Bermondsey
I lived in Bermondsey in Earl Road off the Old Kent Road near the Thomas a beckett. I went to Walworth Comprehensive. My mother used to take me to the Blue Market sometimes as well as East Street Market. I still used to visit East Street Market although I had moved out to Kent. Went a few weeks ago. Whatever has happened to it. Nobody in the car park and nobody down the lane. The stalls were awful and cant think that it has ever looked that bad ever. I liked looking at the East Lane Video on the site. Can always remember the man shouting out Free for a Pound (Three a pound).
The stall holders were such characters. Can remember Cohens in Tower Bridge Road. I used to have to go to the baths in Grange Road as we didnt have a bathroom. I even went there on my wedding day! More hot in number three we shouted out. Mind your back they shouted out as the lovely hot water came in. Some people still went to the public baths even though they had been rehoused as they preferred being looked after there. It all changed once they closed the baths in Victoria and then men used to meet up in Bermondsey baths instead. I can well remember them sitting there waiting to go in with their white polo neck jumpers. Thank god times have changed and they dont have to resort to meeting up in those sort of places if you know what I mean. I used to buy a radox bath cube. It used to really dry your skin and the towels in the baths were really rough.
Good for exfoliating though. Cheaper than all those remedies today for exfoliating! I remember Tommy Steele. My father knew his father Darbo. Darbo was always going to the race course so perhaps Darbo was something to do with that. Never thought to ask anyone why he was called it.
Can remember the Astoria in the Old Kent Road. I also remember as someone mentioned the Coleen Bawn. I am sure my father told me that the people in the 60s who owned it moved to a pub in Lewes in Sussex. Coincidence as my son lives there now but I dont know the pub in Lewes. Does anyone know? I used to go to the Library in Spa Road and get Enid Blyton books. We used to go in there for somewhere to go. No computers then. Didnt like the fact we couldnt talk but we giggled a lot....Manzies was great. I have been doing my family history and in 1881 my ggggrandparents lived in Vauban Street. It was good to see a picture of it on this site. Can remember the Coronation and the street party we had. Tommy Steele had an aunt who lived in our street and she could sing.
She was also very large and was a member of a group of extra large ladies who were in a can can dance team. They used to be on the tele. She had to keep large to keep her job! Samuel Jones was in our road and as it rained on Coronation day we did our show in one of their lorries. My father lived in Hazell Way in Bermondsey. He moved to be near us in Kent once but hated it and moved back to Bermondsey. He died in Guys Hospital and whilt there he told the patients in his ward all about Bermondsey. He kept asking for stewed eels. I used to get them from a stall in Lewisham on the way to the hospital. They called him the Bermondsey Boy in there! His ancestors worked in the leather trade in Bermondsey and were also mariners. I have many happy memories of Bermondsey and will keep a look out for this site.
Hi Bermondseygirl
Welcome to the site, I hope you find it interesting.
You mentioned that your Dad lived in Hazel Way?, is that on the setchell estate between Alscot Road and Dunton Road.
My Inlaws lived in Hazel way and I bought there flat, number 11.
They have since passed away and I have sold the flat, but we have great memories of the time spent there.
Bermondseyboy
Hello everyone
My Nan, Elsie Voss, lived in Hazel Way until she died in 1980. Does anyone remember her? She was quite a character and was well known in most of the pubs. She was known to like the odd tipple!!
Vossy53
Hi Bermondsey Boy
My Aunt Flo married a chap from Bermondsey whose name was Dick Watson. When he met my family who at the time were living in Camberwell he said I'm A Bermondsey Boy. My dad often mimicked the way in which my Uncle said it. Dick was then referred to as the Bermondsey Boy.My dad was quite a character and lived at No 31 Hazell Way on the Setchell Estate. He died in 1987. We used to live in Earl Road when I was a chld.Then the houses were knocked down for the Tesco Store in the Old Kent Road. What a waste of housing space! Mum and Dad moved to Charlton as that was the only Council offer. Mum only there a year and died with cancer. Dad hated Charlton and got moved back to Old Kent Road to the estate by Canterbury Arms. Only got moved back as he wouldnt let the council in at Charlton to put in electric after the Rowan Point incident. He was happy in the Old Kent Road Tustin Estate I think it was called. Then he too got cancer and moved to live near me in Tunbridge Wells. He hated it. Moaned because he didnt have a free bus pass and no central heating. Was so unhappy in T Wells said there were too many trees and nobody to talk to!! Trees dont talk he said. He wrote a begging letter to Bermondsey Council saying he was born and bred Bermondsey and they found him a flat on the Setchell Estate. They let him move back to Bermondsey as his brother lived there otherwise he wouldnt have been allowed.First week there it was discovered his cancer had spread to his lungs. The dr said he wouldnt talke him on his books unless he quit the smoking. And my how he could smoke!! So he quit more because his lungs wouldnt let him than will power. There was a nice lady on the Setchell Estate and I cant quite remember her name. She used to check up on my dad and I did have her phone number to check up on my dad as he at that time didnt have the phone. I wish I can remember her name but Nell rings a bell. She was a widow and I think dad thought she had designs on him. She tried to encourage him to join the club there in which she was very involved. He said he didnt like being with old people. Dads name was John Lunney. He soon became quite ill and died in Guys Hospital. I know he lived alone in his flat but he loved Bermondsey. Knew everyone there. I used to visit every week and get his shopping down the lane and take home his washing every week and make up his clean bed. Quite a track from T Wells but I enjoyed visiting the old haunts and I had to look after him as he had been a lovely dad. Used to go to the library for his large word reading books. He had a home help and meals on wheels in the end but cancelled the meals as he said the sausages were hard as tree trunks. Nearer the truth was he didnt have any teeth. When dad was in Hazell Way a letter came round for him to buy the flat. I must admit my husband and I were tempted I believe the price was £17,000. Should have done it looking back as it was a nice flat. However, as we were buying our own house I thought it a bit greedy to buy a council flat knowing how difficult it had been for my parents to get one in the first place. What did you get for the flat then surpise me.
Hi Bermondseygirl
Lovely storey, nice to see that you looked after your Dad, thats what Bermondsey people do, look after there Families and the Families helped other Families, a tight community.
Your correct, the Council did give the option of (right to buy) on the flats.
My inlaws lived there paying rent but could not afford to buy, so I bought it for them.
The flat had to be in there name but after a while could be transfered to me.
They lived there until they passed away, I then rented it out for a few years until the Council started to do repairs and were charging us outrages amounts of money for painting and double glazing.I then decided to sell, which gave me enough to pay off my main mortgage of my house in Orpington.
So yes, perhaps you should have bought when you had the chance, but as you said £17000 was a lot of money then and you were commited to buying you other house.
Bermondseyboy
Hi everyone on the bermondsey boy site
I`ve just spent a wonderful few hours down memory lane reading all the postings and looking at pictures/videos.
I was born in guys hospital in 1955 and lived in weston street in front of the Hartley`s jam factory we lived there until about 1969 when the whole area was redeveloped and we moved down The Old Kent Road. The picture of the Bricklayers Arms brought back memories I used to go to the Library with my dad and we`d go to the park by Darwin Street, the one that used to have the band stand in it.
I went to Grange School in Webb Street and once a week my mum used to take me for pie and mash at the shop opposite the Home and Colonial store in Tower Bridge Road I can`t remember the name of it but Ican remember they used to have sawdust on the floor.
I remember The Pagoda Pub I used to go to school with a girl whose mum and dad ran the pub in the `60`s, I used to love going down Tower Bridge road shopping someone mentioned the place that sold eels, I remember my mum buying some eels there once she thought they were dead and just put the bag they were in in the bottom of her shopping bag when we got home the eels were all slithering about in the bottom of her shopping bag she left the bag on the balcony till my dad came home.
When they knocked the houses down in weston street a lot of our neighbours moved away to Abbey Wood and Kent it broke up a nice little community, we moved down The Old Kent Road behind The Green Man but we didn`t really get to know our neighbours there like we did in Weston Street. I don`t live in England now I moved to Wales 20 years ago but it`s been so nice reading about places I know and i`m looking forward to login on again soon
We moved to St Pauls Cray when we first got married. I used to go to Orpington shopping. Isnt it odd how us Bermondsey people move to Kent. I didnt mind moving to St Pauls Cray as the railway station stopped at Peckham! Wouldnt want to go to Peckham now though. I did think that perhaps those flat in Hazell way might start costing regarding the repairs. Its a bit like all those new flats they built everywhere recently and people have to pay maintenance charges. Nothing like your own front door and garden.....
Mu Mum took me down the Cally one Friday i was ill and sick she stopped at the ell stall and said i was sick the lady said eat some chalk that she gave me. A few minutes latter i was sick all over the ells she said oh they've got their dinner i was sick again. I think she was joking.she stood outside the donut shop along Tower Bridge rd near Menzies
Hi,
I lived in Earl Road, Ken Smith one of the 3 sons of Reg & Hilda Smith, we lived at number 17 Earl Rd. My Nan & Grandad, lived in Earl Cottages, number 2 Charles & Lilian Woodbridge. Grandad drunk in the Green Man Pub in the Old Kent Road...
A Great place to start life.
Kenneth Smith.
