Our fifth blog linked to our Lewisham Voices Facebook video posts.
In this weekly series, the stories, memories, poems and writing from people who lived, worked or wrote about the area of Lewisham are read by others with Lewisham connections.
Enjoy Lewisham Voices.
Video links here
https://www.facebook.com/LewishamLibraries/videos/1659334320896301/
In this weekly series, the stories, memories, poems and writing from people who lived, worked or wrote about the area of Lewisham are read by others with Lewisham connections.
Enjoy Lewisham Voices.
Video links here
https://www.facebook.com/LewishamLibraries/videos/1659334320896301/
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| From Original Lewisham Voices Project in 2011 |
The blog and video posts originated from Lewisham Voices Project - a collaborative site for Lewisham people to remember and share their lives and personal histories. Many of the images and personal recollections were gathered from individuals and groups who took part in the Lewisham Voices project. They have been compiled from the family albums and stories of people who live, work or are involved in community activities in the borough. Together they give a fascinating insight into some of the memories and experiences, happy and sad, that help to make Lewisham what it is today.
You can add your own contribution in several ways -
Go to
• Use 'Add a new page' to create your own content on this wiki
• Email contributions local.studies@lewisham.gov.uk
• Post them to Lewisham Heritage, Lewisham Library, 199-201 Lewisham High Street, London SE13 6LG
All the information provided will be also be added to the borough archives.
LewishamVoices2.jpg
The original Lewisham Voices was a collaboration between the Museum of London and the Library and Information Service of the London Borough of Lewisham as part of a three year London's Voices project in 2000-2003.
https://www.communityarchives.org.uk/content/organisation/lewisham-voices
The wiki was developed to take the project forward and make Lewisham Voices a living archive. We borrowed the name to create our Lewisham Voices blogs and Facebook posts during Coronavirus pandemic lockdown 2020.
You can add your own contribution in several ways -
Go to
• Use 'Add a new page' to create your own content on this wiki
• Email contributions local.studies@lewisham.gov.uk
• Post them to Lewisham Heritage, Lewisham Library, 199-201 Lewisham High Street, London SE13 6LG
All the information provided will be also be added to the borough archives.
LewishamVoices2.jpg
The original Lewisham Voices was a collaboration between the Museum of London and the Library and Information Service of the London Borough of Lewisham as part of a three year London's Voices project in 2000-2003.
https://www.communityarchives.org.uk/content/organisation/lewisham-voices
The wiki was developed to take the project forward and make Lewisham Voices a living archive. We borrowed the name to create our Lewisham Voices blogs and Facebook posts during Coronavirus pandemic lockdown 2020.
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| Studio 6 / 7 - Formerly the Rex Cinema. Opened in 1950 at 15 Lewisham High Street and closed in 1986. It was demolished in 1988. This picture was taken in c.1977 . Photograph Lewisham Archives |
Paul Nash and Vic Boyd read Garry Jackson and Angela Jackson's Growing up reminiscences. Watch the video.
Are Garry and Angela a couple? We don't know - they don't say. But Paul and Vic are. They were children growing up in the area about the same time and although they didn't know each other or meet until later (they now work together for Lewisham Libraries), they have very similar childhood memories of Lewisham. Particularly Lewisham shopping centre with the fibre glass animal bins and inside animal play area. Not forgetting the terrifying clockwork figures that moved every hour.
Vic lived in Catford until she was 7 years old and has very vivid memories of using Torridon Road library as a young child. Paul lived in Brockley and went to Brockley Primary School.
Vic is now a Community Engagement Senior Library Assistant at the Library at Deptford Lounge and Paul is a Community Engagement Senior Library Assistant at Lewisham Library.
Are Garry and Angela a couple? We don't know - they don't say. But Paul and Vic are. They were children growing up in the area about the same time and although they didn't know each other or meet until later (they now work together for Lewisham Libraries), they have very similar childhood memories of Lewisham. Particularly Lewisham shopping centre with the fibre glass animal bins and inside animal play area. Not forgetting the terrifying clockwork figures that moved every hour.
Vic lived in Catford until she was 7 years old and has very vivid memories of using Torridon Road library as a young child. Paul lived in Brockley and went to Brockley Primary School.
Vic is now a Community Engagement Senior Library Assistant at the Library at Deptford Lounge and Paul is a Community Engagement Senior Library Assistant at Lewisham Library.
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| Angela Jackson |
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| Garry Jackson |
Angela: "I was born at the Mother and Baby Hospital in Woolwich in 1942. I was a very premature baby and I wasn't expected to live more than a few hours, so my mum called the priest and I was baptised at about an hour old. I didn't progress very well, and they expected me to die, but I didn't. But what was decided in that hospital was that I was too difficult for my mum to look after at that time, so they decided that it was a good idea for me to go to a convalescing home somewhere in Bournemouth. My earliest memories of that, and I would guess of about a three years old are, saying "Where's my Mum, where's my Mum?" and asking "Why these big gates? Why can't I get out, why can't I get out!"
"My schooling was very little, very little. It always seemed to be in corridors and things like that. They said that I wasn't teachable in a lot of cases. But eventually I managed with some help, somewhere around the age of ten.
There used to be a school at Plassy Road on the one-way system, and I actually went there as long as I could before it was pulled down. I eventually went to Haseltine, having been told at Elfrida school which is on the Bellingham estate, that they couldn't have me in that class because I was holding everybody back or what ever was wrong, I don't really know.
My real schooling happened at Sedgehill School on the Bellingham estate, and I had 18 months there, with remedial tuition, with a special teacher. When I left school I had the ability to read quite a lot, but I didn't have the ability to write down an awful lot.
But I persevered, and with my oldest sister's help, who I am quite close to, she managed to help me. Eventually I had to leave school because my parents needed some money."
Garry: When I was quite young, and during the '50's there were more cinemas, the ABC which is still going, it was called the Plaza then, on the site of Eros House, that was where the Hippodrome Theatre was I think, and a cinema next to it.
There were 3 cinemas in Catford and going towards Lewisham was the Prince of Wales, I think it's a decorating place now, and there was the Lewisham Odeon, and one called the Rex. They seemed to be always full in the days before anybody had television.
My Mum and Dad didn't get a television until quite late. I think it was 1960 that they got theirs. We used to go the cinema once a week and sometimes twice, and I'd look in the paper to read avidly what was on and where. I think at first, when we got a television, we watched practically everything, all the plays. I suppose over the years we ended up not going to the cinema so much and that dying off.
Also as a boy without television, I'd listen to different programmes on the radio, and dad ran a speaker from their radio wireless to my bed, and I'd listen in bed. Before television, the radio featured day and evening."
The 'lost figures of Lewisham'. In the 1980s there was a clock in Lewisham shopping centre featuring these figures, which were revealed on the hour. The figures represented 'Characters of South East London' and were designed by the artist Sam Smith (1909-1983). The clock was removed, the figures disbanded although a few were salvaged. The tailor sold in 2015 for £750. No wonder so terrifying - they are huge automaton with an internal mechanism, the tailor moved its head and scissors.
Information and photographs: Transpontine http://transpont.blogspot.com/2011/11/lost-figures-of-lewisham.html
"My schooling was very little, very little. It always seemed to be in corridors and things like that. They said that I wasn't teachable in a lot of cases. But eventually I managed with some help, somewhere around the age of ten.
There used to be a school at Plassy Road on the one-way system, and I actually went there as long as I could before it was pulled down. I eventually went to Haseltine, having been told at Elfrida school which is on the Bellingham estate, that they couldn't have me in that class because I was holding everybody back or what ever was wrong, I don't really know.
My real schooling happened at Sedgehill School on the Bellingham estate, and I had 18 months there, with remedial tuition, with a special teacher. When I left school I had the ability to read quite a lot, but I didn't have the ability to write down an awful lot.
But I persevered, and with my oldest sister's help, who I am quite close to, she managed to help me. Eventually I had to leave school because my parents needed some money."
Garry: When I was quite young, and during the '50's there were more cinemas, the ABC which is still going, it was called the Plaza then, on the site of Eros House, that was where the Hippodrome Theatre was I think, and a cinema next to it.
There were 3 cinemas in Catford and going towards Lewisham was the Prince of Wales, I think it's a decorating place now, and there was the Lewisham Odeon, and one called the Rex. They seemed to be always full in the days before anybody had television.
My Mum and Dad didn't get a television until quite late. I think it was 1960 that they got theirs. We used to go the cinema once a week and sometimes twice, and I'd look in the paper to read avidly what was on and where. I think at first, when we got a television, we watched practically everything, all the plays. I suppose over the years we ended up not going to the cinema so much and that dying off.
Also as a boy without television, I'd listen to different programmes on the radio, and dad ran a speaker from their radio wireless to my bed, and I'd listen in bed. Before television, the radio featured day and evening."
The 'lost figures of Lewisham'. In the 1980s there was a clock in Lewisham shopping centre featuring these figures, which were revealed on the hour. The figures represented 'Characters of South East London' and were designed by the artist Sam Smith (1909-1983). The clock was removed, the figures disbanded although a few were salvaged. The tailor sold in 2015 for £750. No wonder so terrifying - they are huge automaton with an internal mechanism, the tailor moved its head and scissors.
Information and photographs: Transpontine http://transpont.blogspot.com/2011/11/lost-figures-of-lewisham.html
Databases
We have over 16 databases covering a wide range of topics. Don't waste time trawling through lots of questionable sites with lots of pop ups and strange advertisements.Get access to free, high quality academic papers, historical newspapers, dictionaries and biographies. All you need is your library card to get started on your research!
For Lewisham local history and archives materials do look at the following links.
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