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Woodford
Woodford maps
Historic maps of Woodford and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Woodford maps
Woodford area books
Displaying 1 of 13 books about Woodford and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Woodford
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A Well Remembered Toy Shop
Oh yes, the War was on during this time. Shops were open their regular hours. The locals bought their necessities and everyone came and went as usual. The general feeling was 'To Hell With Hitler, we will carry on regardless'.
This also meant birthdays for children went on like normal. My aunt from Manchester, Auntie Burley, came to visit us at Buckhurst Hill. While here she would help celebrate my birthday, June 21st. This year she wanted to buy me something different than socks or a jumper. She said: "We are going shopping, just you and I. I would like you to have something of your own choice as a special treat."
It didn't take me long to decide what I wanted. We boarded the 10A bus at the top of Hills Road and headed to Woodford Green. Right across from the pond near the corner, was a big toy shop. They had a large selection of Dinky Toys. The one I wanted was the Barrage Ballon Lorry. It was... Read more
Goldsmith And Guinness Families.
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.
A Well Remembered Book Shop
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... Read more
Woodford Bridge And St Paul's Church
I grew up living in Moreton Gardens, my maiden name was Nicholls. I have 2 sisters Pat and Laura. My dear mum used to take us to church every Sunday morning, and I used to sing in the choir. I have some great memories of the jumble sales we had in the church hall, I would rummage through all the stuff to see if there was anything I could have. It's been a long time since I have been back to England, I now live in Queensland in Australia. I have the best memories of growing up on the council estate. I went to Roding Junior School then on to St Barnabas. I look forward to seeing photos in the future.
Anne Westbrook
Wartime Memory
Not sure of the date but I remember the church being destroyed. I had just become old enough to join the fire service as a youth messenger and I was in the fire station at the top of Snakes Lane when the incident occurred. The engines turned out and when I got home I was severely told off by my mother as we had passed her clearing up the shattered glass in Johnston Road and I had not jumped off the engine to help. We were running the Cofee Bean Cafe at the time, during the air raids we took urns of tea down the shelters during the night. But I found out how hard cows are, cycling as fast as possibly heading down to the Fire Station after an alert one night and ran straight into a cow's belly - I was picked up by an air-raid warden comatose, have been like it ever since!
King's Avenue And Its Surrounds
I was born at 41 King's Avenue in 1947 and left the area in 1959. My brothers were born at the nursing home at end of the road. I remember particularly the shops Le Bonbon, Pudicombes, Sainsbury's (where we serverd at separate counters and paid at the back - complete with an overhead system for getting money to cashier), Tom (the fishmonger), the clock shop and the ironmongers - all on the left as you walked to the station. On the other side was the tobacconist, off licence (my used to buy 2 bottles of IPA on a Saturday), the post office with stationary area where I bought my pens for school. School was Braeside at Buckhurst Hill for me and St Albans for my brothers. Holidays were blissful, always outdoors with many hours spent in Knighton Woods, building dams, and playing hide and seek with a gang of friends, all on bikes. I also did ballet at Constance G. Gerard's ballet school also on King's Avenue. Shows were put on at... Read more
Picture Ref W132016
I was a pupil at Woodford Green Prep form 1945 to 1951. During that time I remember watching the demolition of the north wall of the the bombed building which was pulled down, and I suggest took place in '48/9? For safety reasons the work was not undertaken until the school had closed for the day, and we stood along the road to watch the event. The school entrance at that time was where the pillared gates are shown in this picture. I suggest therefore this picture is circa 1945.
