. I used to play in the park, the other side of the railway lines, Gordon Road I believe it is. We used to stop on the top of the bridge over the tracks and wave to the trains, and they would always toot and wave back to us. We would go to Southend on the Green Line Bus if it was a nice day (at the weekends) and it was magical. There was a swimming pool in the forest up by the Eagle Pond, and we used to go there at the weekends and also with the school. Not Churchfields though - I think that was my senior school, which was Nightingale in Wanstead. By then we had moved to Malford Grove (around 1954), and my memories of that house are also great. What a lovely childhood we all had - I hope my children have the same good memories of theirs. I used to go to stay with my friend who lived at Buckhurst Hill and we would go off into Knighton Woods on our own and play all day without being scared of anything horrible happening to us. We would be missing all day and roll up at tea time, panting and excited and giggling about what a great day we had had. Nightingale was a great school too and its a shame that it has been demolished too, except for the gym and a small part of the old building. When I was older - a teenager, we had of course the coffee bars. It's a shame there is nothing like that now. We would sit there listening to our favorite songs on the duke box, drinking coffee and flirting with the boys!! There was the Bamboo in George Lane, the Calypso and there was another one too but the name excapes me. If the Calypso was in Woodford Green, then the one I am thinking of was in Snaresbrook (or vice versa). If anyone knows the one I mean - please post the name on the site. Just remembered the name of the other coffee bar ... the Fiesta. I did ballet and tap classes at the Memorial Hall - Miss Dyke was our teacher. Well, enough from me for now. I'll be back. Margaret Posted: 23/05/2008 14:02 by Margaret Way |
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 South Woodford, Gates Corner c1965 (ref: S643019) |
Year: 1940s
GATES CORNER MEMORIES.
This is such a memorable photograph for me. This very garage delivered a new company car to my father in 1932. It was a Model B Ford with V8 engine. He drove that car for 17 years during the time he worked for W&C French in Buckhurst Hill. I was a young child of seven when the Second World War broke out. Living on Epping New Road beside French's Yard. Dad was working away from home a lot bulding new airfields. Mum and I would often go to the Majestic picture house on a saturday ( in the distance of this photo). On this day the sirens had gone , the cinema screen had told us, but we chose to stay like most people. When we got home we found all our windows blown in and the front door blown down the hall and jammed into the opening to the kitchen. Our little dog Nan was wimpering and hiding upstairs under my Mum's big bed and thankfully unhurt but very happy to see us. Broken glass and wood splinters were everywhere. It was quite a mess, but within a few days we were back to normal. When Dad got home only some painting was left to do. Workmen had replaced the windows and doors and Mum had cleaned up the glass. Life went back to normal. Gates corner was also where I picked up my rental car when I visited the area in 1992. It was also a Ford, but not as nice as my Dad's 1932 model ! Posted: 26/01/2008 05:49 by Denman Lalonde |
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Year: 1965
Growing up in South Woodford
I lived In Priory Close which faces the shops on South Woodford high road, I left when I married aged 19. My memories are of a wonderful childhood. I used to play out with all the other children who lived in the flats at the time. There was always someone to play with. No one seemed to have much money but, everyone new each other and had time for each other. In 1965 I attended Churchfields Junior School I felt very important there as I was a dinner monitor and I remember playing on the school field in the hot weather and the wonderful school sports days which were held there. I would go down to the park which was on the other side of the bridge at the bottom of Churchfields Road and all the children would be packed up with marmite sandwiches and orange juice, we would play on the swing and slides all day and go home at tea time. I always went to the saturday morning pictures at the Majestic Cinema and even won a guy and easter bonnet competition there. Afterwards I would walk down George Lane with my friends and buy a portion of chips and then we would go around Woolworths with its old fashioned wooden counters and buy broken biscuits. My mum worked in the local green grocers and in the Spar shop on the High Road and she knew so many of the locals. I also used to go over to the local Memorial Hall by the Church and go to a Christian Club Activity week. I used to love this as there was all sorts of things to do and at the end of we were all taken to see a nice film or a show which was a real treat. I also used to go the local Baptist Church sunday school which was situated on the other side of the line in George Lane, a whole group of children would be picked up each Sunday and taken by car to attend. I loved it and each year we were taken to Clacton or Walton on the Naze for a day out and at Christmas we would have a party in the Church Hall with a cine film cartoon, which we thought was a great treat as it was in colour!! My father would take me and my brother and two sisters for walks up to Woodford Green and we would go and feed the ducks in the local pond and for a special treat my dad would go for a beer at the Castle pub and bring us out lemonade and crisps as a special treat. On some occasions if my mum could afford it she would let us go to the Kingfisher swimming pool which was attached to a Hotel, as children we would all go there for the day but, we had to stay on the public side and I always wondered why because the private side did not seem any different!! South Woodford will always be dear to my heart and the happy memories I had of my child hood, particularly living and growing up in Priory Close, no one had any money but my mum always had a neighboour who would help us out as we would them. When I travel throught South Woodford now I hardly recognise it, it is so congested and busy I think the change came when the area was taken out of local council control and became part of Redbridge, which is what is now called progress. I hope my reminiscanse has sparked some memories for other people who lived in that area all those years ago Posted: 29/12/2007 00:37 by First Name Last Name |
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 Woodford Green, High Road c1955 (ref: W132018) |
Year: 1944
A well remembered book shop A memory of Woodford Green, Essex I moved away from Woodford Green many years ago and have lived in various places since, but I still recognise Woodford Green as my home town. I have 3 vivid memories of my time living with my gran just off the green in Fairlite Avenue. The first being the trips to the book shop on the corner of Woodford Green, High Road with my gran who at the time was head cook at the Sunset Road Junior School, I would wait for her until she left work then we would both walk to the book shop where there was always a selection of secondhand annuals with pop up pictures and gran, once or twice a week depending on funds, would buy me an annual and I can remember to this day some 60 years on the excitement first of choosing my annual then once I got home of turning the pages and being facinated by the wonderful pop up pictures. It was from these books I learned to read. My second memory is somewhat more dramatic. I recall walking to school and passing for the umpteenth time the church just off Johnson Road, having got to school being rushed down into some shelters, hearing a huge explosion, being sent home early and passing not the splendid church but now a pile of rubble. It's now the site of The James Hawky Hall. My third and last vivid memory is even to this day a very sad one. It's of the "Lady in White" who walked every single day, irrespective of the weather condition, in her bridal dress, from Snarebrook to Woodford Green, High Road where she would wait till late in the afternoon then walk all the way back to her flat in Snaresbrook. According to my gran she had been making this trip from a period after the First World War, she was certainly making it into the late fifties. I had cause to work in her flat in, I believe, 1956 and was shocked and saddened to see the terrible state she was in, her face was covered in white powder and rouge, her wedding dress was filthy and the bottom torn and frayed from years of dragging across the ground. I was always led to believe that her attire and her pilgrimage related to a lost loved one during WW1. Last edited: 28/07/2008 13:56 by Geoff Duff |
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Woodford Green, High Road c1955 (ref: W132018) |
Year: 1900s
Goldsmith and Guinness Families. A memory of Woodford Green, Essex I remember being taken by a family member to see their old home in Woodford Green, their parents had lived there all of their lives. One of the family's great-great-grandfathers named Goldsmith was a domestic coachman and the families lived all around the area. Some of the children of the family in the early part of the 20th century went to Churchfields School I believe and also Woodford Bridge. One relation Jack Goldsmith was a pupil there and later was killed on the First Day of the Somme. Other family lived at Doddinghurst and Swallows Cross. Another relation was a great-great-grandfather, George Dowler, who was a draper and costumier around Woodford. I have a lovely photo possibly of King George's Jubilee. It is of all of the local men and this great-great-grandfather, in a top hat, outside the Jubilee Hall. I also have an autographed programme of the day that Jack Hobbs the cricketer came to speak at a dinner at the Woodford Mens Club. Last edited: 11/08/2008 08:35 by Susan Dyke |
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