Nostalgic memories of Barking's local history
Share your own memories of Barking and read what others have said
For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our web site to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was when the photographs in our archive were taken. From brief one-liners explaining a little bit more about the image depicted, to great, in-depth accounts of a childhood when things were rather different than today (and everything inbetween!). We've had many contributors recognising themselves or loved ones in our photographs.
Why not add your memory today and become part of our Memories Community to help others in the future delve back into their past.
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Displaying Memories 91 - 100 of 111 in total
I have many happy memories of Barking Park in the 1950s; the lake with the paddle boats; the swimming pool where my school summer holidays were spent relaxing in the sunshine; the carnival with the huge fairground once a year in the park. A meeting place where people could get together with friends & family; we used to walk from Pelham Avenue where I lived with my parents, two sisters & my brother; they were ...see more
Tina Peacock, I knew all those years ago we went out once or twice in those days to a pub, Evelyn Sherwin, Steven Sherwin, Diane Little, Steven Little, Tina Murphy, Linda Platt, Christine Bunn, Jane Moore, Christine Bramley, Marina, Alan Talbot, Colin Cubitt, the two Raymonds who ended working in the butchers after leaving school near the old Barking Library, Simons ...see more
I was born 1954 in St Mary's Road, Barking and use to go to Saturday morning pictures with my friends and the Barking Park Lido. The town has changed a lot over the years, you might recognize some bits and a lot of the pubs have since closed, I used to go to Eastbury Comprehensive and left in 1969.
Growing up in the 50s and 60s in London's East End (well the Essex side of it).
I was born on April 14th 1952 at Upney Hospital. I attended Northbury infants and junior schools and then went to Eastbury Secondary Modern. I worked in lot of the places described herein. I left Barking in my 20s for Southend and Benfleet. I then left England in 1980 for fame and fortune in the USA where I still live, in ...see more
It didn't change until the sixties when the station was rebuilt and opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11 in 1961.
I watched the whole building project from start to finish from the comfort of my bedroom window. When it was all done we had a new glass steel and concrete bright and airy modernistic station complete with Hedges newsagents between the two new entrances a travel information center and the ...see more
There was a flower shop a fruit and veg shop furniture and household shops. It all smelled so rainy in there all the time.
Next to Wallis's was the long alley entrance to Barking Football Club (Vicarage Field) and Barking library was on the right. Barking Library was an amazing gothic building all dark and scary and musty smelling but what a place to go and read and escape in the dimly lit central hall ...see more
Then there was the greatest fish and chip shop in the world PESCIES. Decorated in true Italian style of painted scenes of the blue waters and gondolas of Venice with beautiful wood booths with frosted glass scenes and marble topped tables, tea and bread served with every sit down meal. I'm salivating now just thinking of Rock eel and chips with a big old pickled onion mmm. So being a lad an all. I go in one ...see more
Come out of there and you were at the Magistrates Court in the square I remember a big tree in the back behind black iron fencing and thinking that's where they did the hangings right in front of Barking indoor swimming pool and Turkish Baths.
(I don't recall too many Turks in Barking in the 50s. Although I had my suspicions about old Mrs. Sopp and that beard of hers) not a pleasant image of your final ...see more
Continuing up the street on the right was a long parade of various shops and we come to Salisbury Ave on the corner was a large modernistic furniture shop later the shop nest door became a KFC and across the street next to the station was the Spotted Dog and directly Across was the Magnificent towering Odeon Cinema where we spent many happy hours at the Saturday Morning Picture Shows for kids. We could go ...see more
I grew up at 90 Victoria Road, then we moved to 75 Salisbury Avenue, I remember it well. The front of the house was chocolate brown paint and the garden in the back was overgrown like a jungle. Over the years my dad painted and renovated it until it was the nicest house in the block. I went to Ripple Road School (in the 1960s), I still remember the teachers, there was Mr Burdett, Mr Clark (he drove an old Triumph ...see more