The Village Was Home

A Memory of Stanford-le-Hope.

I was born in 1950 at Orsett Hospital, a few minutes before my twin sister and on my mothers birthday no less. We lived at 28 St James Avenue East until 1968. The house was in fact that of my maternal grand parents and my parents bought it from them. We had a big garden with fields at the back and at the end of the road. Big Tree and Little Tree were the favorites for climbing. No 'elf and safety then.
At no. 24 lived Mr and Mrs Lassiter, the Wright family at 26, Mr and Mrs Williams at no.30 while the Banks family lived at 32. Mr and Mrs Williams daughter Sandra who is about 3 years older than me became a professional dancer and married Dec Clusky of the Batchelors singing group. When I got home from college on the wedding day all the talk was that the Batchelors had been next door as had Vera Lynn who was in a Rolls Royce. Sandra gave my sister an autograph album full of signatures. I wonder what happened to it.
No nursery schools in those days either so I can remember kicking and screaming when my mother dropped us off at the infants school for the first time.
In the junior school I can remember being friendly with a boy who lived in the Norwegian Seamans Mission and gave me a Norway flag. We would rub penny coins in the bricks of the school wall to bring up the shine on them.
Who can I remember from those junior school days? Shirley Lawes , Linda Holmes, Linda Clark, Colin Bale, Tony Ellingham, Richard Turner, Dougie Boorman, Alan Wilsher, Linda Lennon, Richard Beal, Angela Planton, Susan Moir. Friendships split apart though when some went on to Hassenbrook while others went to the newly opened Gable Hall.
Growing up my sister and I had to go to St Margaret's Hall for Sunday School and then later to the Methodist Church our attendance at the latter didn't last long.
Friday evenings were taken up with Cubs at a hall round the back of the church. Scouts also held their activities there but I gave that up when after one session both tyres of my bike had been let down and the valves thrown away.
We also had piano lessons with the wife of the baker who lived in Balmoral Avenue.
Who remembers the livestock market which used to be in Victoria Road. We used to swing by there sometimes on the way home from school. Still remember the pong!
To clear up a question raised in a couple of other posts, the Eastern National bus number 2B went through the Homesteads to Grays while the number 2 went through Corringham. I know as I used the 2B when I left Gable Hall and attended Thurrock Tech and also because I had a summer job with the bus company as a "Clippie" in about 1969.
Reading memories from others on this site brings it all back to me, especially the tuck shop round the back of the junior school. Big gobstoppers and blackjack sweets spring to mind.
Maybe I was about 9 years old when I had an accident at home and was off school for about 6 weeks. The district nurse would visit, arriving on her bike just like on Call the Midwife on tv today. While laid up in bed I had to complete work from the Ronald Rideout educational books.
It's no longer "The Village"
Three more name have come to me: Jennifer Harris, Lesley Austin and Charlie Froud.

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