Oh To Be Young Again

A Memory of Aveley.

I remember when I first moved to Aveley, I was 7 years old. My nan lived in the prefabs and my mother, brother and myself moved in with her until they were demolished when I was eight years old. Then we moved into Hall Avenue, most of my friends lived all around me and we all started Love Lane School together although I was a year older than the other kids in my class.
We used to go to the youth club to see the Roosters who were a local band, and I must say I had a soft spot for the singer as he did for me as well but we never dated.
We wore our mini skirts and high heels (a bit like the TV programme Please Sir). I was sent home from school quite often by my teacher to get my nail varnish off.
I thought I would be glad to leave school, but if I had one wish now it would be to do it all again.  Times were hard but quality of life was better and I am glad I was young then and not now.
The fun of going gleaning for potatos for your mother and scrumping for apples and what about the games we played in the road, hopscotch, skipping, and sorry got to say it, knock up ginger, not very nice now, but funny at the time, until I threw a stone and instead of hitting the door it went through a window, I soon legged it, haha. Oh yes, not many cars about then, couldn't play in the road now, how times have changed.
Ironic thing is I am now married to my childhood sweetheart who I met in Hall Avenue when I was eight years old and he was twelve, we married in 1998.
I moved out of Aveley in 2000 and now live in Benfleet, although I am always going back for visits. Seeing Karen Harman/Cultlers memories inspired me to write mine and she had fantastic birthday parties with great games, postmans knock, pass the parcel, hide and seek and blind mans buff.
Remembering the cafe, and the Ye Old Tuck Shop and post office run by Mrs Bridges makes me smile, that tuck shop was always full of kids on their way to the infants and junior school in the High Street.
All the doctors' names strangely started with the initial B. Boyed, Brown, Browning, Brookes (good old fashioned family doctors).
Thank God for Aveley and all my memories of the good and sad, but not bad times.
And thank God it was then and not now.


              


Added 22 August 2008

#222373

Comments & Feedback

Living In Aveley 1952 - 61
A Memory of Aveley
Hello. I also stumbled across this site by accident and was blown away by all the memories shared by Colin Newberry on Mar 25th 2014. I can relate to many other memories shared but Colin's are so close, my memories flooded back. I moved to Aveley with my Mum and Dad -JOYCE and DEREK WILTCHER c.1952 from Grays town centre, where we lived in a flat above Sydney Greys store (Radios TV's Fridges etc) in the high street right opposite Clarence Road.
We lived at 10 Arnhem Avenue, (and as of Aug 16th 2015 our house is the first photo in Google street view). To the right and next door were old peoples bungalows and Mr and Mrs WAKELING lived there, Mr Wakeling used to breed rabbits and he always fattened one up for us at Christmas. Attached to the left of us lived Mr and Mrs MANN and their daughter Dorothy, their house fronted on Field Road and faced the EDGELER's family (Daughter?? and David) and yes, Mr Edgeler was confined to a wheelchair as a result of being a PoW in Japan. Next door to the Edgelers at 12 Arnhem Ave lived the GROVE family (Chris and Beverley). Opposite 10 and 12 Arnhem Ave were two pairs of semi detached houses - the COKER family (son Paul) lived in the extreme left, attached and next to the right lived ??? To the right and the left in the second pair of semi's (opposite no.12 Arnhem Ave lived the PAISLEY family (son Raymond) and to the right of the Paisley's, the LANNIGAN's. Just for the record, I played regularly with Dorothy Mann, David Edgeler, Chris and Beverley Grove, Paul Coker and Raymond Paisley. I also had friends Donald Thwaites, Gary Eastland, Edward Hunwick, Richard Watkins (the Watkins family actually moved into our house, 10 Arnhem Ave when we moved out!!!
When we moved to Aveley I went to Aveley Primary School, I don't remember many teachers names but am I right that Mr Skinner became the Headmaster? One memory that sticks in mind was JAM ROLLY POLY AND CUSTARD, my favourite. Another memory was Sports Days, they were great, for some reason I was always picked to help set out the running track.
I then moved up to Bushy Bit, what a marvellous school it was. I remember Woodwork, Cookery, Gardening (complete with Snake Pit), Art, Music (the school had its own orchestra), PE and the notorious Harold Napier and his store cupboard!!!??? Looking back we were lucky to have him as our PE teacher, he taught us Football, Cricket, Athletics including, all field events, Boxing and Archery. In the Gym, apart from all the gymnastic equipment which we all mastered to some degree!! I remember we used to build human pyramids, ones memory plays tricks on you but I believe we managed four tiers!!! Bushy Bit had an excellent reputation for sporting prowess in Inter School and District competitions.

A memory of Aveley by Michael Wiltcher

Add your comment

You must be signed-in to your Frith account to post a comment.

Sign-in or Register to post a Comment.

Sparked a Memory for you?

If this has sparked a memory, why not share it here?