Do Lollipop Men still help the school children in Sydenham and Forest Hill?
Here you can see one helping school children--presumably from St. Barts before it moved to The Peak (one of the few Sydenham roads I've yet to see; never been down Sydenham Park road either you see)--at the extreme right of this 1972 Kirkdale photo below. I remember a Lollipop Man, with the same props and costume, who used to help us cross over Dartmouth Road outside Holy Trinity School.
Note: The Kentmen's Fish and Chip shop used to be The Dolphin! I remember the bloke who ran the other branch in Lower Sydenham opposite the Grove Cottage--he used to practise the Wing Chun style of martial arts on a wooden dummy in the back room behind the counter. I mentioned this to the Chinese owners who've since taken over the shop, and they wasn't aware of the fact, but were nevertheless intrigued. Living off Wells Park Road in Upper Sydenham and also another house in Larkbere Road in Lower Sydenham, I have been a regular of both Kentmens Fish and Chip shops over the years, and might enquire in the surviving Kirkdale branch to see if I can track down that geezer...
The building on the corner of Sydenham Park has had an interesting history. 1880-1883 it was the Anchor Coffee Tavern. This was part of a temperance movement intended to offer the working man all the pleasures of a public house (billiards, darts, live music, skittle alley and so on) but without alcohol. People were encouraged to give tokens to cabmen, porters and so on instead real money, which they might well spend in pubs. They could only spend these tokens at the Anchor Coffee Tavern. One can imagine how grateful they must have been. These tokens are fairly scarce, but one is currently up on [ebay].
Also, for a short time (1910-1911) this building was a cinema, called the Sydenham Picture Palace, the only survivor of at least five cinemas Sydenham has had.
Also, for a short time (1910-1911) this building was a cinema, called the Sydenham Picture Palace, the only survivor of at least five cinemas Sydenham has had.
Didn't know this... how very surprising... don't suppose there's any photos from that short period?
