Hither Green Lane

A Memory of Lewisham.

From Martin's description it sounds as if he lived in Hither Green Lane [as did I in the 50s and 60s] There were allotments behind the houses, an inevitable draw, since we were forbidden to go there, and would be shouted at and chased if seen. But up at 'our' end the grass was long and we were less likely to be spotted. There was a huge rusty tank sunk into the ground, bright green pnd weed on the top of the stagnant water. If you were very lucky you could catch a newt in it. Amazing that we never fell in or caught some terrible disease, come to think of it.
I also remember the bushes in Mountsfield Park, scene of 'camps' in the long summer holidays, when we would go out to play early in the morning and not return until tea time. Again we would get shouted at and chased out if heard by a park keeper, and there was the additional danger of older kids looking for small kids to bully. In the playground there were wide wooden dome rides that whirled around as fast as we could get them to go, and another ride where you hung on to ropes and swung round again as fast as you could go. The idea was to look cool as you let go of your rope and flew off, hopefully not falling over but casually running to a just-vacated swing. The swings were on very long chains and you could, if especially brave, almost kick the leaves on the old chestnut trees. It was kid heaven - long days in the park, no anxious mums watching over us, in fact no-one adult at all. The only danger seemed to be older kids.
In the 50s there were still bomb sites as well, with great potential for adventure. There was a large one next to our school, St Mary's, where an old people's home was eventually built. It doesn't need saying that we were forbidden to go there. But of course we did.
One day my friend and I, aged maybe 8, began walking in the unfamiliar streets behind Hither Green Station. Somehow we came across Manor Park, which seemed like a secret wonderland, with a big lake and manor house. When we tried to find it again, we couldn't, adding to its mystery.
...The things described above were 'adventures' then, and we were happy....

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