Places you used to hang out as a kid

The Prince-e-Paul

The Woolwich ferry thread got me reminiscing and I felt a bit of nostalgia coming on.

Just wondered where other Lifers used to hang out in their teenage years. Café, youth club, underage pubs. Maybe to listen to music, eat, smoke fags, cheeky pint or chat up the opposite sex etc.

letthegoodtimesroll

The Covered End, to watch Charlton

ForeverAddickted

Used to either hang out round my mates either playing PC or Sega Mega Drive - If not Id be taking my bike out around Wrotham or Danson Park sometimes going to Bostall Library

stonemuse

In the early 70’s, disco in the ‘Crypt’ under Our Lady of Grace church in Charlton, then after to sit in the Blackheath Standard Shed ... not even sure now what it was but had quite a few seats covered by a roof facing the road, not far from the Standard pub. Wasn’t even by a bus stop.

Quite a few Covered Enders always used to be around.

kentaddick

Rvp in tunbridge Wells, now full of empty shop spaces. Wouldn’t be surprise in a decade or two it will be knocked down for housing.

Covered End

Greenwich Park & the lower road from Greenwich to Charlton.
I used to work on the boating lake weekends & school holidays.
The crumpet was unbelievable

EastTerrace

Castle and Oxleas Woods

Baldybonce

stonemuse said:

In the early 70’s, disco in the ‘Crypt’ under Our Lady of Grace church in Charlton, then after to sit in the Blackheath Standard Shed ... not even sure now what it was but had quite a few seats covered by a roof facing the road, not far from the Standard pub. Wasn’t even by a bus stop.

Quite a few Covered Enders always used to be around.

Same here. A few Friday night discos at St Austins. The top of Vicky way.

T_C_E

Adventure playground behind St Lukes church.
Jump on a 53 to Regents park go to the Zoo on a Red Rover, anybodies guess where I got the money!! (cant see it being allowed by parents these days).
Used to go down to The Valley and watching Maurice Banham cutting the grass, then go on a reccy on the Heights to find different ways into the ground incase they put extra stewards up the Laundry to stop us bunking through there.

Starinnaddick

Hilltop Cafe on the corner of Anglesea and Crescent Roads

stonemuse

stonemuse said:

In the early 70’s, disco in the ‘Crypt’ under Our Lady of Grace church in Charlton, then after to sit in the Blackheath Standard Shed ... not even sure now what it was but had quite a few seats covered by a roof facing the road, not far from the Standard pub. Wasn’t even by a bus stop.

Quite a few Covered Enders always used to be around.

Thinking back now, lots of Charlton from Cherry Orchard, Blackheath Village and Greenwich. Kev Hopkins used to do the disco occasionally.

sirjohnhumphrey

In the mid-late 80s at the age of 14/15 used to play school football on Saturday morning then meet friends at the Riverdale in Lewisham.
We would get a Jamaica patty and stroll round. Usual shopping spots included Cavern Records and the fashion hotspots of Top Man and Mister Byrite. Maybe a venture to Alpat Sports in Lee High Road.
Seemed to be able to spend too many hours just strolling around.

stonemuse

Baldybonce said:

stonemuse said:

In the early 70’s, disco in the ‘Crypt’ under Our Lady of Grace church in Charlton, then after to sit in the Blackheath Standard Shed ... not even sure now what it was but had quite a few seats covered by a roof facing the road, not far from the Standard pub. Wasn’t even by a bus stop.

Quite a few Covered Enders always used to be around.

Same here. A few Friday night discos at St Austins. The top of Vicky way.

Top of Victoria Way used to be quite a meeting point. Loads of us from Cherry Orchard opposite.

Again, used to be quite a few Charlton including the likes of Keith Giles.

Dazzler21

We (myself and the kids from the council estate I grew up on) built a huge pallet camp out the back of Staples for a month or so when I was about 12. It was mega, it had 3 large rooms, some were padded out with chairs made of polystyrene and one was a bedroom that never got used whilst we were there as it didn't have a bed.

It took a few days of the summer to build, but we only got maybe a week or twos use of it.

We'd all sneak off there to have a ciggy and pretend we were cool not realising we all just looked homeless. Was a good laugh until some older lads in their late teens and early twenties started hanging out there.

I stopped hanging out there, but heard rumours they'd been pulling the 12-14 year old girls that hung out with us. About 6 months later they were all nicked as a grooming gang, that had also been getting their victims to sell their drugs too.

Langley Green in Crawley... Talk about classy.

ricky_otto

The Castle Pub in Eltham high street - ideal for underage (15 when I started going in there) drinking. Absolute cess pit though.

Baldybonce

ricky_otto said:

The Castle Pub in Eltham high street - ideal for underage (15 when I started going in there) drinking. Absolute cess pit though.

I nearly shit myself the first time i went in there. Most of the regulars looked like they were on day release.

No.1 in South London

Manor House Park in Lee.... Lewisham Odeon for Saturday morning pictures....red bus rovers during the summer months which took me all over the gaff... Blackheath for 5-a-side football and also at the old Ladywell Baths( the really old one that was used for 5-aside football leagues) Lee Green and Lewisham for the shops..... Lochabar Hall (sp) for jumble sales....all great places & great days

cafckev

Cockoo Woods in Penenden Heath (Maidstone) and stonebrough shopping centre. But on Wednesday nights and Saturday afternoons (if Maidstone Utd were away) I would be roller skating at the YMCA in Loose.

ricky_otto

Baldybonce said:

ricky_otto said:

The Castle Pub in Eltham high street - ideal for underage (15 when I started going in there) drinking. Absolute cess pit though.

I nearly shit myself the first time i went in there. Most of the regulars looked like they were on day release.

It wasn’t the nicest of places that’s for sure.

thickandthin63

2ks club in Charlton Village wednesday nights,run by St Lukes Church,Father Alan Waite,who bore Great resemblance to Friar tuck was a legend ( he conducted my wedding ceremony ).Some great names passed through that club,Albert Lee,Jimmy Page Joe Brown,great memories.

Chris_from_Sidcup

Along with most other kids when they got to 15 or 16..........the Moon & Sixpence by Welling station.

Johnnysummers5

Starinnaddick said:

Hilltop Cafe on the corner of Anglesea and Crescent Roads

I used to go in the Hilltop as well, when I was about 14 me and a couple of mates, used to try and make a Pepsi cola each, last as long as we could while listening to the juke box

iainment

The Montagu in Langley for under age drinking. Sometimes the Cherrypickers or the Red Lion.
The 1832 club in Windsor for live music.

eaststandmike

Johnnysummers5 said:

Starinnaddick said:

Hilltop Cafe on the corner of Anglesea and Crescent Roads

I used to go in the Hilltop as well, when I was about 14 me and a couple of mates, used to try and make a Pepsi cola each, last as long as we could while listening to the juke box

Make that three of us, Me too

bolloxbolder

Bursted Woods pitch and putt was at the bottom of my road. Used to play in the woods and also football on the green there. In the holiday periods would get paid by the ranger to put out the tee bollards and flags. In addition, got loads of free rounds whenever not busy.

Regularly played Football, cricket and tennis at North Heath rec.

The Prince-e-Paul

Dazzler21 said:

We (myself and the kids from the council estate I grew up on) built a huge pallet camp out the back of Staples for a month or so when I was about 12. It was mega, it had 3 large rooms, some were padded out with chairs made of polystyrene and one was a bedroom that never got used whilst we were there as it didn't have a bed.

It took a few days of the summer to build, but we only got maybe a week or twos use of it.

We'd all sneak off there to have a ciggy and pretend we were cool not realising we all just looked homeless. Was a good laugh until some older lads in their late teens and early twenties started hanging out there.

I stopped hanging out there, but heard rumours they'd been pulling the 12-14 year old girls that hung out with us. About 6 months later they were all nicked as a grooming gang, that had also been getting their victims to sell their drugs too.

Langley Green in Crawley... Talk about classy.

My Grandad used to live in Langley Green. Always have very fond memories of the place. He lived for 40 years in Rushetts Road until 2006, backing onto some lovely quiet lanes going towards Ifield.

DamoNorthStand

Grew up in Bexley / Bexleyheath - so as a child used to spend my time on my bike around The Warren on Midhurst Hill (and on a sledge in the wintertime), and also around what was an undeveloped patch of wasteland on the other side of the footbridge over the A2 by BETHS.

eaststandmike

I was born and lived in Calderwood Street, Woolwich just up the road from the Police Station and the Public Baths. When I was allowed out on my own, I cant remember the age, 7, 8 I used to play opposite where some houses had been demolished, we used to call them "bomb sites"

Me and my mates would build camps from scrap wood, play hide & seek, erect swings from anything we could tie a knot in and sit on the other end.

We moved to a flat on a small council estate in Kingsman Street, Woolwich when I was 10 which had 6 blocks of three story flats built around a central green so that was the obvious place for us all to play football and build carts out of planks and pram wheels.

As I got older and ventured further the Ferry was a big draw, especially when we played run outs but bus trips and a lot of walking made anywhere in Woolwich or the surrounding areas in limits for a new adventure.

Went to Mulgrave primary school, Rectory Place from 1962 to 67 but the last year was spent in another school near Woolwich Dockyard station which was part of Mulgrave ( I cannot remember what they called it?)

DaveMehmet

We used to spend hours playing football at the goats field off Days Lane in Sidcup. When we were a bit older, we used to cycle to Avery Hill Park.

Started drinking in The Woodman (now George Staples) at 16. Got away with it as I worked in the Lloyds Bank a few doors along and our manager knew the guvnor, Dave Chapman.

stop_shouting

I’m from sidcup so kings George’s park as a grotty little mid teen & of course the civic in Orpington pre drinking days. First drinking establishments include the black horse, STC club in Footscray and the Tigers Head in chislehurst and weirdly some place in biggin hill called the Manor I think. I started working up town at 17 so started drinking around London Bridge from a fairly early age. And of course like most people on here, I started my “clubbing” days at Zens 😃

Coyotejohn1947

Early to mid 60s - The Austral club, Longlands Road, Sidcup and The Iron Curtain club in St Mary Cray.
Wonderful Days.