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A Memory of East Ham.

I was born at 138 Burgess Road in East Ham and remember a shop on the corner I used to frequent before school, Ottaways or something like like. I used to get 1 old pence to spend on sweets, either 8 black jacks or 8 fruit salads. I went to Altmore School and then onto Lathom before moving, as a lot of East End folk to Becontree. However I did spend two years living on the Barking Road where my parents run a Wavy Line shop. We lived above the shop by the crossing at the top end of Altmore Avenue.

I remember going to the swimming baths a lot by the Town Hall and had great toast, Horlicks and snacks in the friendly Café. I used to go with my cousins Isabelle and Eileen. Other haunts were the Granada cinema, the Odeon, Central Park, Barking Rec, the old cathedral and also a garage that used to sell and repair orange shaped and colour cars, which were funny.

I used to play in the COOP going up and down the escalators and visiting the indoor market round the corner. I had a crush on a girl from Keppel road, Gina I think and would enjoy walking with her. I remember Lathom School, an old Victorian building with winding stairways and large halls, plus going out into the playground to where the dinner huts were, when raining this was a pain.

I remember a guy Called Graeme Passmore and one called Geoff who I used to hang about with but lost touch when we moved to the estates of Dagenham and Becontree.

I had great memories of my childhood in East Ham and nothing has compared since then.

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Added 13 December 2016

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I was born in forest gate hospital but lived in Bartle Ave East Ham. I remember the Granada pictures where I used to go on a Saturday morning. I also remember my mum telling me that she used to put me under the table when the bombs dropped at the top of the road. I went to Brampton school. I used to go to Central Park where there was an old house at the entrance and us girls thought it was haunted. I remember the man on the gate where the swings were. He used to walk with a stick. I have really fond memories of East Ham. I went back some 5/6 years ago and it has changed so much. If there is anyone out there who used to live in Bartle Avenue from 1942 please get in touch with me via e-mail.

By croxsmi on Wed Jan 11th 2017, at 11:37 am

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The toast at East Ham swimming baths was wonderful, no other toast has come close to it since. Lived in Keppel Rd from the age of 2 for 25 years from 1953. Remember local shops Rainbirds and Harry's. (You could buy a single cigarette from Rainbirds). Went to Altmore/Lathom/Thomas Lethaby Schools. Three teachers names I remember from Lathom School Mr Chapmam/Miss Lane/Mrs Green. I also remember spending my pocket money on Blacks Jacks/Jamboree Bags/Bags of Sherbet and Jubbly's. Go to Marks and Spencer and get a bag of broken biscuits (the assistant would break a few chocolate biscuits and pop them in the bag). Saturday morning pictures at the Gaumont cinema for sixpence (a tanner) . Went to the Rec.. Do you remember the pie shops on the high st, Moody's and Cookes. Cookes pies were best. Cookes had eels in a tank in the window. Has this jogged anyones memories?

By petesullivan177 on Sat Feb 11th 2017, at 2:03 pm

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I was born in Wellington Road in 1942, four houses down from the Town Hall Annexe, in the house my grandparents had moved to at the turn of the century. The house is now demolished. My father ran a small agency providing yeast and bakery provisions to bakers in East London. Customers also used to call at the house for two ounces of yeast to make bread at home. I went to Napier Road Infant School, Lathom Junior and Burges Manor when it was only a year old - complete with tall clock tower. Trolley buses used to queue outside our house at the end of their route to the Town Hall and before starting their return journey. I remember watching their conductors disconnecting the poles from the overhead wires and waiting for the resulting cascade of sparks. I watched the dismantling of the tall chimney behind the Town Hall by two men sitting on the top and knocking the bricks out with hammers and dropping them to the ground below. Health and Safety would not allow that these days! I went to Saturday morning pictures and visited Father Christmas at the Co-op. I played in Central Park, Barking Road Rec and the grounds of Barking Abbey. I also remember standing on the footbridge over the railway to be in the steam from the trains. My father died when I was four and my mother carried on the business for another 7 years, then she remarried and we moved to Ilford,, but I'll always have very fond memories of East Ham. June Ottaway (as was)

By david.june on Tue Mar 28th 2017, at 10:46 pm

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Hi
Just been reading your story regarding Latham High School in East Ham in the 1970's. Can't think why, but it has just come into my head at this stage of my life approaching 53 years old. Sitting discussing with my wife what an experimental school for the era/age. what has not been mentioned in the comments is the experimental nature of this school for its time.
Can anyone please confirm or expand on my curiosity of why there is no information of such a radical experiment in education that Lathem High School lead in the 1970's.
When it detached itself from the national curriculum and focused on young people's interest's and loves and had the license to do it????
I was born in Forest Gate Hospital and i lived at 131 Burgess Road, only a few doors from yourself , I also remember the toast that East ham Swimming Baths but unlike yourself I remember the Bovril not the Horlicks !!!!
I also went to Altmore infant school and can still remember the head mistresses car a yellow 13gt Austin (racey at the time)
I have tried to to research lathom schools history in this era from 1970 - 1980 when Mr Jones was the head master and i am hoping that someone will pick up on this and expand on the philosophy and how this schools curricula was designed , delivered and dissolved
Am hoping for any response
My Name is Tony Doyle and my contact details are tonyd123doyle@aol.co.uk

By tonyd123doyle on Sat Mar 9th 2019, at 9:59 pm

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Hi Tony, I never knew about any experimental status of Latham school, very interesting indeed. I think you may have been a year a year below me as i will be 55 this year. I cannot remember my teachers from that school apart from a deputy head who I think was called Mr. Least or something of that description as he put me in detention for two weeks for something someone else did. We must have crossed paths many times as we were so close in Burgess road I came from a large foster family in that road and remember the days when the milkman used to pop in for tea and give us a load of Humphrey merchandise which Unigate were promoting at the time. I also remember the coal-man, knife sharpener and the rag and bone man who came down our street.

By Andi Gaywood on Mon Mar 11th 2019, at 9:30 am

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