Growing Up In East Ham

A Memory of East Ham.

I lived in park avenue, in a block of flats in the middle between market street and Langdon crescent. There were families of every age group in the 2 blocks and you couldn't have wished for a better community growing up. Everyone got on and all the kids played together despite the differing age groups and sexes. I remember after going to Saturday morning pictures and seeing lone ranger or similar and going up to Burgoynes, local merchants at the top of park avenue and barking road, and getting couple of split canes and half dozen pea sticks and making bow and arrows. Didn't go very far or last that long, but we were happy. Then trends changed and who can remember when swap-its came. I used to go up the shop just opposite east ham station and wait to get inside and buy whatever I could afford and then promptly get home and start changing their heads, arms, or whatever just to make them different. Then what about the Scoo-be-do craze. Once again the craft shop on high street south, between Nelson street and Poulette road amongst all the basket weave paraphalia were the reels of tubing all different colours and you bought it by the yard. Hanging off your handle-bars and everybody had one for a key ring. Happy days. Not a mobile phone, game boy or switch controller in sight.