Lewisham In The Late 1940's And Early 1950's

Was this the Royeston House School opposite a large hospital, near Ladywell Park? I went there from 1953-1958. I can't find anything about what happened to the school.

Thanks for your comment Pat. Yes, it was opposite ( or very nearly ) the then Lewisham Hospital. I know this without looking, because as a small boy I fell over a banister when at Royeston House and was taken over the road for a bit of a nose-bleed clean up. No lasting damage. I left Royeston House after seeing the funeral of the Queen's father on tv at school. So perhaps I was there as late as'51/'52. I remember the fearsome headmistress (Miss or Mrs Buckington, or was it Buckingham ?) the humourless Miss Wiggington (sic?) and Madame Farquar ( yeah, really ) who taught French. As for Ladywell. I'm sure I used to go as a nine and 10 y.o. to Ladywell Baths. I assume that's gone too. If you've any more details about Royeston I'd be interested to hear more. Cheers All.

Hello Paul. I remember playing hockey in Ladywell Park,and seeing the Queen go past in an open car, before the Coronation. We all had flags. I remember the headmistress, and Miss Christian, who was very strict. I also remember the Quaggy, Chiesmans and the Rex Cinema, where I saw my first film, the Conquest of Everest. Happy memories.

Hi Pat ( me again ), I'd completely forgotten "Miss. Christian". But you jogged my memory. Of course I too recall the "Quaggy", Chiesmans and "the Rex", where I saw "Drums Along The Mohawk" as a dazzled 8 or 9 year old. As for Royeston House, I might add that I can still recall the way that the school was then divided into the rather antiquated idea of "houses". Scott, Wilson, Shackleton and ( Evans ? ). You get the picture. Constructed as examples of good character to inspire the pupils I guess. Coincidentally, and years later as a news cameraman in Australia, I shot an interview with the captain's son Sir Peter Scott in maybe late 1970's at the Melbourne Zoo (can't quite recall what for). You might recall also that Royeston House had a communal hall with a rickety stage from where the staff could beadily keep an eye on their pupils at assembly ( when wet ) and also what was laughingly but perhaps understandably referred to as lunchtime. I still harbour a terror of 'semolina' as it was a staple desert, the consumption of which was seemingly mandatory and appeared to be coloured with a food dye. Bleaah ! School-cooked meals were likely government regulated though most of the edible tucker appeared to disappear over the Channel to keep Germany from going Bolshie. Leastways that's what my late Dad used to say. Coal too. Thanks for your postings, any more on Royeston ? Paul.

Does anyone remember a teacher called Miss Levi at Hamilton house school?
I think it was a paying school and I was there for about a year in around 1954-55

Hi Keshar, Paul here ( from Down Under ). I attended Hamilton House for a few years before we immigrated in July 1955. The name "Miss Levi" does ring a bell, although I would not be able to identify the face from the whole-school photo which I have someplace. Though I better remember the Head Master Mr Rawlinson and my favourite teacher, Mrs Eccles. Less pleasant was the nasty Miss Anderson, a rather spiteful old spinster, who took my brother's class and the ghastly, ancient, squat woman in who's class I ended up. The latter ( I seem to have deliberately forgotten her name ) a good enough reason to emigrate ! Yes, it was a fee-paying school, situated in an old, rambling Victorian pile. Still, I mostly enjoyed the pals I made. I hope you don't mind me speculating here, but could "Keshar" be a non-Anglo-Saxon (girls? ) name? For I do also remember a girl who might fit this description in my class about my own age ( 9 or 10 at the time ) though I can't recall whether this actually was her name. It would be extraordinary indeed if you were she. Looking forward to hear a response. Cheers anyway. Paul Fuller.

I was at Hamilton House from 1952 -59. I remember Mrs Anderson, The Principal Mr Rawlinson, Miss Hayward, Miss Francis but not a Miss Levi. You may recall my mother Mrs Mellish. She was a part-time teacher there, filling in when staff were sick or something. She was memorable as she was crippled in the war , her legs were badly disfigured and she walked with the aid of a stick.
I am still in touch with David Shaw and Railton Kelly who I was at school with along with Susan Green, Sally Hicks, Ann Denton, Kim Arnold, JohnHolland and John Houghton.

Hi Barry, This Paul Fuller ( from Down under ) It's not often I spot an ex-Hamilton House student from the early 1950's.As I mentioned in an earlier posting, I had forgotten the name 'Miss Hayward'. She was one of my teachers and quite fearsome. Ancient, squat, unpleasant and given to "clipping" one around the ear for even imaginary transgressions. I do remember Rawlinson, Levi, and also a Mrs. Eccles who was my teacher for a year. I don't recall the students you mention though. How's about Peter Seaforth ( his dad was Victor Seaforth a standup comic in his day ). Roger Venables, Stephen Ross ( an old friend from those days, but sadly now deceased ), several named 'Alan'. These guys were my class-mates.That's about it. I've already commented earlier about the dreadful Miss Anderson. No doubt long departed. I do recall a Mrs. Mellish, also a Mrs.Mumphrey who took P.T., but also got seconded for what was laughingly called "craft". Like banging holes in bottle-tops and threading through with wire. Can't recall the point of this, if there ever was one. Maybe it had to do with post-war shortages etc. I still have a couple of class and school photos from that time. From Down Under it all seems million miles away. Glad to hear from you mate. Looking forward to any future postings you might make. You'll find several of mine already posted. Cheers, Paul Fuller ( Melbourne )

Paul, If it is not a rude/personal question how old are you? I was born in October 1947. I know that I started school early - I think I was four when I started. Miss Payne was another teacher - I think you took the reception class. I left off the names Rosemary Sheppard - now Holden. Rosemary lives only 400yards from me in Bromley.
When I first started school we lived in Woodstock Court the block of flats opposite the start of Newstead Road. Another school name in Tommy Holgate - his parents ran the chemists in Lee.

Hi Barry. Not a rude question at all mate. I'm 72 ( b.1945 ) and would therefore have been at Hamilton House from the age of approx.7, through just turning 10 in mid-1955 when we left for Australia. So it's clear we were at the school same time. Though I'm afraid your name doesn't quite ring a bell ( doesn't matter ). My older and younger brother were either side of me in terms of class year. The one above and the other below, so to speak. I trust you got to see my earlier postings on this page, where you might've picked up a few clues from that. I CAN add that settling into school Down Under at the time was quite the cultural shock. Had to get used to the idea that the term "Pommy B******d" was actually a term of endearment. No school uniforms and ( not kidding ) square-dancing once a week in summer AND, tv a year away. PLUS a funny shaped football. Still, I have clear memories of life in Lee Green and ( for what it's worth ) noticed an on-line news story the other day about a house, visible from our place in Aislibie Road, ( and a few paces from where we lived, had fallen down during renovations. One of the few things in the area that seem to have finally changed. Cheers too, to any ex-Hamilton-House folk, Paul Fuller.

Paul,
What was you younger brothers name? I know that I went to school early so it is possible I was in his class for a while. Can we add photos to this blog? I have a couple of HH and I know that David Shaw also has some.
Take care - Barry

Barry,
My brother's name is Mark and he's eighteen months younger than me. As for the posting of pics, I'm really not sure, being a bit hopeless at that sort of thing anyhow. I did however just locate a 'class-photo' at the time when my teacher was the very nice Mrs. Eccles (1954 ? ). Plus some snaps of me and all my classmates that year at a birthday party of one of them. I do also still have ( though I need to make time FIND it ) a whole-school, panoramic-pic which shows everybody including all the teachers in that particular year ( '52,'53 or '54 ? ) etc etc. I'll post further if anything else occurs to me, or if I'm able at least to describe the full-pan pic mentioned above.Stay tuned. Cheers mate, Paul.

hello all
I'm Trevor Turpin and was at Hamilton House from 1950 until 1958. Seeing these names has done wonders for my memory! I cant remember you Paul (maybe in a year or two above me - I'm 71 now) but I remember you Barry and your mother! I initially lived in Burnt Ash Road (near Holgates Chemist!) but moved in about 1952 to Mottingham and used to take 2 buses to get to Newstead Road!
I think I can picture David Shaw and certainly Ann Denton - are you in touch with any of these people Barry?
I recall all of the teachers including Miss Hayward who was supportive of me for some reason! Another name is Bryn Jones who was the 'sportsmaster' and used to take us on the bus to Grove Park. I have a photo of him and some of us getting ready to play football. It includes Graham Higgs, Pete Tromans, John Kelly and Malcolm Valencia. Did you know that Mr Jones was the uncle of Cliff Jones who was in the Spurs Double winning team of 60-61? Bryn played for Arsenal before the war...he had retired in 1951 having been a coach at Norwich. Whatever was he doing in Lee?!
I could go on but would love to hear from you all and if you have pictures or contacts for any of my old playmates I'd love to hear from you
Trevor

Hi Trevor, There's something about the name 'Trevor Turpin' which rings a bell. Though at the moment I can't put a face to it. We may well have been in the same class as I am of a similar age
( 72 ). My teachers were Mrs. Eccles and then the fearsome, ancient old trout ( I nw think it might have been a Miss Rutherford ? ) who was rather quick with the clip around the ear. Unfortunately none of the names that you mention ( apart from 'Miss Hayward' ) jog my memory. Perhaps you've seen my several earlier posts ( above ) which mention some names, perhaps that might help. I too remember being taken to Grove park to play football. Especially the day when, half-way through the match it's SNOWED like heck and we had to make a dash for the bus ! Must have been early fifties and since I've lived in Australia since 1955 it all seems a million years ago. Funny how some memories stick. I plan to re-visit Lewisham / Lee Green in October '18 and will no doubt take a stroll up Burnt Ash Road, though I know the old school is long gone. I'll keep a look out for any other comments you might post on this and I really MUST locate my old school pics of the period. Love to hear more. Cheers Mate,
Paul Fuller ( Down Under ).

Just looked at the site after a break for some time. Yes I do recall the name Trevor Turpin and Graham Higgs. I am in regular contact with and see David Shaw and Rosemary Sheppard. By one of these e quirks of fate Rosemary lives about 400 yards from me.
David has a great memory for all things Hamilton House so I will send him a link to the site - does anybody know how to upload photos to the site?

I have just asked the site people how (if) we can upload photos. I have one taken of Miss Paynes Class and others taken at a birthday party in Woodstock Court -the flats opposite the end of Newstead Road where we used to live.
Barry

Well done Barry - that’d be great if we can share our photos. I guess that direct link to you is not permitted but just in case, this is my website www.trevorturpin.com.
Do get in touch!
Trevor

Correction - www.trevorturpin.co.uk

Sadly we cannot upload photos

shame!
follow my website link Barry - Paul has some photos to share - including one of you!

Just reading your page bought back memorys, my nan and grandad lived 26 Aislible rd in Lee green there name was moon , his name was les and worked as a baked in the shop in Lee green high at i think it was called something like fisons ?
My mum and her two brothers lived there mum Jean born in 38 her older brother ron and young Paul all went to local schools but not sure which manor house rings a bell , I remember number 26 asilible very well we always felt it very spooky, next door was a mr s Molloy and the other side was mrs Gresham i think , iam now 57 i also have a Christmas photo with a tatty Santa at cheismans store from about 66/67 , sadly mum and uncles all passed so cant asked questions would love to know if anyone can remember the baker in the high st of Mr and Mrs moon , my only other memory is a wall paper on corner of old rd and a man called Jack who lived two doors down i recall he looked like Jack from on the buses .

Hi Keith, Paul Fuller here from Down Under. I see you've been reading the posts at this site.
I started ( scroll to top of the page ) a few years ago and seem to have sparked memories for a few other folk. I do indeed remember the Moon family at the other end of the street. One of the kids I new. He would have been about 9 or 10 in 1955. I have just returned from the UK and Italy and whilst in London took a train to Lewisham, met up with David Shaw who I also discovered on this sight. We both attended Hamilton House School, up Burnt Ash Road ( I think that's the name of the road ) though we didn't know each other at the time. He took me for a stroll around Lee and Lee Green and although I'd visited several times before I learnt a few things new to me. Like... Karl Marx once lived there. Funny you should also have a "tatty" Father Christmas pic from Cheisemans. Mine was taken in the early 1950's so it could have been the same bloke. I do see ( in the pic ) that "Santa" had a spiv-lke moustache beneath the very un-convincing white beard. Unfortunately, I don't recognise the other names in your post. By all means post again if anything comes to mind. Thanks Paul.

Hi Paul thanks for getting back, glad you remember the moons the boy you remember would for been Paul sadly he died couple of years ago. . The Santa in my photo looks like a jolly Santa but I think his outfit could be the same one your spivy Santa had on. I went on line last night and my nans old house is up for sale price £648,000!!!!!!. My grandad could have purchased it just after the war for a couple of hundred . Never mind. Thanks again .

Hi Keith ( again ) Thanks for your post. After all these years I still found the news of Paul Moon's passing strangely affecting. Perhaps this is because our earliest memories are often the most indelible ? Like me, his playground would have been Lee Manor Park, just around the corner. Still there of course and though it rained on my recent visit the atmosphere was just the same. The the rather nice "tea room-cafe" is an addition, put there some time after I left in 1955. Of Aislibie Road , I noticed emerging signs of gentrification, with renovations and alterations to the existing Victorian/Edwardian houses. I was stunned that number 26 is up for sale at 648,000 pounds. This would have been un-thinkable back in the day.

Just spotted your question - I had Mrs Levi as a form teacher - one thing that stuck in my mind was the day she brought in the miniatures of her husbands war medals! Odd thing to remember

Jim Hallinan here. I remember miss Francis, Mrs Massey, and Mrs Spencer. Nee Anderson. I attended Hamilton House from about 1957 until about 1960. I left about a year before the school closed for good. About a year after leaving i had to go to a clinic at Lewisham hospital. Imagine my surprise when all the youngster waiting where from Hamilton House. Turned out that we all had to have the BCG jab. Old Rawlison the Headmaster was dying from or had died of TB. That was the last time I saw any of the old crowd.

Paul Fuller ( from Down Under ) : Hi to all ex- Hamilton House folk. Jim, your post about headmaster Rawlinson was very affecting. Even though I left for Australia mid-1955, I nevertheless recall Mr Rawlinson looking quite gaunt ( even frail ? ) as a rule even then. Consulting my 1954 assembled- school photo confirmed ( at least to me ) this assumption. In any case, I recall he seemed a decent and courtly gent. In short, a benign presence. Which is more than I could say about at least one or two of the teachers. My favourite teacher at the time however was the marvellously named " Mrs. Eccles". I also have my form photo which also includes her. Nice , friendly woman. Cheers.

Hi Paul, Yes he was unwell, sadly I no longer have any photo's of my time there. Back in the mid 1970's, I was home on leave from the Merchant Navy, funnily enough carting coal from Queensland to Europe. I had a spare afternoon so wondered up to the old school to nose around. Both buildings where on the verge of demolition, however and had a peak inside. The floor boards had been removed, and only rafters remained. I managed to have a look in all the classrooms, there was nothing to indicate what the building had once been used for. I was surprised how small the class rooms where, then we where small then. The old play ground still had its macadam surface, although quite crumbly and the orchard was still there, however neglected and overgrown. I think there are maisonettes on the site now.

Hi, Trevor. Hope you're coping OK with the virus restrictions. The best site for posting images (and this applies to anyone else) is Facebook. Photos of Hamilton House can be put under "Catford and Lewisham, back when....". It costs nothing and is a natural successor to the now defunct Friends Reunited. Everyone I know is on it.

Hi Roger Merret,
I did receive your comments re the now, long gone, Royeston House School Lewishaham. I DO remember a "Roger" in my class. As I was here from, I think 1949-1950-ish, and if you were there at that time, it would be remarkable if you were he. I may even have a couple of whole-school pics. You may even be in them . By all means email me in Australia on cinefella@optusnet.com.au, if you'd like me to email them, as I can't figure out how to do so on this website.
Cheers, Paul

Lewisham! Memories from across the years and also, sitting here in New Brunswick, across the miles, over 2800 of them. I was born in the summer of 1945 at Lee Nursing Home (53 Burnt Ash Road) and lived, until we moved out of London at Easter 1959, in Ladywell. Until 1956, when I moved on to Colfe’s, I was a pupil at Royston House School. I well remember the chocolate and orange halved cap and striped tie and the brown corduroy shorts. Also the same colours on the neckerchief as a wolf cub in the school’s pack, the 5th Lewisham North. Where did the uniforms come from? Chiesman’s probably. On my blazer was a small circular red badge to denote that I was a member of Scott House. Royston House emphasised good manners, good speech and a strong foundation in Christianity with assemblies every morning. Ah, those pale blue hymn books! There were some sore moments as well, especially when the cane wielding Miss Manchester was displeased and, when I left, I vowed never to insult my palate ever again with school semolina, a vow I’ve managed to keep. To be fair, the early fifties was not the Golden Age of British Cuisine. I was introduced to a lifelong love, cricket by ….. a professional footballer, augmenting his pay with Charlton Athletic by taking a summer job. I still remember a Music and Movement class on February 6th 1952 which was interrupted with the news of the King’s death, sending us all home early. I first came to grips with Shakespeare, playing Leonato and still have the photographs. I also have, on the wall of my den, a photograph of the entire school company although I’m not sure of the actual year. It shows 101 students and all the teachers. A homogeneous group but none the worse for that, with every face distinctly European. We all had similar backgrounds as did most of our parents who had been colleagues under fire during the onslaught on Lewisham from the Luftwaffe. Apart from the photos my only surviving souvenirs are a certificate for drawing and a History exercise book. For it was at RHS that I developed a love for that subject. I majored in History at university and, of my 44 years as a professional teacher, twenty-five were spent in South East Asia and Central America teaching IGCSE ‘O’ Level and International Baccalaureate History. I wish I could remember the name of my old History teacher. I owe her a lot.
Out of school I looked forward to Saturday afternoon treats when my Grandad, a driver at Catford Garage, would take me on his free days to Selhurst Park. I found myself supporting a team languishing at the foot of the Third Division (South) but, then, I figured they needed all the support they could get. Then there was watching Anne Shelton and Tommy Trinder at the Catford Hippodrome and seeing the seasons come and go in Ladywell Rec and on Hilly Fields. The radio gave me Journey Into Space, the Goon Show (I was lucky to see a live recording of this once), Ray’s A Laugh, Take It From Here and Educating Archie. Tuesdays brought a copy of the Tiger comic before I graduated to the Rover and the escapades of Rockfist Rogan and Alf Tupper, the athlete who trained on fish and chips.
December 4th 1957 was a date no Lewishamite will ever forget. My mother, who worked in London, was suffering a seasonal cold which was bad enough for her supervisor to send her home early. Which meant that she was not on the 5.18 p.m. train to Hayes and she was not in her usual place at the rear of the train, convenient for the exit at Ladywell. That train never reached Hayes, or indeed Ladywell that evening, being struck by the Ramsgate express, causing 90 people to be killed and many more to be injured or maimed. Lewisham certainly made the front pages the following day.
Looking back I consider that I had a good start to my educational career at Miss Buckland’s Royston House. I hope that I have taken on the values learned there into my adult life and have managed to pass them on on occasion. As for Lewisham? I have not set foot there since 1975 and I think that it will stay that way, even if I manage to visit England again. I doubt if I would recognise it. I have old postcard photos of the clock tower, the Ravensbourne in Ladywell Rec and the High Street at Rushey Green, near where my old school was, on my wall. That was my Lewisham. That is how I want to remember it.
Vaughan, New Brunswick, Canada. 3rd January 2023.