Another Local Then!

A Memory of Orpington.

I came across this photo by chance, and it brought back a lot of memories when I lived there in the 1960's.
I was born in Farnborough Hospital in 1952 and lived in Northlands Avenue until I was thirteen or fourteen? Just around the corner from where I live there were three magnificent cherry trees which were covered in Pink blooms, sadly long gone. A bit further on there is a church hall in Leamington Road that used to be corn fields where millions of sparrows used to flock and it was quite an experience being in the middle of them flying around you.
I am sure there used to be a Borkwood House or school in the area but never got to see it - but did meet one of the resident students one day in the area who had a Blue/Gray uniform with frill white collar? I would be interested to find out about the place.
I went to Warren Road School, the Headmaster was Mr Stevens who I remember to this day demanded absolute silence during meal time, or else! Then there was Mrs wright the dinner lady. I can remember the school had a couple of what then seemed to be huge popular trees which coated everywhere with their snowy down.
In my road I can remember Kevin Willis, Peter and Nicky Day. Timothy Barham, Kenneth Alder, many more!
The Parade where Lipscombs used to be was a favorite for buying fireworks, 1d bangers, happy days!
The Buff Orpington pub, obviously I didn't go in there. The green grocers - I used to buy Smiths crisps, OXO flavour complete with the little blue wax bag of salt.
I remember one bad winter, not sure of the date but snow ploughs were out it was so bad and JCBs trying to clear the roads. My parents took me down Starr Lane to look at all the hedge rows with VERY large amounts of Snow hanging into the road which we would slice into with a stick to create pieces of cake which promptly fell onto of anybody under them.
Just along the road from the Crescent, heading to Orpington, on the left hand side there used to be an overgrown Primary School which had two or three plum trees - one could get rather ill on the hundreds of Victoria plums that hung off them.

One last memory of Orpington in the 50-60's? was my first trip on a steam train - frightened the living daylights out of me.