South Chingford

Buses

We moved to Leonard Road Chingford in 1951. I particularly remember the trolley buses and how the poles on the top used to come off and the conductor would get a long bamboo cane from under the bus to rehook the pole onto the electric cable
I also remember Larkswood lido, the Odeon cinema at Chingford Mount. After attending Chase Lane Primary School I went to Wellington Avenue Secondary Modern School near Ridgeway Park. I wonder if it is still there. I used to go conkering in the cemetry on Chingford mount - lots of chestnut trees.

Chingford after the Second World War

I remember when Rossis ice-cream opened and free vouchers were worth more than gold. Rossis shop was right by the last bus stop before the trolley bus turned around and headed back to London. On the corner, a few shops along, was I think Freeman Hardy & Willis the shoe shop, and around the corner was Barkers of Chingford, the bicycle shop where my mum bought my first bike. Around the parade other shops were: Evans the greengrocers, Dysons the butchers and grocers shop, then a real estate agent. Across Chingford Mount Road was Lists the baker, hot fresh bread every day. There was Woolworths, Chain Library and a tobacco shop then The Prince Albert pub. Around the corner from Evans the greengrocer was Maynards the sweet shop, handy for the Odeon cinema where we went to the Saturday morning flicks. I still have a cirtificate presented by Mr Poole to me for a painting competition I won. Across from the Odeon was a restaurant called The Chingford Inn where my mum would take us after a trip to the Walthamstow High Street, years later I would take my girlfriend there, our favourite meal was always a treat, two fried eggs and chips. I was born in Chingford in Sewardstone Road, now Waltham Way, in June 1937, not far from the Old Hall Tavern. I lived with my grandparents in Takeley in Essex during the war but was back in Chingford to see the doodle bugs and V2s. We had both Anderson and Morrison shelters, and being young and dopey we were never scared. At school I went to Chase Lane and can remember buying Oxo cubes for one penny at this little shop called called the Cabin in Hall Lane. After junior school I went to Wellington Avenue Secondary Modern at the top of Chingford Mount. Cycle speedway was popular after the war, and we had real speedway at Walthamstow, 'up the wolves', Jim Boyd, Charlie May and all the rest. Then we had Larkswood pool, Connaught Waters, the River lea, Epping Forest and even the Southend lights. Chingford was a great place to have grown up in and we are now far away, me and that girl I used to take to the Chingford Inn.

South Chingford parks and Lakes.

I was born in March 1939 and lived in South Chingford 1939-66.  Frances Road 1940-47 and Underwood Road (Ropers Farm Estate) 1947-66.
I loved Chingford and still do.  I regularly visit Chingford and was there only yesterday 15.07.08.  I still have a cousin in Chingford and I am sadly selling my late cousin Peggy's house in Grove Road.
I firstly went to New Road School (briefly) then onto Selwyn Avenue - and then onto Wellington Avenue (Wellington Boot) (Maths master was a nightmare).
I loved the parks and lakes - not much homework got done as a result.
I remember the war years - hearing the sirens and having to (a few times) dive into the Mount shelter on the way home from New Road School.
We mainly used to play in Larkswood at the top of our road,  the Memorial Park, Highams Park lake and the Larkswood playing fields-formerly had wartime shelters etc there.
We used to go to the Saturday morning pictures at the Odeon up the Mount, Mr. Paul the manager (we come along - on Saturday mornings) - sixpence to go in - 9d upstairs) and loved the varied items the Odeon put on there. Cartoons, news, documentary bit and the main film. In those days, the films often entailed a car chase - looking out of the back window - and seeing the chasing car crashing and bursting into flames, didn't they. Always remembered the Laurel and Hardy film where the cook 'skins them alive' and they are then shown to be walking skeletons. Pretty horrible and I have never seen that film shown in modern times. Same as the Sinbad film - where Captain Hook's hook is shown to hook into the man's chest skin - never seen that version in modern times.
We used to walk through Chingford cemetery  on the way to school and collected cemetery  conkers en route.  That was the only somewhat 'naughty' thing we did in there - always had the proper respect for the graves - these days there has been vandalism going on in there - such a shame.
We loved Woolies up the Mount and always got our Xmas pressies in there. There is a shop 'Martins' in Gt Yarmouth that has got a full range - in use - of  old Woolies counters. I can't stand the modern Woolies display layout.
I live in Colchester with my wife Lynn.  Have two grown up daughters and two grandchildren. I am on Friends Reunited   'Robert Randall'
Kind regards,
Bob Randall

Life as a child and teenager in S. Chingford (1939-1960)

I lived in Chingford from 1939, when I was born, to 1960 when I left to get married, and moved to Rayleigh, Essex. I remember the war years, and going down the shelter at Chingford Mt. when the siren went off. I used to go to Normanhurst School in N. Chingford, and we had to get under the desks when the siren went. I loved Saturday morning pictures at the Odeon, and going to Woolworths with my mother. She is buried in Chingford Cemetary and also my father. Later I went to Walthamstow High School for Girls, and used to go on the trolley buses. I have lived in Canada since 1967, and miss the old days, and hope to get back one of these days in the future.

war days in chingford 1939-46

up to the age of seven from 1939- 46 i lived in middleton close i to remeber the war years , walking across sopers farm to feed the pigs on acorns , catching newts in the little pond , which is now unfortunatly rugby field and golf range, one of my aunts use to be a conductress on the trolly buses during the war, we use to have some wonderful christmas's when all the uncles came home from there different services train sets would come out and sing songs on the piano, do you remeber the three penny rush on a saturday morning rush to see hoppalong cassidy at the odeon, i think it was the A.B.C.minors club. all gone now but memories will always stay.trips on the rowing boats at connaught waters , maynards sweet shop next to the odeon 2 ounces of sweets a week with the ration book.moved away for a few years then married and ended up in 15 middleton ave for 35 years then went to wales but hopefully coming home again to essex.

Blue Lamp, Buses and a broken arm

Used to wait for a trolley bus here which took the family to see Granny and Grandpa at Winchmore Hill. Always great excitement. Remember waiting here for my father to return from a builders' trip to Rotterdam - wonderful to see his face
in the bus window - probably from Liverpool Street station on the 38 bus.

Remember standing in the queue at the cinema. It was my treat for having taken the scholarship. I so wanted to see the Blue Lamp, but the queue was too long and we couldn't get in. And, in case you're interested (not a lot, I hear you say!) I fell down outside the Albert pub and broke my arm. This caused great merriment among the family because I was only 10 years old at a time and couldn't have
been "boozing"!

The photo looking down Old Church Road shows the fence of the cemetery on the left where the Kray brothers and mother are buried. On the right, the turning is Priory Avenue where I was born and lived until 1954. Used to stand in the garden and watch flying bombs heading towards St. Paul's Cathedral - it was better for us than the ones coming overhead!

Chingford

As I attended school at St. Egberts College on Ridgeway in North Chingford, we did on occasion get to go swimming at Larkswood Pool. Swimming in any pool was a treat for most of us as the only 'swimming' we usually did was at the sea-side on summer holidays. It wasn't till later in 1947 after we moved to Elm Park Essex, that I had the opportunity to go to Kennylands School, a summer school at Sonning Common near Reading. Here I met and fell for a young lady named Thelma.
We dated and finally got engaged. However after promising she would follow me to Canada, she changed her mind and returned the ring to my parents. Then she decided to marry another. During our courting days she lived with her parents in South Chingford at 33 St. Johns Road, right near Larkswood Pool.