Grange Road -Cinema
Can anyone remember the direlect Cinema that stood in Grange Road oposite the top of Pages Walk on the site where BEW Electrical Distributers now stand and before them either a TNT or DHL office
As a child before the war ended and after we would explore all the bombed houses and structures that had not been demolished.
I can rember exploring this old cinema which still had the seats in it but they had been unbolted and stacked in a pile with in the auditorium the screen was still in place and I wonder what it was called ?
Opposite stood a fish and chipshop on a raised pavement on the corner of Pages Walk
It is shown as a picture house on the 1914 ordance survey
Have you any idea?
Joe Foster
My Dad says it was The Grand. The chip shop was Clarkes.
Vossy
vossy53
Vossy thanks for that information I thought I had lost the plot glad to know Im still OK
Joe Foster
Gday Fosney your Dad is spot on it was the Grand in Grange road, I used to go there as a kid just before the war started. It was the tupenny rush on a Sat morning and they gave us a small bag of broken sweets which we looked forward too, the noise with all the kids shouting and messing around was terrific.. there were always missiles being thrown around and I would often cop one in the back of the head.. They showed films like "The face at the window" "Flash Gordon" "Fu man Chu" all of which make the kids cry out in fear or laughter depending how timid you were, I know I used to have nightmares after a morning there, and of course the favourite Cowby films like Tom Mix, Gene Autry, The lone Ranger with Tonto and we used to copy these cowboys in our games, not forgetting "Tarzan and the Apes", they were good days then.. I remember the Fish and Chip shop Clarkes opposite, during one of the air-raids my Sister took me along there during a lull in the bombing for some fish and chips while we stood there the Sirens went off again so we went outside to get some shelter at the Bermondsey Baths but some bombs started falling, my sister and her boyfriend dived alongside a small brick wall but I kept running towards the blasts because I wanted to get to my Mum sheltering in the Baths, there was an old Post Box outside the Post Office and I sheltered there till it was safe to run on again... My memory of the streets is getting a bit vague these days and I just cant place Pages walk, is there anyway of getting a map of Bermondsey on this net?
johnoj
Have you tried google earth download it, put in the place you want and it zooms in. Then if you go to street map a small yellow man appears drag the man into the street and low and behold your with your camera in the street and you can turn each way to have a look round
give it a try its great
it will give you a new perspective of Bermondsey as it did me and for from downunder
Be warned all streets have not yet been done in this way
Joe Foster
