South Ockendon memories
Here are memories of South Ockendon and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of South Ockendon or a South Ockendon photo.
Good Times
My parents moved into a prefab in Foxglove Crescent when I was 2. They were still assembling them and German prisoners of war were building the foundations. Compared to my nan's house they had everything, including an electric fridge which was unheard of then. The only problem was that in the winter everything froze solid inside, windows, wardrobe doors etc because they were all metal. We used to go to the village to buy broken biscuits and yesterday's bread and cakes. There was a village school which I attended in 1948 and got the cane on the first day. I don't think they liked Prefab kids. I stayed there until Mardyke School opened and then went to Ockendon Lennard County Secondary School on the new Aveley Estate in September 1954. The Headmaster was Mr Ernie Barratt, apart from him I seem to remember most of the teachers would cane you as soon as look at you. Mind you there were 50 kids in a class then, even so there were... Read more
Mardyke School
This photo is of Mardyke School in Cruick Avenue, South Ockendon. I lived in Elwick Road just 100 yards around the corner and attended Mardyke (Infants and Juniors) between 1954 and 1960. The photo has been taken from the main school gates in Cruick Avenue and the infants' playground is shown. The flower border to the right of the pavement in the foreground was always stocked full of roses. It was a great school and I very much enjoyed my time there - Mr Smith was my form teacher in my final year (1960). Others in my class included Terry Rampling, Robert Lees, Peter Cecil, Malcolm Smith, Marilyn Mayger, Linda Kindell, John Banyard.
Memory Lane
My family used to live in Celandine Close, number 20 from 1959 to 1964 where we moved to Carnach Green. I have two brothers, David and John Colley, the three of us went to Benyon School then on too Sommers Heath and Culverhouse. My memories of Celendine are very poor but I do remember my neighbour having geese, I never did know why. We went to Grays by train, green it was. We had sherbert from the little shop next to the alloment. Llife was so simple then. If anyone wants to contact me through this site my name is Ann Colley.
HAPPY DAYS
We lived in South Ockendon from 1957 until the 1960s and they were the happiest years of my life. My father was Mr Edward Bailey who was caretaker of Benyon School and the family lived in the school house, Mum, Ann, David and me Joy. Dad was a lay reader at St Nicholas Church on the green and he was in the choir and Church Warden too. I went to school at Benyon and then Culverhouse, had a wonderful childhood and now in my sixties look back over happy memories.
South Ockendon
We too lived on this street, half-way down on the left in fact. I remember the Spicers, I used to babysit Christopher.
My Place of Birth
I was born in one of those prefabs halfway down on the righthand side, number twenty three in fact. My mum and dad must have thought they`d gone to heaven, moving from a blitzed east end tenemant with a shared outside toilet to a detached "bungalow" with its own facilities and garden I remember the road just as in the picture: empty of cars. My dad was one of the first to get a car, well a van in fact, a Ford 100e. He bought a bench seat out of a trolley bus in a scrap yard to put in the back so he could take the family out.
Fond Memories
In the late 1950s my pocket money earner was a paper round in Ockendon. On Saturday mornings all the paper boys would take their collected money (safe in those days) and cash in at Mrs Hall's Cafe in the village. Johnny Kiss was a sort of manager with Alan Hall and Derek Hall. Our meagre wages would then all be spent on fizzy drinks and sweets. It was worth the clout round the ear from Dad. In those days you could walk across the fields (GKN's wasn't there then) or you could go through the prefabs and over the kissing gate (the zig zag bridge wasn't there either. Oh happy days.
School Freinds
I remember Jimmy Redpath and Peter Sutton, we were in the same class at Benyon Juniors School, also other names in class were David Clifford, Jimmy Dunn, Billy Stanton, Vernon Smith, John Owen, Leonard Smallwood, Tommy Tucker, Elaine Smith, Gillian Dennis. Tommy Tucker and Jimmy Redpath were good freinds. I lived in Larkspur Road from 1951 to 1960.
Cheelson Road.
My Mum and I moved to Cheelson Road, South Ockendon from Plaistow in 1955 when I was 3, Dad was away in the Merchant Navy so took no part in the actual move. Cheelson Road was only built on one side with a row of bungalows built in the 1930s by Wilsons The Builders whos offices and yard were next to the old Methodist Chapel, now disused now I think and that is next to a Tesco store now. I have vivid memories of the High Street prior to the prefabs being demolished as having shiplap planked buildings particularly Mr Blow's Forge and hardware shop which would have been twenty or thirty yards behind where the photographer would be stranding taking the photo in 1955, it had a wide open front which horses and vehicles could be brought in. He also had another barn type building opposite where the Post Office was. I went to Benyon Infant and Junior Schools and I remember a date of 1839 on the wall... Read more
The Mardyke
We used run down the hill past Ford Place to the Mardyke stream where we fished for hours for tiddlers. There was also a bluebell wood nearby where we found primroses and wild roses in the summer. They are wonderful childhood memories, we lived at 202, Broxbourne Drive on the Aveley Estate!
A Long Time Ago
My father Leonard Alfred Passfield was born in South Ockendon, in 1916 to Fred Passfield and Emily Jane who lived in North Street. Many are the stories he told me of his early life in South Ockendon. He had three brothers, Ken, Ernie and Fred who had a club foot. My father joined 'The First Battalion the Essex Regiment' at Warley Barracks when he was 17 years old and was in for around 12 years. My grandmother had a sister Gert (Gertrude) Starnes who lived in the same area and who I had the pleasure of meeting on several occasions. I would love to hear from anyone who recognises the names and that of a family called Pack. My name is Robert Passfield and my e-mail is: bopass@ntlworld.com I am very pleased to have found this site and look forward to anyone getting in touch with me. R.F.Passfield (Bob)
Mixed Memories
My family lived in and around South Ockendon for many years. I was born in 1965 in Romford. I went to Shaw County Primary School from aged 4, then to Lennards for years 1 and 2 finally at Culverhouse until I left school in the eighties. I have some really good memories of Ockendon, sad too as my Dad passed away while we lived there - which changed the course of my life. I can remember so vividly being at Shaw and how much I hated Maths and still do! I love the photo's on this website, I have never seen them before. I have passed through a few times with my husband and now my two children and it brings back some amazing memories. I remember walking to school across the railway bridge, picking up a copy of Jackie magazine on the way. Some great memories of the Royal Oak pub!!! South Ockendon memories have travelled with me to all... Read more
Happy Days
I lived in South Ockendon from 1961-1967. Our home was a cold, damp prefab in Tamarisk Rd. I went to Culverhouse Secondary and had a Sat/Sun job in the Esso garage which can just be seen in one of the photo's for sale on this site. Despite living in basic accomadation and attending a miserable school, I look back on my years in Ockendon with great affection. I had two fine friends (Jim Redpath and Pete Sutton) and loved the quiet rural atmosphere of the village after being born in London. I have not been back since 1967, but I see from the internet that there has been gret change. I am pleased to see the 'Royal Oak' is still there, and Ockendon Railway Station looks just as I remembered. This is a great site for memories, so if anyone remembers me or my two good friends, please add whatever recollections you may have.
Wonderful Childhood
I have just found this site and I wonder if anybody remembers my dad who was the local milkman? My name is Maureen and I have a sister called Carol, we lived in Larkspur Road, we had wonderful times.
Lost Times
My memories are of Okenden in the early days, my father was born there and was from a family of 11 children, he was called Arthur Oakley, he lived there when the local bobby walked the streets pushing his pushbike, and if he did any wrong he got clipped around the ear. He worked at Ham River Quarry where he used to take me and show me all the places he spent time as a child, so when I visited there there was always plenty of people to visit, and stories from the older families, they lived in Church Crescent, South Okenden, it would be nice if anyone lived there could say hi, I know it's many years ago as I am nearly 60, and I spent time when I was about 10, also my uncle who was called Thomas Oakley, he told me of times when they were not allowed out until they had picked a bag of carrots after school. One story I was told was when the... Read more
Memories of Essex
Where I Live
This is where I now live,backing onto the Rec,all the toys for the childen have now gone but new ones been put up over by the old tenns courts which is now an carpark.
I have lived at Hall Avenue since 1989
Where I Lived
This is where I lived between 1966-1984,above the Read Brothers newsagent in Hall Road,there is only two shops there now,one is still the newsagent and the other is closed at the moment,the rest of the six shops are now flats for the disabled.
Read Brothers
My mother and father worked for Mr Read between 1966 and 1987, most of the time around the Hall Road shop but later in the mid to late 1980's also up in the High Street shop, which has been pulled down and an new shop built.
Mr Read died in the late 1990's and since then the shops have been sold - the High Street is not the same now.
The Old School
This School was in Love Lane but has now been pulled down and houses have been built on the site, this has only been done in the last 4 years or so.
My brother Andy Brown went to this school before going up to the bigger one, the school then became part of the Thurrock Tec in the 1980's.
Dacre Avenue
My friend Dionne Page lived here, Number 10 if I remember right, well the house on the corner......had just left school, Aveley Comp, as it was then called. Dionne's dad use to call us "THE BLACK FOOT TRIBE". That summer we used to hang out at Johnny Cobbs stables, the best summer ever. Many memories. Dee where are you now. Would love to hear from you.
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