East Wickham And Welling A Magical Time A Magical Life

A Memory of Welling.

My family moved into Darenth Road in 1960 - we were the first in our street and watched the rest of the houses being built around us. There was nothing but mud, wheelbarrows and workmen. My dad's family moved into Dryden Road in the late 30's, so our connection with Welliing and East Wickham ended when my Mum died in 2011 and when our Uncle Bon died in 2012. Our connection with Welling and East Wickham lasted 80 years until like a puff of smoke, it was gone.
Welling was the most wonderful place in the world for a kid. Woolworths, Ferari's, Eric Spencer, The Court Ballroom, Maynes, Churches, the Wimpy Bar and the magical Granada, not to mention the obligatory portion of chips on the way home. I remember getting lost on one of my Mum's shopping trips with all us kids in tow and being rescued by a cake shop in Bellegrove Road, just up a bit from Woolworths. I was treated to an afternoon of cream cakes because all the ladies in the shop took pity on me, and I was most reluctant to move when my Mum came and found me!
Whole summers were spent in Danson Park, Lodge Hill swing park, the Fanny on the Hill, Rockcliffe Gardens. In the 60's there used to be a tramp and he would visit the area every summer -we only knew him as Smokey Joe. My friend Kim from next door and I used to go Christmas Carolling - we were always trying to make money with milk rounds and paper rounds, and one year we knocked on Doctor Bush's house in Wickham Street and was invited in. Doctor Bush's daughter who I think was about 5 then sang for us so we were treated to an audience with Kate Bush (but at that time we didn't know it was 'the' Kate Bush). A magical time...a magical life.