High Road

I was born in 1942.I lived in Steele Rd.Leytonstone.and went to Cann Hall Road from 1947.Rivetts the Car repair shop was on the corner.Reads the Cycle shop was opposite.I to remember Platts sweet shop and the 1p drink M/c.Black Jacks,Fruit Salad,Sherbert Dabs etc.I recall Bloch the grocers,Walklins the bakers.Geller's the Butchers with animal lungs(lights) hanging up outside.The Co-op had a Post office,Optician and greengrocer.There was Wilson's Pet shop were I used to nick dog biscuits from the outside display.There was Barnes newsagents I was mates with the owners son Kenny.Macari Ice cream parlour run by Lou Macari's father.He had a pushbike/barrow that he sold ice creams from to local kids.Lou Macari would have been around 6years old then and was very gifted even then.They moved back to Ayr in Scotland.Lou went on to play for Celtic,Man.Utd and Scotland.Just remembered Luckovers the Fish and Chip shop at the Thatched House crossroads were the Trollybusses used to lose there overhead poles and bring the traffic to a stop while they were replaced...My playmates were,Johnny Thompson,Dougie Collins,Chris Childs, David Bayliss Jimmy Fincham,Peter Marks,Kenny Barnes.to name a few.Would love to hear from any one of that era .I am now 72 and have fond memories of my childhood in Leytonstone.I now live in St.Neots in Cambs.and have done for the last 45yrs.When I last visited the area I grew up in it was unrecognisable to how I remember it.Asia had come to London!!!!

Hi Brian - I was born in April 1943, and must have been at Cann Hall Road at the same time as you, but maybe in the year below you. We moved to Borthwick Road from Walthamstow when I was seven, so I started in the Juniors, not the Infants. At first Mr Dyer was headmaster, but then it was Mr Reid. I was in Mr Kemp's class for the last two years. I don't remember many of the boys' names in the class, but there was one called Dougie, who was always making jokes, and there was a Kenny who was form captain. I remember John Hill, who had very fair hair, and Trevor Russell, who was always top of the class. My best friend was Helen Pocock, who lived with her grandparents in Elsham Road, and her aunt was married to the butcher on the corner of Cann Hall Road, just a bit further up towards Wanstead Flats than the school. I'm still in touch with Helen, and she is in touch with Margaret Duff, who lived in Blenheim Road. I've lived in the north-east for 41 years now, and last time I visited Leytonstone was really shocked to see that the whole of the junior school had been flattened into a playground for what used to be the infants school, but is something different now, and Cann Hall School is now a modern building, down at the Wanstead Flats end of the road, past the railway bridge.

I just read these comments to my Dad, Mark Schofield (born 1936) who grew up in Leytonstone and he too remembered all the shops etc. He also knew a lot of the names mentioned by Brian.
He was born in Avenue Road but grew up on Eve Road. He is the eldest of 8 and you would probably remember his younger brothers and sisters.
He remembers playing football with Jimmy Fincham.
His Friend Lenny Northfield who now lives in Canada, worked for Noakes Butchers on the corner of Cann Hall Road/ High Rd.
Friends include - Terry OShea, Keith Bayliss, Ben Tyrie, Valerie Spong plus a few nicknames I cant spell!!
Lovely to hear from anyone who remembers him
Jane

My father was lived with his parents and aunt at 53 Leyspring Road. My dad was born in 1927 and went to Tom Hood school. During the war the school was evacuated to Horsham, supposedly for safety, but the school they were housed in was neat to an RAF airfield. My dad and his friends spend many days collecting shrapnel from the raids that happened on the airfield.
My dad, before the war, would take his bike to the ponds on the flats. He was a rather mischievous lad and liked to cycle on the ponds when they were frozen- many a time my nan was called by neighbours to say that Lenny was cycling on the ice. I remember the off licence on the corner of a road which sold sweets - I can still remember the smell on the shop. I also have great memories of Bearmans at Christmas and being taken by my nan and great aunt to buy new clothes at Easter or toys for Christmas and birthday.
I went to college in Stratford -1976 to 79 and had rented accommodation in Steele Road. I remuer buying some vintage 1930's gloves from a leather shop on the main road, just past th Thatched House pub, going towards Leytonstone. The owner was selling up and had boxes of old stock that his father had brought over to escape the Germans pre WW2. I could only afford three pairs of beautiful Italian, leather, 1930's gloves. I told him to get out in touch with a museum. Does anyone know the name of this shop or have any info on the owner? I still have the gloves.