Riley Road School

Hello Joe,

   I have copy of an etching 1874.I know they have a photograph in the archives at Southwark Library.I shall try to get a copy to scan for you but I shant be able to get it for 2 or 3 weeks.

  As you probably are aware it became Tower Bridge Secodary Modern, I went there from 1954 until 1958. On freinds reunited you can get in touch with some of the lads, I expect you are aware of this to.

 Best Wishes Roderick Ebdon.

 I'm haveing a spot of bother uploading files will try again later.

Rod

Thanks for the offer it would be great if you can do that for me as I now live in Lincolnshire off the beaten track somewhat.

I also attended the school on the introduction of Secondary Modern before that I was at Monnow Road when it was a mixed school I left  Riley Road in 1950

On friends reunited there is knowone that I know

thanks again
JoeFoster

Joe

I will do that with pleasure. My brother Anthony went to Tower Bridge, but I think he would have been two years or so behind you and we tended not to mix with lower forms so you may not have known him.

Regards Rod.

Downloaded the picture OK never seen one like that before obiously taken from Riley Road on the construction of the school and before  the perimiter wall was built the staris and way in are on the other side of the building   The arches beneath the building are the place we kept our bikes.

I can remember being in the top classroom on the left the master in charge being Mr Bell and the headmaster at the time Mr Husssey who came from Monnow Road when all the boys moved there and Monnor Road became girls only

Thanks
Joe

Joe

Woops, I should have checked it at editing stage,but its o-k when standing on one's head.

Mr Bell (Ding Dong Bell) as we called him.You would get the cane if he heard you call him that,also if you got to many sum's wrong(as I found out). He was a great story teller, we would encourage him to avoid doing sum's he was of course wise to that and sometimes make us stay on to finish our work. I think he had the same classroom. Allthough he was strict he was quite a character.

Mr Chapman was the head when I was there, gave me the cane at our first assembly.

Rod.

Rod

Can you recall the names of any other teachers at the school at this time? It may give my memory a jolt

Got a good print from the picture . I used to live in Southwark Park Road just past the Dunton Road

Junction which is now part of the school where did you used to live?

Joe

Joe

I used to live at no 39 Harold Estate in Pages Walk. I can remember Mr Turgoose, Mr Griffith who took us for woodwork, Mr Thompson who I think took us for metalwork Mr Jones who became the head, this was after I left. My freind Albert Hallam remembers much mre than I but he now lives in Spain,next time I speak to him I shall try to get some more names.

Rod

Mr Anderson , was the  music teacher.
in my last year56-57,Mr Turgoose was our teacher ,our room was the library ,think that was on the top floor on the far side of the hall .art teacher was Mr Bolge,
I lived in Grange Road next door to the lorry yard ,Samuel Taylors haulage ,it was called.

Trying to remember where Samuel Taylors yard was can you give my memory a jolt, in relation to Spa Road and Grange Rd theTower Bridge Road end or Southwark Park Rd end

Joe Foster

Just had a flash of memory and remembered Samuel Taylors was oposite the Alsaka factory gate with the bus stop and two shops one being a Post Office the other a dry cleaneners am I rght or wrong

Joe Foster

Spot on ,fosney,i'd forgotten the alska,those gate always looked huge when we were nippers

             Rod  now i realise why your name was familiar to me ,its because i was a year in front of you at riley road,1953-1957, must say i like you memories keep them coming

Rod , do you remember a schoolboy at Riley Road ,called Henry Watts,i'll never forget him ,he was always trying to scounge a Marmite sarnie off of me

Hi Bigpurn13
  I can't remember many of the names, it's really frustrating.One thing I do remember was when we started haveing houses,we had a competition and one lad came up with Thames, Tower, Abbey and Grange. They were good names relateing to local places. I was in Tower. Do you remember when that started I think I was in the 2nd year.
Rod.

Hi Fosney
I was at Tower Bridge from 1961 - 65.
I have some old school magazines from then & looking through them brought back memories:
Mr Chapman was head, followed by Mr Jones
Mr Bedworth was gym teacher
my form teacher was Mr Maggs
Art was MrBolge followed by Mr Austin (viscious with the cane)
maths was Mr Gilbert (didn't like him or maths)
i think Mr Southall was metalwork ( remember the workshops, which still exist as flats)
& of course the lovely Miss Hanmer ( use to take us to concerts at Royal festival hall)
 
i also have a certificate for ice skating from Silver Blades Streatham where we used to go on Fri afternoons
 
Enc pics of school & building opposite

Tingle

Just the pictures I am looking for and if I rember rightly when you looked across the road there were woman in the factory working.

Yes and I can remembeer Mr Gilbert  and yes I remember the woodwork and metalwork workshops to the rear of the school which you can just see in the picture of the caretakers house.

I went to the school in about 1946 /47 at the start of the secondary schools when they ended the mixed schools and girls and boys were separated

Those were the days

Joe Foster

Haha ,good old ,Ding Dong Bell,he'd get you out there for the cane ,up went your hand ,then he would measure you up for a whack ,stop, and start talking to another pupil ,has your got tired ,you would start to let it go down ,and Ding Dong would tap it up with the cane ,your arm would feel like a ton weight after awhile .
Luved that school .

Hi Joe, I was up in Bermondsey the other day, the library was open but the archives unfortunately was closed so I was unable to get a copy of our old school. I shall be going up again before Christmas. Just thought I would let you know that I have not forgotten.

 Rod.