My Life in Bermondsey

Hi Bowbells, 

I've had a look on the 1911 census and there are quite a few Fred/Frederick Barton names in Southwark and the surrounding areas. 

If you'd like me to have a look could you please pm me with your great grandfather's date or year of birth and the place and occupation if you know it ? That's if you haven't already done all that yourself!!

Penny

Hi Penny
Thanks for your interest.
Frederick Barton was born between july - september 1870. st olaves , bermondsey.
I have joined ancestry .co.uk but they do not have the 1911 census as yet.
May be that is where my answers lay.I think he done just general jobs, worked at the Jam factory
then at the Funeral directors.Lost him from 1897 onwards, although it showed on childrens birth certs, Guiness buildings in Brandon Street.Mansfield Street and Kingsland Street.

He seperated from Eliza who was a Carr before being a Barton, but I could never find their marriage cert to prove they married. Maybe they didn't and they just said they were married.

Look forward to hearing back from you.
Regards Bowbells

Hi, Betty Halpin is my sister-in-law. She married my brother John, they now live in Eastbourne. They have 4 children, 7 grand children and 4 great grand children. Betty and John are both well. She still is a tall blond. Fred Sautter isn't related to me or my husband. I became a Sautter when I married in the U.S. I was a Halpin the whole time I lived in Bermondsey. Do you know any names from that area of Bermondsey. I played with kids from Alexis St, Drappers Rd. Macks Rd..For a time I was a barmaid at the Queen Vic. I worked a couple of nights a week and Sunday lunchtime. I worked there for about a year.I also worked at Williams, a shop on Southwark Park Rd. I worked there on Saturdays while I was in school.Keep the news coming. The Twit

Hi there, great to hear that Betty is still well and it sounds as though she has plenty of family to enjoy.  Please remember me to her when you speak, ask her if she remembers the CROCHET GREEN SUIT I made her ha ha.....Perhaps she may get on the site as well.

Re your question about people in Drappers Road, I only remember a lad called Andrew MERCER. He used to be pals with my brothere Derek Suggate who lived at Rock Grove and then moved to Pope HOUSE....I remember Andrews mum, she was called Joyce and his dad was called Ralph, who I THINK LATER ON COMMITTED SUICIDE.
Anyway great to hear from you and wish you well, regards Babs Rose (BARBARAELLA)

Hi There
I thought I would  just have to enter my name here as I was born at No23 Willow Walk in 1937,  moved to 120 Verney Road and went to school at the Ilderton Road school just a few doors up in Verney Road,this seems to tie in with a whole lot of people on this site, did you ever climb up the inside of the bombed out Girling Brake factory tower  in Ilderton Road and slide down the 70 ft drainpipe outside,or go fishing for tiddlers in the emergency fire water tanks ,well I did.!!!
Good Luck
Davey_Buoy

This was my School does anybody remember Miss Hoyle  ?

Hi all ..Does anyone remember the Sea Cadet COrps,Based at Redriff,First Iron Bridge...We had our own MTB Called  TS Redriff...C.O. was a Mr Jordan,,,then A Police Officer named Stevens.At that time we had a Navy,and you could go away with the Fleet for 10/- for a fortnight at a time...We used to go to Portsmouth to join the Ship,Hms Adamant,which was a Submarine Depot Ship.And from there we used to Sail,go on Destroyers and Frigates.I also went to Portland ..HMS Osprey,and we used to go out one day on Submarines,and the next day on Frigates,on excercises...One week we were on the King George V Battleship,which was in the Reserve Fleet.It was a Wonderful experience...and all for 10/- shillings  AKA 50 pence .

I have just found out my Nan was born at 136 Alderminster Road Bermondsey in 1886. The family name was Freestone. Has anyone any pictures of the road? They ran a pub which I believe was the Old Dun Cow.

Hi your parents must have bought the shop off my mum and dad when they bought the Palmerston.  We sold it around 1962.

I was born in Guys Hospital two months premature and when I was a few months old my parents moved into Fort Road as they had been bombed out of their house in Grange Road next to the Grange pub.  It is now a small block of flats.  I attended the nursery up the road known as Tenda Road and then went to Alma Road primary school.  From there I went onto Aylwin Grammar School.  By then my parents had gone into business and we moved to South Lambeth Road where theyy bought their first shop.

We only lived there for two years as neither my mum  or I liked living there.  They then bought the sweet shop in Linsey Street, it used to be known as 'Chicks' but mum changed the name to 'Eileen's'.  My gran used to  serve in the shop and when all of the children came into the shop they would call her 'grandma'.  My mum started to freeze the Jubbly drinks for the children which went down a bomb.  We also sold an ice-cream on sticks whch had Disney characters on them.  The children would queue outside the shop waiting for the next delivery. My husband used to come into the shop to buy five Weights and a Mars bar on his way to work.  We started going out when I was 13 and he was 16 and we are still together after nearly 46 years of marriage.

My parents then bought the pub on the corner called the Lord Palmerston and like the spoilt brat I was I didn't want to get married out of the pub so when we got married my parents deecided to get out of the pub business.

Hi Barbarella.
When my parents came out of the Lord Palmerston, they bought No. 14 Yalding Road and they lived there from 1964 until 1968 when the council compulsory purchased them and my parents moved onto the Bonamy

Hi there and nice to read your blog...Number 14 Yalding Road was on the oppostie side to where we lived and I remember wneh they knocked those nice houses down, as I was quite ill with (not a nice subject) ha ha, but and I was in bed really poorly with an abscess up my nose, and I clearly remember seeing the big ball weight knocking down the houses, and remember feeling really sad as I thought the houses were lovely, and still think that after they built the flats WOOLSTAPLERS there the street was never quite the same....PROGRESS AH THATS WHAT THEY CLL IT......

Re your note about the LORD PALMERSTON PUB, well I went to Alma primary school just near and made friends with a girl called Gillian Hills (or maybe MILLS as her mum and dad owned the Lord Palmerston, This would have been about 1952/3.     I wrote a school play, and Gillian gave me the pub menu cards and I wrote every bodys parts on the back of the cards, and the play was shown at the school.    I also spoke to  FREDDY MILLS THE BOXER, and once I spoke to him on the phone in the pub as he was Gillians uncle. I  also remember going home from school and Gillian giving me an ice-cream from the freezer...Can you enlighten me on her correct name?
I think then I must have left the alma school and went on to secondary school and we lost touch.
Please let me know your name and it maybe a case of me knowing you, anyway nice to chat regards Babs Rose

Hi Barbarella.
When my parents came out of the Lord Palmerston, they bought No. 14 Yalding Road and they lived there from 1964 until 1968 when the council compulsory purchased them and my parents moved onto the Bonamy

-caroleannefortroad

Hello Carole...fancy seeing you here!

Lesley

i was in bermondsey last week was in the claremont had a brill time cant stay away back in to weeks miss bermondsey so much i will never forget where i come from proud to be a bermondsey girl

The claremont is supposed to be closing down soon.....my boyfriends grandad was telling me....a sad thing to happen as soon many have done so already.

Hi thanks for your response to my question.  Surprise, surprise, i, with my husband and eldest son moved onto the Bonamy in 1968, into Barkis Way.  We lived there until 1980 then moved over to Lenville Way but by this time my youngest son was born.

Like you we moved out to Eltham 17 years ago last March.  I had the unfortunate job of being the Secretary of the Tenants Association and meeting with the then Housing Minister Sir George Young.  We went with Simon Hughes and the Leader of Southwark Council at the time Tony Ritchie.  What a waste of space he was (I hope he is not related or anything)

Bermondsey is such a close knit community (or was) I am sure that we might have met at some time.

Hello, I've only recently joined this fascinating site so I thought I'd tell you a little bit about myself.

I've never lived in Bermondsey, but both my mother and father's families did.  There has been a long connection to the South London area, including Camberwell, Southwark and Walworth, but especially Bermondsey.

A lot of what is good in my family seems to come from one person in particular who I am very interested in researching further.

Francis James KIPPS born 1867, died 1940.  Lived at 169a Abbey Street in 1901 and
15 Anchor Street in 1911 until his death in 1940  Francis (Frank) was a labour councillor.  According to an obituary that I found, he was known as 'the father of new Bermondsey' and was among the first handful of people to fought with Dr. Alfred Salter to gain a foothold for Labour among the radicals and Tories who ruled Bermondsey.  I know that he worked for his Uncle (Edward Kipps) who owned a factory in Bermondsey Street (E. J. Kipps & Co) - my information is that the factory burned down in about 1933. 

According to family stories, the Kipps family were quite well off, but they disowned Francis as he was the first person in the family to become a socialist.  I'm not sure how accurate that is, but from his history it would seem plausible.

Francis was married to Minnie Munday (born 1871) and they had 6 children (Francis 1891, Henry 1892, Minnie 1895, John 1897, Margaret 1901 and Jessie 1907 - my grandmother).

I'd love to hear from anyone who knows anything about him, his time as a Labour councillor or indeed the factory that was owned by his Uncle.  If anyone has any photographs connected to the Kipps family It would be great to see.

Just as an aside.  HG Wells wrote the book 'Kipps', later made into a famous movie starring Tommy Steele as Arthur Kipps in 'Half a Sixpence'.  I know the movie was based in Bermondsey, and whilst Arthur Kipps was a fictional character, I just wonder if anyone knows if there might be some kind of a connection to my family?

I've enclosed a copy of the obituary if you would care to peruse it.

All the best, Teddy

Hi Teddy and welcome to the site.

I'm sure my GreatGrandFather would have known and worked with your Francis. He also was involved with the foundation of the independant labour party and did, from family tales, aide Ada Salter with her work & career. Born 1870, he died in 1937 at Longley Street having been on the Bermondsey council and I understand, was responsible for the construction of the "new" baths in Grange Road. There was apparently an engraved stone with his name on it but unfortunately I've never seen a photo to confirm this. One memorial he has was the 'recent' naming of a street & old folks home after him (not far from the Bermondsey tube station).

Regards,
freddie

Thanks for your reply Freddie.

Yes I'm sure they would have worked together.  What was his name? I've for a book on Bermondsey and the Salters, perhaps he may be mentioned in there.  I'll check it if you want.

Regards
Teddy