River

I lived in West Dartford from my birth in 1957 until I moved away in 1987. Crayford was our nearest town. When I was very small, my Mum would take me into the Parade Gardens by the river Cray so that I could eat my bag of sweets which she had bought me in that delightful, old-fashioned sweet shop upon the corner by the dog track. The Gardens were beautifully planted with huge mature shrubs between which ran mysterious little paths. Just right for a little boy with his red-and-yellow scooter! During my childhood, all of the lovely shrubs were grubbed out of the Gardens. I have since learned that they were deemed too dangerous in a town centre. I have always loved buses and was fascinated by Timpson's Coach Depot in Crayford Road. There were always one or two very old veterans at the back which I guess were retained as spares or for contract work. The old coach depot closed in the late sixties and became a tile showroom. I wonder whether anyone remembers the original railway station which was of timber (as Bexley Station still is)? This really had the feel of the country station which, of course, it had originally been. This beautiful structure was replaced by an ugly concrete affair which has had to be replaced again in more recent times. When I knew Crayford its past had not been completely destroyed and it was recognizable as a village/small country market town.