Yesteryear childhood in E D

[kai]

This was a comment I made on another thread but decided to start a new one to see what people of yesteryear Dulwich think....We've lived in the area for almost 40 years and as kids we had a few more places to mix in the area like Darrell Rd youth club, Brownies in the church at the top of Barry RD, the youth club by the wood yard on Barry Rd or simply just playing on the streets, or going to the woods etc, and trust me as kids we weren't concerned who went to what schools when it was time to play...However kingsdale always had it's scuffles as well as Peckham girls, but in E Dulwich I think we kids were in a play world of our own,...nipping in and out of each others houses, going to the youth club in E Dulwich Estate and the open air playground on Dog Kennel Hill.....sadly there's nowhere for the E Dulwich kids to go and mix today....the streets are not safe, and even when they go to the park they have to be escorted by mums, and you hardly see kids walking and talking on there way to school in groups as they are all escorted in big cars...we used to walk from Barry Rd to Dulwich Village school without parents...as a mum now, I often feel sad for my young child, and the lack of fun, uninhibited , carefree times he wont have, forging strong friendships and building heart warming child hood playtime memories, without being overshadowed by his mom!

[macroban]

A few months ago the Sea Cadets were still with us in their SE22 base, but, having been with us since before World War Two, were now having financial difficulties.

One for Mamora Man to support?

[Pickle]

I didn't grow up in ED, in fact I didn't grow up in this country... but have great memories of summer school holidays where we waved goodbye to our parents in the morning and set off on our bikes with a sandwich and a drink ready for a day of adventuring with friends. As long as we were home by the time it got dark nobody worried.

Sad to think this isn't possible for our kids, no matter where in the world they live.

[kai]

just made me smile...I remember just having to be home by the time the street lights came home....all the places such as youth clubs etc where we all met up are no longer there for the kids of today.....instead we mums have to spend fortunes at structured play groups and baby gyms etc....where our kids are allotted a time to mingle under structure...not of there own free will...getting up to mischief and having FUN

[SteveT]

My mother used to say 'get out from under my feet go on clear off I'm sick of seeing you, you should be outside on a day like today getting some fresh air'. My brother who is almost 3 years older spent most of our growing up roaming the streets of our home town (Derby) with others of our age building dens on the park, cycling to likely fishing spots, and climbing trees. Those were the days, sadly my own children were brought up under house arrest, they would go to friends and friends would come over but no mooching around the streets.

[Nero]

Agreed with SteveT. I'd just walk out of the house at 9 or so, 50p or less in pocket for chips and pop, and just run around the streets or idle around in the church yard with the Seary brothers and their dog and others. It was great. Hardly any cars in 70s Stockport, so we could just run around and when there was a car, they'd be aware of kids on the street. Is it REALLY that scary during the day, during the school holidays, for kids to just hang around the streets, in East Dulwich? I still sometimes see kids playing football in the streets near me, which is nice but other kids are either in big gangs or with their parents in the park. Nero

[Pickle]

... must have been quite nice for our parents too! A day without kids sounds lovely, much better than our current role which involves accompanying them everywhere. There's a limit to how much soft play and visits to the park I can take!

Mind you, my boy is only 13 months old, perhaps not quite old enough to kick out the front door yet?

[Michael Palaeologus]

Playing with whipping tops in the street, dodging between the carts to collect t'horse muck for t'rhubarb patch, the tin bath by the fire, raising and slaughtering the family pig and playing with its inflated bladder in the back yard.

I even remember the family receiving the telegram that young Uncle Fred had died of malaria in the Sudan with Kitchener. Half the family were taken by the spanish flu, the other half died of starvation during the 1920s, regular beatings from both parents, cleaning chimneys at the age of 5.

Eeee, but they were happier times.

[KalamityKel]

Oh the many windows I smashed when playing cricket or rounders in the street (especially as I could never grasp the whole rule thing) with me bruv and neighbouring friends. Hardly ever did car come down the road to disturb our game *sighs*

A favourite past time would be squeezing under Iceland car parks' gates to retrieve our lost ball - yes back then you really could squeeze under it!

ooo then there was the scary dog from behind the dodgy wobbly looking fence in Bassano street that used to frighten the life out of poor unsuspecting souls as they went by... the amount of times I bumped into trees around there on me bike coz of the darn dog.

[EDDW]

macroban Wrote:

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> A few months ago the Sea Cadets were still with us

> in their SE22 base, but, having been with us since

> before World War Two, were now having financial

> difficulties.

>

> One for Mamora Man to support?

Can you give me more details - I may be able to assist.

[macroban]

I may be a few months out of date on this one, EDDW, see this reference..

[SteveT]

Childhood antics.

We would take the lower stems from the tallest cow parsely and use the berries off hawthorn to substitute for peas but if the cow parsely was not big enough around the circumference the berry would foul up.

We would take stems of bullrushes about 4 inches from the end put a slit with your thumb nail about 2 inches long, and you could make buzzing noise blowing through the end.

We would make throwing arrows which had a nick cut out just below the card board flight, tie a lumpy knot on some string,

Place the knot in the cut out take the string around the arrow over the knot down to the point and hold it taut. The rest of the string is wrapped round the hand, then throw it as if throwing a ball it should go 100 yards without straining too hard.

[spadetownboy]

we stoned the brits.

[BARA]

School holidays would see my mates and I, from 11 years old plus, get a red rover bus pass and see how many buses we could go on in a day. Remember going up to Old Street and kings Cross Station, one time. Sandwiches were eaten anywhere we felt hungry, a bottle of pop and some fruit, plus a few pennies (old money) to spend. Running up the down esculators on the tube, before being chucked out by the station guards.

When my eldest daughter (now 35) was young, a whole gaggle of mums and kids would go to Horniman Gardens paddling pool on good days with a picnic and towels. The kids had a great time in and out ofthe pool, on the very few play apparatus, and generally running on grass. It was a sad day when Lewisham decided on H & S grounds that the pool could not continue.

Peckham Rye had a pool but not so nice as Hornimans. Southwark Park had an open air lido - a bit of a treck from ED but worth it. Brockwell Park Lido nearer, but in those days very basic. I remember in my teens spending hot summer days in the Peckham Lido opposite the Rye, again a picnic and a few pence entrance fee.

Youth Club for the area was St. Thomas More's in the hall in Lordship Lane. Twice a week we attended, my catholic friend, myself (no religion) and a greek orthodox mate. We went sailing over a weekend, table tennis matches - where I got to the semi finals, trips to the seaside. One trip over Easter to Ramsgate, where we had to take shelter from a sudden snow blizzard in a motorway service centre- then back on the coach to a freezing day on the seafront.

Most of my days were spent playing in Dulwich Park at weekends and holidays - tennis, rounders, cycling.

There is still a youth club at Darrell Road, called Post Box, met on Weds and Fridays. However, due to shortages of youth workers, currently only open on Weds from 6.30 pm.

[SteveT]

we stoned the brits.

We got stoned too, but I was mid twenty's if I was a day;-)

[Keef]

kai Wrote:

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> sadly there's nowhere for the E Dulwich kids to go and mix today....the streets are not safe,

Sorry Kai, but I think it's that attitude (which seems to be the common attitude, I'm not picking on you) that's the problem. I grew up in ED, and yes there may have been a couple more things to do, but for the most part we played out, either playing footy, riding bikes or skateboarding or whatever.

There were dirty old men back then too, but same as today, chances of getting grabbed by one were minimal. I conceed that there are probably more cars on the roads these days, but not so much on the quiet streets we played on. I think the problem these days is as soon as you get a bunch of kids playing out, everyone will come on here and say how annoying they are.

I think of those 3 girls everyone is talking about, mugging other kids. There used to be kids like that too, but you'd all be playing out in little gangs, and had strength in numbers.

I agree it would be great to have nice things forkids to do, but don't think things are really so different to how they were, we just look back with rose tinted nostalgic glasses.

[david_carnell]

Michael Palaeologus Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Playing with whipping tops in the street, dodging

> between the carts to collect t'horse muck for

> t'rhubarb patch, the tin bath by the fire, raising

> and slaughtering the family pig and playing with

> its inflated bladder in the back yard.

>

>

> I even remember the family receiving the telegram

> that young Uncle Fred had died of malaria in the

> Sudan with Kitchener. Half the family were taken

> by the spanish flu, the other half died of

> starvation during the 1920s, regular beatings from

> both parents, cleaning chimneys at the age of 5.

>

> Eeee, but they were happier times.

>:D<

You were lucky....(continues Monty Python sketch in own head to save other forum member's sanity)

[KalamityKel]

Quite right Keef about having there being kids trying to mug other kids back in the day... we just used to laff at them or give 'em a smack :))

[philiphenslowe]

The pool at Hornimans was fantastic, as was the one in Peckham Rye and the Peckham Rye Lido.

We went to Dulmore (Dulwich & St Thomas More) youth club in the church in Bassano Street, as well as summer clubs in Waverly School and Gumboots in Darrell Road.

Picking blackberries in Peckham Rye Park was a favourite summer pastime.

I hate the attitude of parents today who think the street aren't safe for kids. I'm 29 and led a pretty idyllic childhood in East Dulwich, not too many years ago.

There were always muggers, crackheads and drunks arounds - it's hardly a new phenomenon.

[falcao]

Have Specsavers got a special offer on Rose coloured glasses at the moment?

[philiphenslowe]

Yep, buy one get one free isn't it?

http://www.specsavers.co.uk/cgi-bin/strudwick.sh/s?langid=1&pfmt=1&siteid=39&pname=options/tints.html

[Keef]

Having already made a rose tinted glasses comment, I feel justified in mentioning the great fetes they used to have on Goose Green, complete with floats and kids dressed as pirates on the back. Philip I'm the same age as you, and agree it was a good place to be a kid in the 80s. I even remember the CPT having fun days in the stones with a big bbq and stalls out front. Maybe the difference was that there was more community then, whereas now we just talk on internet forums... People apply to have street parties these days because they want a taste of what things were like then. That's my opinion anyway.