I was born in Barth Road
just off Plumstead High St. in 1946. It was a
small terraced house no bath room as such and an
outside toilet. Nearly every house in the road
had children so we would all play together,
games such as British Bull Dog, hopping across
the road on one leg trying to knock some one
over. There were few cars to contend with so the
road was our playground.

Conway Road Junior
School class photo, 1954 ish. - Photo:
Jacqueline Wilmot
(Click photo for a larger view)
Top Row: ?, Graham Hooper
Middle row: ?, ?,
Jacqueline Alcorn (now Willmott)
(Do you recognise yourself or a classmate? If
so, email
me)
I went to Conway
Road Junior School, so I had to walk up
the bottom half of Lakedale Road through the
shopping area four times a day. I used to go
home for lunch every day and would dread it if
it was the beer delivery day at the Volunteer
pub in the high street. Those big Shire horses
would try and nip you as you passed by them!
A friend of mine lived
in Tewson Road, directly opposite the entrance
to St.
Nicholas Hospital (now a
housing estate). We would either play on the
bomb site in front of the hospital or further up
on the Common. We loved to climb the Monkey
Trees there, as we called them, situated next to
the hospital wall, way over the back of the
Common. One of us would have to go to the top of
Lakedale Rd. every now and then to see what the
time was, as the big Co op clock was visible
from there.
There was a playground
on the Common with a paddling pool in it, if you
needed a drink that was the place to go, it had
a water fountain with a metal cup
attached to a chain. On the other side of the
road was a deep ravine with lots of steps
leading down to it. At the bottom was a big
pond, always had a fence round it. we never
played down there for some reason.
We spent many hours at
the swimming baths, along next to the Library in
the High St. Saturday morning was great. All of
us went to the pictures, I think it used to cost
sixpence. We used to go the the Century, there
was a new ABC cinema built around that time, in
Wellington St.in Woolwich.
When we acquired roller
skates we used to rollerskate alongside the
Arsenal wall all the way to Woolwich. We would
go down to the foot tunnel that took you under
the Thames to North Woolwich, then we would
catch the ferry back again, all for free! We had
so much freedom then, as long as you were back
for your meals no one worried about you.
My father used to rent a
few acres of land from the council in Abbey
Wood. It is now a huge council estate called
Thamesmeade. At that time it was all fields, my
friend and I would wander down to see him on a
Sunday morning, through the fields and through a
gypsy encampment all on our own, with no thought
of being harmed.
I remember going to
school at one time with a torch to cross over
Plumstead High St. The smog was so thick you
could not see the traffic coming, we certainly
do not miss those smoggy days.
Jacqueline Willmott.