PLUMSTEAD IN DAYS GONE BY

Dear Sir.

For the information of the younger fraternity living in Plumstead, I will now describe the place as it was in the early (eighteen) seventies.

We will start from lower Durham Road. On the right of this road, coming up, was a beautiful park called Tongues Field running as far as Plumstead Common. In front of Waverley Road, running down to the bottom of Griffin Road, where there were only four houses at that time, was nothing but market fields and meadows. Now carry on a bit further, where Parkdale Road and Chesnut Rise are, was a park called Moraley Park. In line with the Slade Hollow there was an orchard with a cottage standing in the centre called Sweet Briar Cottage where a man by the name of Weeks lives who was noted for his display of grapes.

Upon the other side at the top of Lakedale Road was an old cottage. It was a familiar sight to see the owner, Mr Turner, going to and from the stream in the Hollow carrying water up this steep incline in pails attached to a yoke on his shoulders.

I thought the foregoing would really enlighten some of our readers of the "Local Rag" as to what Plumstead looked like in days gone by. - Yours faithfully.

Henry G Hiseman

179a Upper Wickham Lane, Welling.

(From a newspaper article)

See also the page Can you help for more information on the Hiseman family.

If you have anything further on the Hiseman's family Plumstead/Woolwich connections please contact Colin