Sidcup memories
Here are memories of Sidcup and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Sidcup or a Sidcup photo.
Chislehurst & Sidcup School For Girls
My parents were so pleased when I won a scholarship to the Sidcup branch of the school and my father bought me the new-fangled biro (was there a propelling pencil the other end?) as a present. Mum could only afford one set of uniform and it had to be washed every other night. I can't now recall many names of my classmates but can see most of their faces in my mind's eye. I can't remember the teacher's name!). She taught shorthand and typing and was very tall and elegant. She used to sign the last letter of her surname with a capital "R" - so, as I was LockyeR, I too copied her. Very swish, I thought. There was Barbara Payne who lived in a flat at the bottom of Station Road; Joan West, Sheila Fagin, etc. The Headmistress was Miss Anderson and her deputy was Miss Wayeth. They were wonderful, as in 1951 my little... Read more
Shops
I remember a shop on this parade where you could take a broken dolly to be repaired in a ' hospital. I lived in Blackfen, so only a short walk down to the Oval.
Or you could ride on a single decker bus.
Reception
Opposite this parade of shops was the Station Hotel where my wedding reception was held. I got married in Days Lane Baptist Church . Have used that bus stop many times on the way home from dancing classes .
The Oval.
We lived on the corner of the oval adjoining Burnt Oak Road in a flat, 53b, above what was at the time an empty shop. It was wartime and we used to ride our bikes around the empty shop. Out the back was a garden and there was an iron fire escape leading up to the back of the flat. I remember that the bakery on The Oval used a horse and cart for deliveries and if we had a penny we would go in and buy a sticky bun and for a farthing a sweet from the sweet shop. There was also a jewellers shop that was always getting broken into, we would see people casing the joint and hear them break in but when the police came around we acted dumb!
When the sirens went off for a raid we went to the air raid shelters on the green on the opposite side of The Oval, after the war we played in them. My favourite shop was... Read more
Cream Cakes
There was a bakery here. We would come from school, Alma Road Secondary Modern, and ask for "Any stales" from the bakery. For 3d or so we'd get a big bag full of cream cakes, doughnuts etc. My favourite was the cream filled eclair. Most times the cakes weren't what I considered stale, I think the women in the shop gave us some of the fresh ones. Anyway we loved them. It wouldn't be allowed today.
G.Jarrold
Christmas Eve
One cold Christmas Eve my brothers and I were out shopping with Mum. It was dark and we had just bought some tree decorations. I was excited, I was 6 years old. I saw a red light in the sky. My older brothers told me that it was Rudolph's red nose shining and leading Santa's sleigh. I believed and watched the light until it disappeared.
St Mary's College
Ah the old school and the playground, finally moved to the Sidcup bi-pass corner with purpose built buildings and a sports field.
Manor Road, Sidcup
I was born in Farnborough hospital in June 1956. My mother is Austrailian and my father grew up in and around Bridgwater in Somerset. From the period of 1956 -1960 we lived in the top flat at 12 Manor Road (now sadly gone), the family living below us were (I think) called Russell. Mum and dad had friends called Mike and Carol. I went to the local primary school, we had to wear shortgrey trousers, dark blue duffle coats, black and white striped scarfs. It might have been Birnbeck, or something like that. I can't remember too much about Sidcup as we left there when I was only 4 or 5 years old. I do remember the large and noisy train station filled with steam and smoke and the big red buses. I was taken to the park which turned out to be Regents Park Zoo to see the giant pandas, the tigers and monkeys etc. It wasn't longer before my mum and dad Peter and Gwen Bishop discovered I... Read more
Heath Stores
My parents opened a grocery store at the bottom of Hatherley Road in 1960. It had been a corn chandlers before run by the Jennings family. Dad redesigned the shop on "modern " lines as a mini supermarket. I have many happy memories of our time living above the shop. My brother and I would often take the grocery orders to the big houses in Hatherley Road and met many interesting people. We were there when the snow fell and we had the "big freeze" in 1963. That was where I heard President Kennedy had been shot. All formative memories of that time for me. I went to school at the convent at the top of Hatherley road. Every Saturday morning was spent at "Saturday morning pictures" - lots of fun! We seemed to have a lot of freedom and Sidcup was a safe place to grow up.
Sidcup High Street
Just looking at this photo brings a lump to my throat. We lived in Blackhorse Road just off the High Street. The shop in the photo is on the corner of Blackhorse Road. I was 15 yrs old in 1965 and the Beatles were topping the charts and Mods & Rockers were the latest thing! My Dad had a fruit & veg stall at top of Hadlow Road and my Mum did all her grocery shopping in Cave Austin. Fish from Pearce Bros, meat from butchers (there were 3 butchers then to choose from). Ham and cheese from David Greigs. Fresh bread from Tidmarshes on St John's parade. As a teenager I worked in Woolworths in the High Street on Saturdays, it was wonderful. I even got a holiday job in Dorothy Perkins. No shops there any more, it's all very sad, even Wooly's has gone.
We went to St Lawrences RC church every Sunday all of us married there, kids baptised there and sadly parents funerals there. I still... Read more
Starting Life in Sidcup
We lived in Tooting and My Father got a job at sidcup bus garage in Febuary we moved into sidcup in March April I remember watching the world cup that year with my Mum at our new house. Great times !!!!
Memories of Kent
The Pub
i can remember being paid 1p for every empty glass i collected from this pub just out of shot on the left back in the 1970's.
Also the toy shop and chip shop just round the bend on this picture.
The Old Mill
I remember The Old Mill from 1975, it seems a long time to me. My then husband and I were assistant managers for what was then Schooner Inns Steak Houses. We worked there about 8 months just after we were married, our living quarters were on the top floor, along with others such as the chef, we only had the one room, but we worked so hard, we hardly spent any time in there. The steak house then was very busy espcially Saturday nights and Sundays. I remember it was so quirky up and down different levels and the river running right through the middle. Good memories. Our name then was Werner and Judith Wisniewski. As if anyone remembers us?
Hillsgrove School
school site
Happy Families
We lived on Red Hill from 1964 for 21 years. Both our daughters attended the school illustrated. Our house is now a busy doctors' surgery. Many of the houses in the village were taken down for the building of a large Sainsbury's store. The trees that lined the road were removed in order to widen the main road.
Happy Childhood Memories
I was 4 years old when I was placed in St Michael's home for children in Chislehurst. My brother and I lived at St Michael's for 6 years. I remember St Nicholas School, the church, our Sunday walks and the beautiful home. In those days Mr and Mrs North were in charge and I can honestly say they were some of the happiest days of my life. We had the freedom to explore the commons and the surrounding village and made many friends. I have since lived around the world and have lived here in the States for the past 36 years. My husband and I recently visited Chislehurst - things are still the same - the common, the school, the church are all still there. The home 'St Michael's' is no longer, but the house is there - turned into private residents - but still exactly as I remember it. I shall always cherish my memories of my childhood in that beautiful place.
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