Sydenham Past & Present

[brian stimson]

I have been here 59 years. Many changes. Used be be only two cafe's .
Cobbs dept had up market tea chop and Criterion Ice Cream Parlour also a coffee shop. I think , possibly excluding any fish and chip shops , were only cafe's. People used to all eat at home .
Also of course many greengrocers, grocers , bakers etc.
First Supermarket was Wallis's which opened about 72 , by I think Hughie Green , where Lidl is now.
Remember Hillier's well. Poor Mr H dies about 7 years ago.

Do you remember the St. Blelades cafe in Kirkdale. What about Sainsburys in Sydenham Road c. 1948 when they cut the cheese from a block on the counter with a cheese wire and patted the butter to your sze and weight. How about the Criterion's Nickerbocker Glory or Banana Split. When times were hard just after the second WW there was a National Restaurant opppsite the Cinema in Forest hill where you could buy a wholesome (??) meal for 9p.

[brian stimson]

I have been here 59 years. Many changes. Used be be only two cafe's .
Cobbs dept had up market tea chop and Criterion Ice Cream Parlour also a coffee shop. I think , possibly excluding any fish and chip shops , were only cafe's. People used to all eat at home .
Also of course many greengrocers, grocers , bakers etc.
First Supermarket was Wallis's which opened about 72 , by I think Hughie Green , where Lidl is now.
Remember Hillier's well. Poor Mr H dies about 7 years ago.

By the way Mr Eagle I noticed from a previous entry you attended St. Barts. So did I from 1945 until 1951 when I left and had to travel to Lewisham to School. But I remember Mr Williams very well he took the top class, what about Mr Paulk (Porkie) was he still there? I used to like the cod liver oil and malt and the gill bottle of milk, so much so I would buy the other kids ration with my sweet money.

[Eagle]

Yes Brian I did go St Barts from 1956 to 1960 having previously attended St Phillips's infants in Wells Park Road.
At St Barts taught by lovely Miss Cresswell , rather frightening Miss Coggin , very mature Miss Partridge and then very scary Mr Williams.
Mr Williams did everything that modern day teachers would be sacked for but learnt a lot in his class.

[budweiser]

It is strange about there not being a decent fish & chip shop in Sydenham. I ten to use the Blue Dolphin in Penge which is quite good.
Fish shops - there's Moxon's in Lordship Lane (East Dulwich) which is obviously closer than Borough market.

I know it's pure nostalgia and it won't solve the current problem of good fish and chips. But the best fish and chip shop of all time was Ladyman's in Green Lane Penge just round the corner from the nick which I remember from the 1950s. The second best was in Sydenham Road just past Mayow Road going towards Catford almost opposite The Red Lion (?) pub. You could always have "afters" in The Criterion Ice Cream Parlour which was run by the Valenti family, all gone now I suppose. Sorry for my time wasting but I could'nt resist another trip down memory lane.

I used to go to school with Stephen Valenti and the chipshop we used to use was called Wise`s i think.
Do you remember Colebrooks the newsagents/tobbaconists?

[budweiser]

I have been here 59 years. Many changes. Used be be only two cafe's .
Cobbs dept had up market tea chop and Criterion Ice Cream Parlour also a coffee shop. I think , possibly excluding any fish and chip shops , were only cafe's. People used to all eat at home .
Also of course many greengrocers, grocers , bakers etc.
First Supermarket was Wallis's which opened about 72 , by I think Hughie Green , where Lidl is now.
Remember Hillier's well. Poor Mr H dies about 7 years ago.

Wallis`s used to be the old ABC or Odeon cinema if i remember correctly, i saw the film the battle of Britain when it came out, there was camouflage netting over the front of the cinema with a spitfire on it.

[Eagle]

Budweiswer it was The Granada.
ABC was the ABC Capitol now Wetherspoons Capitol in FH
Odeon was where the Wetherspoon Penge is now.

[budweiser]

Budweiswer it was The Granada.
ABC was the ABC Capitol now Wetherspoons Capitol in FH
Odeon was where the Wetherspoon Penge is now.

The Granada! Christ, that was so long ago and you`re completely right.
So, did you live in Sydenham at the same time as me then? 1962-1973?
I used to go to Saturday Morning Matinee at the pics in FH. Sixpence to get in and we had Flash Gordon and all sorts showing.! God I`m getting old now!!!! ( 48) Lol! Great Memories.
Does anyone remember Jolyons? Used to serve a great steak and kidney pie and chips.

[The Eagle]

Please correct me if I am wrong but Wallis was where Lidls is.

The Granada was on the corner of Girton Rd where Safeways/Sommerfield is.

[Eagle]

The Eagle
Yes u are correct on both points

Who remembers The Record Forum ( on corner of Tannsfeld ). Manageress had a Helen Shapiro cut and seemed to have a thing going with manager who looked like Mr Rumbold
She was miserable and her only words seemed to be 6/8d , 13/4d and 1/12/6d
For the young the price for years of dingles/ EPs and LPs.

Also strange ironmongers called BOAG's

[The Eagle]

Eagle (feels like I am talking to myself )

Your dingle (single) pricing was correct £0.06S.08D was correct..........three for a pound

The only ironmongers I knew was somewhere near the old Post Office

[Eagle]

Yes used to be near Post Office , inbetween Tannsfeld and Newlands Park.
Sydenham Road was not a haven for drunks drinking out od cans in those days.
Maybe partly because you could only by alcohol from Of Licenses and the of Sales side of Public Houses. None of these discouted alcohol.

I think the biggest change has been the vast increase of restuarants , cafes and dubious take away establishments. In 1960 I believe only Cobbs Rea Rooms and The Criterion, but could have missed one. People actually did something very strange , they cooked at home.

[The Eagle]

Think a bit of confusion here..........
The old Post Office used to be very near where WellBeing is (opposite side of road from existing Post Office); and the Ironmongers I was thinking of was where the mobile phone shop now is, next to launderette.

[Eagle]

You are quite correct and very many apologies.
The Ironmongers though is roughly where the post office now is , perhaps a bit further down. Do not recall an Ironmongers on the other side of the road.

[Christhom]

Don't forget the truly memorable smell of freshly roasted coffee from the Home and Colonial store opposite Newlands Park.

[Eagle]

Yes what a great smell and nice shop
Doubt if a shop with that name would be permitted nowadays.

How about The Tip Top Bakery ( on corner of Silverdale ) now a dubious food outlet.

I recall numerous greengrocers, where have they all gone???

[brian stimson]

You are quite correct and very many apologies.
The Ironmongers though is roughly where the post office now is , perhaps a bit further down. Do not recall an Ironmongers on the other side of the road.

The Granada was originally The State Cinema, The Post Office I think was just a bit down from Silverdale, Boag's was the hardware shop, Opposite Queensthorpe was the bombed out Neighbourhoos Cinema next door was a wartime emergency water supply where another bombed building was, I can remember fishing for old bikes and pram wheels to make carts. This was the late forties and early fifties. Those were the days!!

[Eagle]

Hello Brian
Your recollections go back even further tha me. Only born in 49.
The main road has changed so much. The bif difference is , I think , the fact that everybody cooked at home , hence only one or two eating establishments for occasional treats.
Guess the schools have stopped teachibg girls to cook. Big mistake.

[brian stimson]

Hello Brian
Your recollections go back even further tha me. Only born in 49.
The main road has changed so much. The bif difference is , I think , the fact that everybody cooked at home , hence only one or two eating establishments for occasional treats.
Guess the schools have stopped teachibg girls to cook. Big mistake.

1940 vintage me, Eagle. lived in Wiverton Road Sydenham 1942-1958, loved every minute.

[Christhom]

You are quite correct and very many apologies.
The Ironmongers though is roughly where the post office now is , perhaps a bit further down. Do not recall an Ironmongers on the other side of the road.

The Granada was originally The State Cinema, The Post Office I think was just a bit down from Silverdale, Boag's was the hardware shop, Opposite Queensthorpe was the bombed out Neighbourhoos Cinema next door was a wartime emergency water supply where another bombed building was, I can remember fishing for old bikes and pram wheels to make carts. This was the late forties and early fifties. Those were the days!!

Many of the seats from the Granada were torn out by me and some of my mates and installed in the Church of the Living God of Prophecy on Perry Rise.
The Post Office was where approx the Alpha building is.
I do remember Greenfield's greengrocers and Pearl I think on the corner of Silverdale.
Before Wallis was Corby's (?) bicycles.