Domed building on Cobbs Corner

[Nicholas]

Was just interested to know if anybody had any infomation about the history and original purpos of the large white domed building next to the grayhound on Cobbs Corner. All i know is that is has been aroud for about 100 years and has become something of a local landmark.

[leaf]

I believe it was cobbs department store?

I remember when it was still open as cobbs and still have a photo of my brother and i on father christmases lap downstairs in the toy department!

[Falkor]

[Malcolm]

Oh yes, Cobbs dept store!


It had a shoe dept, ladies & gents fashions, haberdashery, furniture, Xmas Santa and lots more. There was a big restaurant in the basement where I had my 21st back in the 1970s!

My mother was forever getting my feet X-rayed in a huge machine in the children's shoe dept. You could stand on it and look down into the X-Ray and see the bones on your feet in a wierd green light. I thought it was really fun but the Health & Safety people would have a fit if you did it now!

[nannyjacks]

I was born in February 1945 almost opposite Cobbs Corner above the chemist shop that my late father had called A.B.Makepeace. We moved to 12, Peak Hill Gardens in 1947 and then to Lewisham/Blackheath borders in 1949.We returned to Sydenham in 1957 to live in Lawrie Park Gardens as my late Mother missed living there.
I can remember my Mother saying she saw Cobbs hit by the bomb as we lived almost in front of it.She also said that Hither Green cematery was bombed (trying to hit the railway line I think) and the resulting chaos was horrendous.

I have lots of memories of Sydenham.The Granda Cinema was half way down Sydenham Road. I think its a supermarket now .The first supermarket in Sydenham was Victor Values just past John Hoods the cleaners, my Mum was convinced they would never catch on !!

I remember a lorry that had parked on the brow of Sydenham Bridge whilst the driver nipped into the loos by the station. Whilst in there the lorry rolled down and smashed through the florists window .It killed a chap who was pushing his bike up on the pavement outside the shop,this was in the late 1950s .I believe there used to be a cinema in Silverdale as well, and that was also a roller-rink as well.
There used to be a record shop on the corner of Newlands Park Rd where the Grundig factory was situated, half way down Sydenham Road where the 75 buses used to turn to go to Penge, and I bought a pair of Beatles tickets there in the early 1960s for a fiver .I went to see them at the Gaumont Lewisham
Sydenham was a vey sleepy place to live in those days and I have not been back for many years.I believe it was once called the 'dirtiest villiage in Kent' according to legend.

There used to be a small park situated between Penge and Sydenham I think it was called Alexandra Rec. that was laid out with tiny roads and zebra crossings for children to learn to ride their bikes on to get used to the roads
Does anyone remember either Doctor Murray at the bottom of Sydenham Road or Doctor Wylde.The latter had the tiniest surgery on the top of Sydenham Bridge.

I was christened in the big church at the other end of Jews Walk I think that has changed as well.

My two brothers went to St Barts School and also sung in the choir there, mainly because they got 2/6d per quarter plus an extra 6d for weddings.

The library opposite Sydenham Chidrens Hospital was wonderful and full of old dark wood and smelt of lavender polish and you daren't make a noise in there or you would be shushed very quickly by the stern looking librarian.

Forest Hill swimming baths was a place where you either learnt to swim or you drowned, kids were always being thrown in for 'fun' to give you an incentive to learn quickly.It was also a good oplace to get spectacular verrucas

Children of my generation walked everywhere. Our favourite hang-out was the 'Cri' the ice cream parlour at the bottom of Sydenham Road or the cafe almost oppsite.There was also a cafe called St Brelades halfway up Kirkdale .Also in Kirkdale was the Express dairy shop, and if your Mum ran out of milk there was a slot machine where you could buy a carton in the shop doorway for 6d.
I expect its all changed now but I suppose thats progress for you.
I am now widowed and live in the Medway and it seems such a long time ago that I was young and running down Sydenham Road with all of my friends ,some of whom too have gone

[simon]

What a lovely post nannyjacks, thankyou for sharing your memories.

[Falkor]

Good topic!

Can anyone explain how this building became the sole suvivor of Lawrie Parade as captioned on this photo?

© Steve Grindlay

[multisync]

My mum used to work in Cobbs department store.When you paid for things in the store the assistant used to put your money in a capsule and put on tracks or something which sent them upstairs [where mum worked] the change and receipt were put back in the capsule and returned to the shopfloor

[JVLFord]

I and my mother used to work in Cobb's. I worked in despatch headed by a very red nosed Irishman known by everyone as Paddy. I received staff purchases to be handed back at going home time, received goods in from suppliers, delivered goods to departments, went out on the van to visit other group stores and deliver goods to customers when required I also acted as a lunch time counter relief. My mother worked on perfumery.

In the later years of the stores life it was taken over by the (now also gone) departmental store chain Cuffs of Woolwich with branches at Putney and East Sheen. The Chairman was a rather portly gentleman by the name of Mr Salmon. Whenever he arrived in his chaffeuer driven car all the staff were on their very best behaviour.

There is a very good and quite accurate chapter in the book Penge Papers on Cobbs. The chapter is called Chubb's.

[Steve Grindlay]

Thanks to JVLFord's fascinating memories I've just noticed this question:

Can anyone explain how this building became the sole survivor of Lawrie Parade as captioned on this photo?

I hope this explains what I meant:

Lawrie Parade was built in 1860 and extended from Spring Hill to the entrance to Twilights. The domed part of Cobb's was built on the site of the first two shops of the parade, in 1902. The rest of the parade, was severely damaged by a bomb in 1940 and rebuilt after the war. The coloured picture shows the red brick of the rebuilt terrace and the domed building (which largely survived the bombing), with the sole survivor of the terrace sandwiched between.

I've uploaded a couple of pictures of the inside of Cobb's <here>, which may be of interest.

[Falkor]

Interesting... first time I've seen the inside of Cobb's UNLESS that photo of me and Santa Claus was taken in there when I was a wee lad (RebelMC mentioned such a service in another thead). Thanks Steve.

[Malcolm]

And here's a seasonal extra pic of the inside of Cobbs. My sister and Father visiting Santa's Grotto at Cobbs in 1956!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37095452@N00/2081159714/

[kennyb2]

access barred it seems.
Cobbs Santas grotto was quite a good one if I remember correctly

[Malcolm]

Sorry, forgot to tick the "public" box on the FLICKR site, should be OK now........

[Jennifer Kanaly]

We moved to Sydenham in 1947. My family lived on Charleville Circus, first on our own and then with my grandmother who bought the house from my parents. My sister and I went to school at St Philips. Later we moved to Peak Hill, where from my bedroom there was an incredible view of Cobbs Corner, St Bartholomew's church and rooftops. When it snowed the view was unbelievable. Yes, I remember Dr. Wylde. He was our family doctor. I recall his surgery as being very cramped and dark. The room would shake when the train went past. My cousin, whose family continued to live in Sydenham long after we had left, told me that the good doctor had a stroke while sitting in front of his fire, and died after he fell forward into the fire... a very sad end.