Sydenham Road in old photos
Sydenham Road in old photos
If anyone has anymore photos to add please post!
There's a lot to take in there Falkor. I loved each and every one but wondered if there was a way of 'grouping' or explaining them briefly (not each one but each group) like you have on other threads?
What I found most fascinating was:
a) How smart the lower part of Sydders was. Especially the part that the ever horrid Prince Alfred sits on. Those pictures of the Prince Alfred as a hotel with the imposing catholic church. You would need a lot of imagination to square what assaults your eyes nowadays with that fine parade in your pictures.
b) How bulit up Sydders was in your aerial views. It would seem in the 50s/60s various ramashackle buildings (now mercifully demolished) were bulit on any availble plot of land.
c) How often the same business seem to have been here forever. I'm sure there's a reason but some shops seem to have operated as the same type of business for ages! I guess they were passed down the generations of the same family?
d) How much the GLC and the 50s and 60s have to answer for! I really wish the 50s and 60s hadn't happened. They leave a legacy of nothing interesting nor worthwhile and shall be forever remembered as the decades that most of London's beautiful roads were put to the wreckers ball and replaced by sh*t-holes. [Excuse the strong word but I really hate all things 1950 and 1960s - the first person to write in saying it gave us the Beatles will get summarily shot!].
What I found most fascinating was:
a) How smart the lower part of Sydders was. Especially the part that the ever horrid Prince Alfred sits on. Those pictures of the Prince Alfred as a hotel with the imposing catholic church. You would need a lot of imagination to square what assaults your eyes nowadays with that fine parade in your pictures.
b) How bulit up Sydders was in your aerial views. It would seem in the 50s/60s various ramashackle buildings (now mercifully demolished) were bulit on any availble plot of land.
c) How often the same business seem to have been here forever. I'm sure there's a reason but some shops seem to have operated as the same type of business for ages! I guess they were passed down the generations of the same family?
d) How much the GLC and the 50s and 60s have to answer for! I really wish the 50s and 60s hadn't happened. They leave a legacy of nothing interesting nor worthwhile and shall be forever remembered as the decades that most of London's beautiful roads were put to the wreckers ball and replaced by sh*t-holes. [Excuse the strong word but I really hate all things 1950 and 1960s - the first person to write in saying it gave us the Beatles will get summarily shot!].
The best way of explaining those photos would be to take John Coulter's narrative from Sydenham and Forest Hill Past, and split it up and group the various paragraphs with different parts of the High Street. To everyone's horror you would then discover that less than half of the known historic buldings of Sydenham were actually photographed! If I get time I might do that... maps would also come in handy.
I've got Coulter's book so will do just that. I think you're right...alot of Sydenham's famous old buildings don't seem to have been photographed.
I often wonder how many are in private collections though and yet to be unearthed. Perhaps with the passing of generations and offspring going through old drawers/albums we might find some of these Victorian/Edwardian pictures come into the public domain?
Do you have any of the Priory that stood next to Queen's Hall? I love the ones of the Dolphin. I wondered if the owner would be interested in them. Hang them on the wall of his grastropub?
I often wonder how many are in private collections though and yet to be unearthed. Perhaps with the passing of generations and offspring going through old drawers/albums we might find some of these Victorian/Edwardian pictures come into the public domain?
Do you have any of the Priory that stood next to Queen's Hall? I love the ones of the Dolphin. I wondered if the owner would be interested in them. Hang them on the wall of his grastropub?
These picture gave me butterflies.
I contacted Falkor about this. I'd like to set up a blog about it called 'what was Sydenham' with his pictures, pictures taken now form the same angle and keep it as a record from past to future, with hopefully additional comments on posts by people like Reg etc.
Anyone up for helping us out on this? Falkor? Resident Sydenham Shots photographer?
I think it could make an excellent exhibition in one of the empty shops in Sydenham road.
I contacted Falkor about this. I'd like to set up a blog about it called 'what was Sydenham' with his pictures, pictures taken now form the same angle and keep it as a record from past to future, with hopefully additional comments on posts by people like Reg etc.
Anyone up for helping us out on this? Falkor? Resident Sydenham Shots photographer?
I think it could make an excellent exhibition in one of the empty shops in Sydenham road.
I was looking through these again last night Falkor whilst watching John & Edward mercifully being bundled out of X-Factor (we all have our weaknesses!). Two things I wondered:
1) When you pull out of Sydenham Railway Station currently on the 'down' platform immediately after the bridge on your left there's the remains of a small building. It's at track level and not part ofthe Doctor's surgery...so what is it? It definitely looks Victorian.
Also if I look to the right I can see the remains still of the old 'up' platform?
2) Those pictures of old Greyhound entrance...are they mine? I only ask as in the penultimate picture you can see Julwz' and my feet. That's my left foot so I wondered what angle you had the camera at...looks a bit close for comfort!
(I remember it being dark and we were both snapping away that day - your pictures were much better).
1) When you pull out of Sydenham Railway Station currently on the 'down' platform immediately after the bridge on your left there's the remains of a small building. It's at track level and not part ofthe Doctor's surgery...so what is it? It definitely looks Victorian.
Also if I look to the right I can see the remains still of the old 'up' platform?
2) Those pictures of old Greyhound entrance...are they mine? I only ask as in the penultimate picture you can see Julwz' and my feet. That's my left foot so I wondered what angle you had the camera at...looks a bit close for comfort!
(I remember it being dark and we were both snapping away that day - your pictures were much better).
Ulysses, your question no 1,
Many times I have stood on the old up platform and wondered what thw small buiding was, and I came to the conclusion that it was used as a shelter for "Fogmen". In earlier days, whenever a smog descended, a man would sit close to signals to put a detonator on the line if the signal was showing red to warn the driver to stop.
An old school pal of mine told me how his father was so employed and on one occasion, he accidentally caught his foot n the live rail and was thrown up the bank close by.
Maybe that building was possibly, so used.
At one time I thought that it may have housed a signal box. but I never saw it being used.
Many times I have stood on the old up platform and wondered what thw small buiding was, and I came to the conclusion that it was used as a shelter for "Fogmen". In earlier days, whenever a smog descended, a man would sit close to signals to put a detonator on the line if the signal was showing red to warn the driver to stop.
An old school pal of mine told me how his father was so employed and on one occasion, he accidentally caught his foot n the live rail and was thrown up the bank close by.
Maybe that building was possibly, so used.
At one time I thought that it may have housed a signal box. but I never saw it being used.
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mcleanmuir
- Posts: 93
- Joined: 31 Oct 2007 08:03
- Location: West Wickham
sydenham road in old photos
On second thoughts, I feel certain that the building on the end of the down platform originally would have housed a signal box, as the structure is very similar to the signal box that used to stand over the footpath leading to Forest Hill station, the arched alcoves in the supporting wall are common with many railway structures such as tunnels etc. During the 1930's I cannot remember it being used as such.
regoneil:
Ordinarily I'd agree with you.
Firstly; thank you for your evocative thoughts on your time standing on the 'up' plaform and much besides. Reading your posts and your PMs to me I can only hope that my memory and prose is as keen as yours is at 90 years old!
However, I'm not buying the signal box. I was taken in with the fog-men thought you had but not the signal box.
Why? Well I travel extensively through Kent/Surrey/Sussex/Hampshire/Essex and to my mind signal boxes are often raised on stilts/weather-board/wooden/...'temporary' affairs.
This is a well built building with a certain 'flourish' that went beyond a mundane function. I appreciate Victorian's had a flair for raising things beyond their means (see Crossness pumping house) but not so this buliding?
Sure you won't reconsider?
Ordinarily I'd agree with you.
Firstly; thank you for your evocative thoughts on your time standing on the 'up' plaform and much besides. Reading your posts and your PMs to me I can only hope that my memory and prose is as keen as yours is at 90 years old!
However, I'm not buying the signal box. I was taken in with the fog-men thought you had but not the signal box.
Why? Well I travel extensively through Kent/Surrey/Sussex/Hampshire/Essex and to my mind signal boxes are often raised on stilts/weather-board/wooden/...'temporary' affairs.
This is a well built building with a certain 'flourish' that went beyond a mundane function. I appreciate Victorian's had a flair for raising things beyond their means (see Crossness pumping house) but not so this buliding?
Sure you won't reconsider?
Sydenham road in old photos
Brilliant collection of photos!
I had forgoten about all those magnificant tiles in the Greyhound.
Sydenham sure was very grand!
I had forgoten about all those magnificant tiles in the Greyhound.
Sydenham sure was very grand!
Wow
Thanks for these............I too remember things from the late 60's onward and have seen the decline..
As for one of the first photos of "Steemsons", I went to school with a Vanessa Steemson in the early 70's. ooerr.
I used the up platform a lot at the station and remember the huge clock and old fashioned red chocolate machine.
As for one of the first photos of "Steemsons", I went to school with a Vanessa Steemson in the early 70's. ooerr.
I used the up platform a lot at the station and remember the huge clock and old fashioned red chocolate machine.
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PhilAppleby
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 15 Nov 2014 09:56
- Location: Kirkby Stephen Cumbria
Re: Sydenham Road in old photos
I have just found this site. Absolutely fantastic. Born in Sydenham 1953 and moved north in 1979, it's great to see old photos that bring back memories. Will try and find some old photos to post that might be of interest to everyone.
Re: Sydenham Road in old photos
This image was posted on a page on Facebook "Sydenham...back in the day" by a John Tidy who kindly gave me permission to post it here.
The delivery boy was his father and as a boy he used to go shopping there with his mother.
He went on to say that saw dust was sprinkled on the floor, the shop assistants wore white hair nets, butter was purchased by weight which was then patted into shape with wooden paddles before being wrapped in greaseproof paper and biscuits where purchased from glass topped tins.
The delivery boy was his father and as a boy he used to go shopping there with his mother.
He went on to say that saw dust was sprinkled on the floor, the shop assistants wore white hair nets, butter was purchased by weight which was then patted into shape with wooden paddles before being wrapped in greaseproof paper and biscuits where purchased from glass topped tins.