Porthcawe Road

[alanh]

Anyone know anything about the history of this road in Lower Sydenham. My family lived at number 80 from the early 1900s till 1959.

Alan

[Falkor]

Well, right now it's just blocks of flats beside Home Park with one old house and an old church hall, which could be left over from the additional road that used to cross-over Porthcawe Road, named Relinque Road. This road, in turn, joined Maddin Road (also extinguished) and the existing Kent House Lane/Bell Green Lane. There used to be terraces of old dilapidated--love that word--houses all down Porthcawe Road, but mainly at the cross-roads and down Maddin Road. This area was seen as being one of Sydenham's worst slums! There is a couple of photos of this area in the Coulter/Seaman books, but I was going to re-visit the London Metropolitan Archives to see if they had any alternative views around here and other parts of Lower Sydenham. The book "Sydenham and Forest Hill Past" also described the old shops/businesses that used to run at each corner of Porthcawe Road at the junction with Sydenham High Street; It's worth picking up a copy for an overall history of Sydenham.

[alanh]

Falkor

Thanks

As we were moved to Grove Park in 1959, I don't really have many memories of Porthcawe Road, although I remember the High St as my grandfather used to take me back there on a regular basis. Seem to remeber a Barbershop called Mimi's?? and Spicers. My farther also worked at J A GArdeners.
Alan

[Falkor]

What was it like in Grove Park? More violent in the previous decades? Do you remember the big houses opposite the church? These must have been demolished just after you moved there, and some redevelopment done in the area. The road I was living down up until very recently was built on the foundations of the house directly opposite the church. There was some ancient Oak Tree in my back garden, which can be seen on an old map. One reason I moved away from Grove Park to the same area you are now living is because my flat--underpinned--had started to develop more cracks due to the surrounding trees (some were already cut down last time). It probably won't be long before more redevelopment is done around here I bet...

[alanh]

Not really, It was ok to grow up in Grove Park, apart from Downham , which always seemed to be pretty violent. No the big houses were still there, I remember the house on the corner of Chinbrook Road/Baring Road, beiing used by a cult called the Children of God in the early 70s, but most of the gardens seemed to be really large, having apple and pear trees as well as oaks, birch etc in, which was almost an open invitation to 'scrump' when I was a kid. Also remember a smallholding, by the Quaggy in Chinbrook Road and just in Marvels Lane, there was a large estate of Prefabs, which were knocked down in the 60s to build a new estate

[Falkor]

Thanks for the info on Grove Park!

Going back to Lower Sydenham, east of Home Park, I think Relinque Road must have been renamed to Winchfield road before this area was cleared away. There's 2 photos from similar viewpoints--one in a Coulter/Seaman book--the other in the aforementioned "Sydenham and Forest Hill Past" book.

[Falkor]

Check [this] out!

[alanh]

Great stuff. Love to see if anyone had any pics just prior to the street being demolished tho

Alan

[Falkor]

Can't do better than that, but I found this other interesting view from the high street, showing how the junction looked with shops on the corner (now demolished). It was probably taken in the 60s or 70s before Byron Close etc were built.

[alisonprior202]

Check [this] out!

I lived in the blocks of flats number 24 Porthcawe Rd, SE26 From 1971 until Sept 1977. I remember the Silver Jubile celebrations at the Mission church, I won the best hat competiton. I moved to Eastbourne on 2nd Oct 1977. Holme Park was a favourite of mine, but my dad used to be able to shout out our first floor flat window to call me in for tea, not good when you were talking to boy's from the catholic school,

[eileenrose1@bigpond.com]

Well, right now it's just blocks of flats beside Home Park with one old house and an old church hall, which could be left over from the additional road that used to cross-over Porthcawe Road, named Relinque Road. This road, in turn, joined Maddin Road (also extinguished) and the existing Kent House Lane/Bell Green Lane. There used to be terraces of old dilapidated--love that word--houses all down Porthcawe Road, but mainly at the cross-roads and down Maddin Road. This area was seen as being one of Sydenham's worst slums! There is a couple of photos of this area in the Coulter/Seaman books, but I was going to re-visit the London Metropolitan Archives to see if they had any alternative views around here and other parts of Lower Sydenham. The book "Sydenham and Forest Hill Past" also described the old shops/businesses that used to run at each corner of Porthcawe Road at the junction with Sydenham High Street; It's worth picking up a copy for an overall history of Sydenham.