SE9 Mottingham, Eltham, New Eltham
A postwar childhoodby Susan Ellis |
|
|
I was born in 1947, the eldest of four children. We lived in Crookston Road in Eltham and went to Deansfield Junior Mixed School. I remember playing in the woods, making camps and having adventures with my friends. We used to pick bluebells, yes, I know we shouldn't have, and would hollow out areas under the brambles in the bracken. I can remember someone setting fire to a holly tree and the fire brigade being called. They gained access to the woods through the garden of one of the houses in Crookston Road. I was really envious of my best friend because her house backed on to the woods and she had a gateway that led directly there. |
|
|
In the days before we all had cars we would walk to the shops, there would be my mother pushing the pram with me walking on one side and the dog on the other. Sometimes we would go home via the duck pond so that we could feed the ducks. One day our dog slipped her lead and wriggled through the railings round the pond. It took us ages to get the dog back again - she was soaking wet and smelly and rubbed herself round our legs all the way home. |
|
|
I can remember the shops in Westmount road, before the introduction of supermarkets you were served at the counter by the shopkeeper. There were still some foods that were rationed and my mother used to hand in the ration book when we bought bacon or sweets. The shopkeeper would cut out the little squares from the ration book. I have vivid memories of the butcher's shop with its carcasses hanging up and sawdust on the floor to catch the blood. The butcher always seemed to have a plaster on his finger! |
|
|
Those were the days when tradesmen used to call at the door, they all had horse drawn carts, I can remember the milkman, baker and greengrocer. The children used to feed the horses with carrots while the tradesmen were at the door. Sometimes, if they did not get their titbits, the horse would pull the cart up on the pavement and put its head over the garden wall looking for its treat. Gradually the tradesmen went over to electric floats or vans, the greengrocer was the last one to keep his horse. We also had regular visits from the Betterware man, he used to give the children little tins of lavender polish if he made a sale. |
|
|
As I grew older and went to secondary school things started to change. The first supermarkets began appearing, although we called them self-service. The smaller shops began to disappear and we only had milk delivered to the house. Many families started to buy cars and their horizons broadened. Family outings were no longer defined by a bus journey, people started visiting tourist attractions, stately homes, or drove to the coast at the weekend. By the time I left school at 16 many of my friends expected to have a foreign holiday every year. This was the start of the affluent society we know today. |
|
Disclaimer The Postcodes Project includes material submitted by users of the website. The Museum accepts no liability in respect of any of this material, and we are not responsible for its content and accuracy. |
 |
||||
|
 |
|
||