Anyone used to play football in Charlton park next to the path? Sunday morning, jumpers for goalposts. Mid to late sixties.
I remember big Rog was there.
Yes, remember playing in the first Greenwich five a side tournament right behind Charlton House, must have been about 15-16 mixed team of Springfield and Elliscombe mount lads and I think John Davies who played for Bloomfield and the district team. Must have been a junior competition, got through to the semi finals I think.
My 6/- a week (30p) evening paper round in the 1960s included the village and Bowes always had a paper delivered even though they were opposite the newsagents. Can still smell that mix of glue and leather that hit you when you opened the door. Always got a decent tip at Xmas. The bike shop and the tobacconist also had a paper, and their own distinctive smells. My morning round included the cemetery lodge and the dairy in Cemetery Lane neither of which were open at 6.30 am so had to climb over the locked gates. Didn't have the money for a bike so had to do the rounds on foot, took around two hours.
I used to live in Springfield Grove and remember Paddys the hairdressers very well. He used to give you a toy gun to play with, if you were were nervous, that had caps that exploded making a haircut fun. There used to be a sweet shop in Landsdowne Lane that sold Jubbleys and Qudos (not sure of spelling). About 10 yrs ago I had a cottage in Cornwall and had a carpet fitted and chatting to the carpet guy it turned out his parents owned the shop in Landsdowne Lane!! My mother usd to take me to the post office sometimes to buy me a Dinkey toy car and I built up a collection but they were never as good as the Corgi, more expensive, versions.. My mother worked in the White Swan and also the Fish and Chip shop opposite in the early 60's and before then I think it was Father Whale? from St Luke's who ran the 2Ks and groups played there. I heard that Billy J Kramer and Eric Clapton played there but I'm not sue it's true. That would have been the late 50's. The bike shop next to the Bugle was a must go place and we used to, as kids, run into the bar of the Bugle and touch the ancient suit of armour figure in the corner and run out again before being caught. Simple pleasures! Bert Harding used to be a character when serving in the green grocers - he use to mumble all the time under his breath and take no notice of whatever was said to him! A great charatcer of the Village. There used to be a grocery shop opposite the drinking fountain at the top of Church Lane and that delivered your groceries in a cardboard box on the front of a fixed wheel bike ridden by a young guy who must have been very fit. He used to bring the box to your door and it sometimes weighed quite a lot! The predessessor of the Cottage Cafe in Charlton Park near the running track was also very pleasant and the current owners have done wonders in reopening it of late. Mr Jenkins and his two Corgi dogs used to live in Charlton House and I'm sure he thought he was royalty. Friends used to catch the fish in the pond in the gardens at night and return them the next evening! The Evening Standard and Evening News were sold by Mrs Chugger for years at the top of Victoria Way but her son Tom never liked the name and I believe changed his surname to Sullivan as soon as he could. So much to remember in so little space so I will move on for now.....
Spud Harding was quite a character - he used to nip across the road to the Bugle in between serving customers and down a pint 'in one' before heading back to the shop. He used to drive a very battered red MG Magnette car as well as an equally battered Commer van that he used to collect his stock from Covent Garden Market. The car was rusted to hell until he proudly showed my dad one day how he'd repaired the rusted sills, which he had done using concrete!
Mr Jenkins was actually quite a nice chap, although he did present an air of royalty when walking around Charlton House. He knew everything about that place and even wrote a little book about it, which I have somewhere here at home.
I also remember the lady selling the evening papers at the top of Victoria Way but I never knew that was her name.
Anyone remember Steve ferdinando the glue sniffer? Is he still alive?
Sticky Steve as he was known, last time I saw him was about 3/4 years ago in the hungry horse pretending to be the pop man so he could collect the left over glasses and por the remains into 1 glass to try and make a pint
Anyone remember Steve ferdinando the glue sniffer? Is he still alive?
Sticky Steve as he was known, last time I saw him was about 3/4 years ago in the hungry horse pretending to be the pop man so he could collect the left over glasses and por the remains into 1 glass to try and make a pint
He use to do the same in the Royal Tavern in Mottingham.
To try and brighten things up, I thought I'd bump this thread as I've been doing a bit of research on business in The Village over the years and thought there would be a few people on here who would like to share in it.
This all started through talking to people in the newly refurbished White Swan and them posting a turn of the century photo of the pub on their Facebook page. We have also recently lost the last of the 'old' Village businesses, Bowes the shoe repairers, which has been in the same location for over 100 years.
In 1923, there was quite a mixture of businesses in The Village, including a 'Servants Registration Office' at Number 59. The two pubs were known as 'The Swan Hotel' (not the White Swan) and 'The Bugle Horn Hotel'. What is fascinating is that even in 1923, a number of the shops were serving the same purpose that they do nowadays - for example, number 9 was and is a chemist, number 11 was and is a confectioner (sort of) but in addition to these, we had two greengrocers, two butchers, a grocers, a wet fish shop, a cycle works and a 'dental manufacturing company', as well as Bowes Shoe Shop at number 33.
By 1945, we had a branch of Lloyds Bank located at number 1 (where the new Gents outfitters is located), a tailors shop at number 7, a Post Office at number 17 (which was there until relatively recently), a watch repairer at number 43 as well as the usual mixture of 'normal' shops for the time. The Swan had become the White Swan by this time.
The bank had gone by 1961 and the Village began to probably be recognisable to a few of our older posters on here -Hardings Greengrocer, Sandemans Sweet Shop, Wells Fishmonger, Deeks Hardware, Mr Jones the Sub-Postmaster, Hedley Vicars Butchers, Seppings Butchers, Tip-Top Bakery, as well as the two pubs still going strong.
By 1973, all the above shops were still going but who remembers Mobi-Deque's Record Shop, E Coombes Bookmakers, Lansdowne Lane Motors and Pricerite Grocers?
I've attached the photo from the White Swan FB page below with acknowledgements. The Village looked a different place then for sure.
1950s/60s Charlton village memories. Pretty sure corner of Lansdowne Lane was sweet shop where we used to get Jubblies - remember being fascinated as a child because the owner only had one arm - sadly a casualty of World War II. Also we went to a hairdressers (possibly where the Indian restaurant is now). Grocers shop which is now a greengrocers following several changes in recent times. Remember buying loose biscuits from tins. Lastly my Dad used to drink at the Swan when Jack McGrath
I used to live in Springfield Grove and remember Paddys the hairdressers very well. He used to give you a toy gun to play with, if you were were nervous, that had caps that exploded making a haircut fun. There used to be a sweet shop in Landsdowne Lane that sold Jubbleys and Qudos (not sure of spelling). About 10 yrs ago I had a cottage in Cornwall and had a carpet fitted and chatting to the carpet guy it turned out his parents owned the shop in Landsdowne Lane!! My mother usd to take me to the post office sometimes to buy me a Dinkey toy car and I built up a collection but they were never as good as the Corgi, more expensive, versions.. My mother worked in the White Swan and also the Fish and Chip shop opposite in the early 60's and before then I think it was Father Whale? from St Luke's who ran the 2Ks and groups played there. I heard that Billy J Kramer and Eric Clapton played there but I'm not sue it's true. That would have been the late 50's. The bike shop next to the Bugle was a must go place and we used to, as kids, run into the bar of the Bugle and touch the ancient suit of armour figure in the corner and run out again before being caught. Simple pleasures! Bert Harding used to be a character when serving in the green grocers - he use to mumble all the time under his breath and take no notice of whatever was said to him! A great charatcer of the Village. There used to be a grocery shop opposite the drinking fountain at the top of Church Lane and that delivered your groceries in a cardboard box on the front of a fixed wheel bike ridden by a young guy who must have been very fit. He used to bring the box to your door and it sometimes weighed quite a lot! The predessessor of the Cottage Cafe in Charlton Park near the running track was also very pleasant and the current owners have done wonders in reopening it of late. Mr Jenkins and his two Corgi dogs used to live in Charlton House and I'm sure he thought he was royalty. Friends used to catch the fish in the pond in the gardens at night and return them the next evening! The Evening Standard and Evening News were sold by Mrs Chugger for years at the top of Victoria Way but her son Tom never liked the name and I believe changed his surname to Sullivan as soon as he could. So much to remember in so little space so I will move on for now.....
Spud Harding was quite a character - he used to nip across the road to the Bugle in between serving customers and down a pint 'in one' before heading back to the shop. He used to drive a very battered red MG Magnette car as well as an equally battered Commer van that he used to collect his stock from Covent Garden Market. The car was rusted to hell until he proudly showed my dad one day how he'd repaired the rusted sills, which he had done using concrete!
Mr Jenkins was actually quite a nice chap, although he did present an air of royalty when walking around Charlton House. He knew everything about that place and even wrote a little book about it, which I have somewhere here at home.
I also remember the lady selling the evening papers at the top of Victoria Way but I never knew that was her name.
I can remember a lady selling the evening papers at the top of Victoria Way in the late 1950s/ early 1960s(near Brandons the Newsagent). Not sure if this was the lady you are referring to. Her name was Mrs Guiney. One of her sons died whilst a child from a longtime illness. They went to Our Lady of Grace School/ Church(where I was christened/made First communion/married). Charlton had large Irish Community in the 195os/60s which my family was part of.
Don't remember Paddy's barbers. I always got my hair cut at Andrew's. Originally at Wellington Gardens before he moved onto Charlton Church Lane. He used to put laquer on your hair even if you had a skinhead
Andrews, Wellington Gardens, is the one that I always used when I lived in Victoria Way. Alternated between that one and Charlton Village when I moved to Cherry Orchard.
Don't remember Paddy's barbers. I always got my hair cut at Andrew's. Originally at Wellington Gardens before he moved onto Charlton Church Lane. He used to put laquer on your hair even if you had a skinhead
Andrews, Wellington Gardens, is the one that I always used when I lived in Victoria Way. Alternated between that one and Charlton Village when I moved to Cherry
My sister always had the job of takeing me to the barbers in wellington gardens ,one day she asked the barber (called Sid ) to give me a crew cut which was all the rage circa 1954 well it was a disaster I looked like a hedgehog so on the way home she asked a boyfriend called Roy hollands to try to recut it well he tried his best but now it was even worst. When we eventualy plucked up courage to go home my mother gave both of us a clip around the ear . After that I was always taken to speranzas the italian barbers in the woolwich rd.
To try and brighten things up, I thought I'd bump this thread as I've been doing a bit of research on business in The Village over the years and thought there would be a few people on here who would like to share in it.
This all started through talking to people in the newly refurbished White Swan and them posting a turn of the century photo of the pub on their Facebook page. We have also recently lost the last of the 'old' Village businesses, Bowes the shoe repairers, which has been in the same location for over 100 years.
In 1923, there was quite a mixture of businesses in The Village, including a 'Servants Registration Office' at Number 59. The two pubs were known as 'The Swan Hotel' (not the White Swan) and 'The Bugle Horn Hotel'. What is fascinating is that even in 1923, a number of the shops were serving the same purpose that they do nowadays - for example, number 9 was and is a chemist, number 11 was and is a confectioner (sort of) but in addition to these, we had two greengrocers, two butchers, a grocers, a wet fish shop, a cycle works and a 'dental manufacturing company', as well as Bowes Shoe Shop at number 33.
By 1945, we had a branch of Lloyds Bank located at number 1 (where the new Gents outfitters is located), a tailors shop at number 7, a Post Office at number 17 (which was there until relatively recently), a watch repairer at number 43 as well as the usual mixture of 'normal' shops for the time. The Swan had become the White Swan by this time.
The bank had gone by 1961 and the Village began to probably be recognisable to a few of our older posters on here -Hardings Greengrocer, Sandemans Sweet Shop, Wells Fishmonger, Deeks Hardware, Mr Jones the Sub-Postmaster, Hedley Vicars Butchers, Seppings Butchers, Tip-Top Bakery, as well as the two pubs still going strong.
By 1973, all the above shops were still going but who remembers Mobi-Deque's Record Shop, E Coombes Bookmakers, Lansdowne Lane Motors and Pricerite Grocers?
I've attached the photo from the White Swan FB page below with acknowledgements. The Village looked a different place then for sure.
1950s/60s Charlton village memories. Pretty sure corner of Lansdowne Lane was sweet shop where we used to get Jubblies - remember being fascinated as a child because the owner only had one arm - sadly a casualty of World War II. Also we went to a hairdressers (possibly where the Indian restaurant is now). Grocers shop which is now a greengrocers following several changes in recent times. Remember buying loose biscuits from tins. Lastly my Dad used to drink at the Swan when Jack McGrath
I used to live in Springfield Grove and remember Paddys the hairdressers very well. He used to give you a toy gun to play with, if you were were nervous, that had caps that exploded making a haircut fun. There used to be a sweet shop in Landsdowne Lane that sold Jubbleys and Qudos (not sure of spelling). About 10 yrs ago I had a cottage in Cornwall and had a carpet fitted and chatting to the carpet guy it turned out his parents owned the shop in Landsdowne Lane!! My mother usd to take me to the post office sometimes to buy me a Dinkey toy car and I built up a collection but they were never as good as the Corgi, more expensive, versions.. My mother worked in the White Swan and also the Fish and Chip shop opposite in the early 60's and before then I think it was Father Whale? from St Luke's who ran the 2Ks and groups played there. I heard that Billy J Kramer and Eric Clapton played there but I'm not sue it's true. That would have been the late 50's. The bike shop next to the Bugle was a must go place and we used to, as kids, run into the bar of the Bugle and touch the ancient suit of armour figure in the corner and run out again before being caught. Simple pleasures! Bert Harding used to be a character when serving in the green grocers - he use to mumble all the time under his breath and take no notice of whatever was said to him! A great charatcer of the Village.
There used to be a grocery shop opposite the drinking fountain at the top of Church Lane and that delivered your groceries in a cardboard box on the front of a fixed wheel bike ridden by a young guy who must have been very fit. He used to bring the box to your door and it sometimes weighed quite a lot! The predessessor of the Cottage Cafe in Charlton Park near the running track was also very pleasant and the current owners have done wonders in reopening it of late. Mr Jenkins and his two Corgi dogs used to live in Charlton House and I'm sure he thought he was royalty. Friends used to catch the fish in the pond in the gardens at night and return them the next evening! The Evening Standard and Evening News were sold by Mrs Chugger for years at the top of Victoria Way but her son Tom never liked the name and I believe changed his surname to Sullivan as soon as he could. So much to remember in so little space so I will move on for now.....
Spud Harding was quite a character - he used to nip across the road to the Bugle in between serving customers and down a pint 'in one' before heading back to the shop. He used to drive a very battered red MG Magnette car as well as an equally battered Commer van that he used to collect his stock from Covent Garden Market. The car was rusted to hell until he proudly showed my dad one day how he'd repaired the rusted sills, which he had done using concrete!
Mr Jenkins was actually quite a nice chap, although he did present an air of royalty when walking around Charlton House. He knew everything about that place and even wrote a little book about it, which I have somewhere here at home.
I also remember the lady selling the evening papers at the top of Victoria Way but I never knew that was her name.
I can remember a lady selling the evening papers at the top of Victoria Way in the late 1950s/ early 1960s(near Brandons the Newsagent). Not sure if this was the lady you are referring to. Her name was Mrs Guiney. One of her sons died whilst a child from a longtime illness. They went to Our Lady of Grace School/ Church(where I was christened/made First communion/married). Charlton had large Irish Community in the 195os/60s which my family was part of.
Same here … Our Lady of Grace primary school was full of kids from Irish catholic descent in those days.
Mum and step-father used to go to the White Swan on Sunday afternoons in the 70's when Jack McGrath had it. My step-father was from Northern Ireland and a good mate of Jack's. Jack would always serve me a half (I was 12-14) and then get me to bottle-up when the pub closed in the afternoon so the adults could all carry on drinking. I can hear his deep, gravelly, no-nonsense voice to this day.
Comments
I played there a few times.
Mr Jenkins was actually quite a nice chap, although he did present an air of royalty when walking around Charlton House. He knew everything about that place and even wrote a little book about it, which I have somewhere here at home.
I also remember the lady selling the evening papers at the top of Victoria Way but I never knew that was her name.
Only had a break to watch whatever sat/sun games were going on near the shed.
Hot dog from Bills cafe and can of rola cola (shudders)
9am to dark weekends
4pm to dark weekdays