The pub people of West Dulwich

[The Dulwich Raider]

Hi all,

Here's a little thing I wrote for Deserter about a lost afternoon in West Dulwich.

http://deserter.co.uk/2016/11/love-and-death-in-west-dulwich/

(There are some swears)

One thing I couldn't unearth was a photo of the original Alleyns Head. If anyone has one, I'd love to see it.

TDR

[rendelharris]

Great article, cheers - the image of you playing croquet with a caned Womble will linger! Didn't know pints were available from Belair House, definitely one for the summer.

[Alan Medic]

Very enjoyable read.

[The Dulwich Raider]

Thanks Rendel and Alan.

No pics of the original Alleyns Head but I did find this page about V1 and v2 bombs in the area and a photo of the damage where Park Hall Road and Croxted Road meet (now the 'new' shopping parade)

http://www.flyingbombsandrockets.com/V1_summary_dulwich.html

TDR

[rendelharris]

Yes I saw that, I had a look today inspired by your excellent article but couldn't find a picture of the AH. Brought back memories of my grandparents (well grandmothers, the grandfathers were overseas) talking of the fear of hearing the engines cut and wondering if it was coming down on them...gives life some perspective, like the poor widowers in your piece.

Being a grumbler I'd say it's notable how our ancestors had their pubs blown to smithereens and rebuilt them as soon as possible, whereas now big business just closes them down and nothing's done; a comparison of how many pubs were destroyed by the Luftwaffe in the forties and how many we've lost in the last two decades would be interesting...

[Jah Lush]

I reckon big business has destroyed more pubs than the fecking Luftwaffe. Bastards!

I remember my mum talking about the doodlebugs and their engines cutting, the fear that it might be you. As a child I also remember playing on a few bombsites. There were still plenty of them around in Dulwich in the 60s and right up through to the 70s.

[edhistory]

Not a very good photo...

[The Dulwich Raider]

That's great, edhistory! Thanks for posting.

Looks a sturdy building - apparently the bomb landed 100 yards away from it and still demolished it, so it must have been some bomb.

TDR

[Jah Lush]

Wow! Never seen that. Thanks for posting Edhistory.

[????]

Jah Lush Wrote:

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

> I reckon big business has destroyed more pubs than

> the fecking Luftwaffe. Bastards!

>

> I remember my mum talking about the doodlebugs and

> their engines cutting, the fear that it might be

> you. As a child I also remember playing on a few

> bombsites. There were still plenty of them around

> in Dulwich in the 60s and right up through to the

> 70s.

I have my grandama's diary from the Doodlebug time - you can see (read) she's nearly on the edge of a nervous breakdown, including when one came down and my mum was out playing (My mum stpped talking for a while during this time too). In the end they had to go to relatives in Liverpool - so having stayed put through the original Blitz she had to get away when the Doodlebugs started. I guess it was partly because they though the bombing had more or less ended by 1944 before the rockets (V1/V2) made it come back again