Back in Time.

[computedshorty]

Back in time.

Have you ever reached a place in a road and thought what did it look like sixty years ago?

Just close your eyes and open them again, and want to see what was there back in 1950.

I cant let you see it but can describe it.

To start we must find a place to begin, so lets start at the boundary of SE22.

Top of Dog Kennel Hill.

No traffic Lights then, the School was there, and the Blocks of Flats down to the shops at the bottom. There is a centre reservation with flower beds in the middle of the road. Then this road was the full width, less the pavements, and still the width for a car to pass by the Tramway unique in the fact that it had four sets of rails the only place to ever have four sets, these steel rails would shine in the sun worn shinny on the down track by the application of the brakes, and the same on the up tracks with the wheels rotating trying to get a grip, these Trams were more powerful than on other routes as they needed more power to climb the hill. The power was drawn via a slot in the road an inch wide, a plough ( the pickup ) hang down from the underside of the tram through the opening to rub against the electrified third tail, this was known as the underground conduit.

The Trams were red and cream with gold lettering each displayed a number of the route as several share this same track, the Trams had been up dated to give a partially closed drivers cabin but part was left open for passengers to get on climbing the two steps from road level. The driver had to stand at all times he had just two controls, one lever rotated to increase the speed, and the brake was a wheel that wound the brake on, the driver did have available a foot controlled bell striker that he could use if anything got on the rails as he could not steer the tram.

The inside was controlled by the conductor, who issued the tickets and called out where the tram was passing, his ticket board held about a dozen packs of various priced tickets, he would select your ticket and punch a hole in it where you have asked to get to, his ticket punch machine hung around his neck, along with his very large cash Pouch, this became very heavy as most of the fares only cost a few pence, those old pre decimal penny?s and half penny?s must have weighed several pounds, to be carried up and down the stairs may times enroute.

The seats were covered in a red shinny material, the constant rocking of the tram caused you to slide about, even forward onto the seat in front that was reversed facing at each turn around point by just pushing the back of the seat forward.

There were two staircases only the back one was used when the driver was in the drivers cabin. He was exposed to all weather?s with no heating just his long overcoat. The trams on the up gradient often blew a fuse and the conductor would run back to the rear cabin and help apply the brakes as the tram ran back down the track. The tram could only start to climb once back down on the level. This route was no 58 also one of the longest of the routes from Victoria Station to Blackwell Tunnel.

Many of these Trams were damaged when their Camberwell Depot was bombed in the war.

The top of the hill on the other side started at Champion Hill where a Blue Police Phone Box stood ( Yes a real Dr Who Tardis ).

About four semi detached houses then just open fields, with Dulwich Hamlet Football stadium in the distance, the lane that took you to the D.H. ground, Three shops the first a Fish and Chip shop. Then Constance Road altered later to St Francis Road as there was the St Francis Hospital at the far end, built the same style as Dulwich Hospital, of course the station the design could be better as a ticket had to be purchased in the booking hall, but if your journey was to London you had to come out of the station go under the bridge the to the well worn wooden stairway. Leading to the Up line trains.

There you are just a taste of what there was then.

[computedshorty]

Interesting early picture of Dog Kennel Hill.

Did the Dog live in the garden of this house that gave the name to the Hill?

Second Picture. Why Are the Pedestrians walking in the road?

Using while they can as the Trams are coming soon.

[HAL9000]

I grew up in Central London. I remember a trolley bus route that ran along Pentonville Road, which has a gradient similar to that of DKH, but it drew power from overhead cables via spring-loaded poles.

Nostalgic Photo Collection

[computedshorty]

I like Dog Kennel Hill.

[computedshorty]

Back in time.

East Dulwich Railway Station.

Most of the original Booking Hall has now been occupied by a Florist.

Alongside the station is now called Railway Rise, here was the Goods siding with a branch line leading back to near the Dulwich Infirmary now called Dulwich Hospital, The Goods Depot had daily trucks shunted into it loaded with coal, there a horse drawn cart would be backed onto the side of a truck that had the side door opened to allow the coalman to weigh out a hundred weight into each sack, the coal as it is sacked up in black thick pitch soaked sacks they were made like this as the coalman had to enter some of the houses and there was less chance of leaving a trail of coal dust.

The local Builders Merchant was Hall & Co. who used a fleet of red lorries, drivers loaded the sand, bags of cement, bricks, from the Railway Wagons to deliver to the many war damaged houses and buildings, and new building sites.

There were two shops before Melbourne Grove the first a Florist next Redapples who had five shops in Dulwich, these shops were High Class Tobacconists and Confectioners, except one that was a Hairdresser?s.

Facing the station was a male Public Urinal, on the corner of Vale End, this lane was the whole site of the Dulwich Depot of the Former Camberwell Borough Council, where the refuse vehicles were kept, and the Highway Maintenance gangs and vehicles.

One of our favourite pastimes as kids we would wait for the Steam Roller with a smoking chimney to come out of the Depot pulling a rusty Tar Boiler and a wooden caravan full of workmen, and a lorry full of blocks of solid pitch and sand and a pipe that they would connect to a water hydrant to get water for the Steam Roller, and carried the workmen?s tools, we would follow to see where they were going and watch them, if they dug a very deep hole and it was not finished by night time, they would put around the hole three legged stands there with poles between to stop anyone falling in to the hole, a Night watchman would sit outside the caravan and boil a black kettle on an open bright red coke Brazier fire, to make tea in a stained teapot, he had brought his bread and cheese sandwiches in a big red handkerchief and a bottle with a very wide top of milk, the sugar was in a tin. When it got dark he filled red lamps with paraffin and cut the wick clean and made sure it still reached in to the paraffin lit them up and stood one at each stand.

We had enjoyed our day into dusk now we must go home.

[dulwichgirl2]

Thank you so much! I can see the scenes you are describing...

[Annette Curtain]

Was there always a brothel on Bawdale Road?

NETTE:-S

[computedshorty]

I think that in fairness to the residents of Bawdale Road you turn to page 173 of my Book on the History of East Dulwich

[the-e-dealer]

CS You must be JB!