When was East Dulwich at it's best for you?

[Louisa]

My goodness me Ravels really was the place to buy footwear - end of. The one in Peckham was just such a prestigious place (or seemed to be to me). All the style icons of the time such as Twiggy were seen wearing them and you'd never pop into Rye Lane Ravels unless you were wearing your finest clobber. Memories.

Louisa.

[lindylou]

hi. RE; GSJ157. thank you for bringing back my memories of rye lane. I know its "off thread" but hey. Jones & Higgins, the co-op department store, C&A, british home stores, M&S, Ravel shoe shop, Dolcis shoe shop, and would you adam and eve it, russel and bromley shoes.

[lindylou]

Hi louisa. Thankfully i am not the only one who recalls the old east dulwich. Do you remember the muffin mans bells?

[Growlybear]

We moved to East Dulwich/Forest Hill in 1976 and it was a lovely place to live then. There were still some good pubs, property was cheap, and the area hadn't started to get ruined by gentrification. And like others have said, Peckham was still a good shopping area. I really started to notice the changes in the mid 90s, and sadly East Dulwich has changed almost recognition since we first moved here.

[Sue]

lindylou Wrote:

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> hi. RE; GSJ157. thank you for bringing back my

> memories of rye lane. I know its "off thread" but

> hey. Jones & Higgins, the co-op department store,

> C&A, british home stores, M&S, Ravel shoe shop,

> Dolcis shoe shop, and would you adam and eve it,

> russel and bromley shoes.

XXXXX

Bloody hell, they had a Russell and Bromley in Rye Lane?!

I guess Primark has taken over where C&A left off ......

[PeckhamRose]

I am always trying to be a 'now' person, but when I first moved here in 1983 what is now The Actress was a Rock pub which often had lots of big bikes outside it and my little 200cc would join them. The music was great.

But now I love it as it is but admit I don't go down there every night.

And for those of you like Louisa who seems to revel in the past especially in Peckham I do recommend you join The Peckham Society which seeks to keep the memories of Peckham alive especially for older people who may not live here anymore...

Oh, and Primark took over where BHS left off!

[val]

Another elite shoe shop was round the corner from Jones & Higgins near the pie & mash shop Spencers, opposite BHS was a clothes shop called Worth, they also had an Etams.

[Louisa]

PR you're indeed correct Primark was British Home Stores and when it was first built it was a very notable post-modern addition to the lane. There was also a H Samuel jewellers and numerous fine tailors lining the street including the locally famous Mr Sunshine- made to measure heaven! I remember the Uplands and the music nights with bikes outside wow now that really is a memory!

Louisa.

[spider69]

How many people remember the disco club opposite Burger King in the 1970's and bobby king and the sabres at the co.op hall and the teen and twenty club in kimpton road. Magic times

[Earl Aelfheah]

Agree with ??? that Camberwell was the more happening place around 03- although Inside 72 was good. Personally I think ed is better now (esp for my time of life - kids etc) than it's ever been.

[Pickle]

I've been in the area for 10 years, hard to say which time within those years I've enjoyed most, although in our first couple of (pre children) years I had many a good night at the Mag, which was our local at the time. Weston's was my favourite place to eat - I think it was where GBK is now, having undergone a few metamorphoses beforehand.

Favourite day in the area was a hungover one following a posh wedding at the Caledonian Club, after treating ourselves to a night in the Dorchester (life before kids, sigh). We stumbled back to ED, had a hungover meal at the dodgy Mexican (had the big hat outside), followed by hair of the dog drinks at the Mag.

These days, as I'm around during the day, I love the sense of community, and the fact that a quick shopping trip to Lordship Lane takes twice as long as it should due to stopping to chat to friends and neighbours.

[DulwichFox]

My late mother worked at BHS during the war..

One morning as she was just approaching work a German plane came along Rye Lane firing its guns.

A man threw my mum under the tail gate of a parked lorry.

She had a lucky escape. she was 14-15 at the time.

DulwichFox.

[cactus]

1996 - first experience of living with a boyfriend! It was in a tiny studio flat in the red/white house next to St John's church. We split up after a year and I moved to Brixton, only to return a decade later.

[FJDGoose]

Bring back the Dream Machine :)

[computedshorty]

When you could get on a Tram in Lordship Lane and ride for one old Penny.

My own memories of Jennings Road was, on the corner of Landcroft was the Wenlock Off Licence, mauve tilled and up two steps to the front door that was right on the corner, a red Phone box outside on a large forecourt.

Facing was on the other corner the owner had bought a 1937 Austin Big Seven, as the war had stared he could not use it as he got no petrol allowance, he kept it in a shed in his garden got to from Landcroft Road, a few houses then the group of lock up Garages, and the builders yard of Coleman & son, then the Air Raid Shelter, then the Gardens that were open to the public of the Heber Arms, facing here lived a Policeman, and one of the school lads, he had a sister and an older brother who was in the army the Kings Royal Rifles, with my own brother.

The school had a block near the Crystal Palace end where we had our shelter underneath, they also kept the Taxi converted into a Fire engine here but came in through Heber Road where they knocked the wall down and put a wooden gate.

The nearest bomb that fell was directly facing Jennings Road in Crystal Palace Road, where later the built a brick Reserve Water Tank, I remember a large fig tree in the front garden coming back on your side just a few houses along.

On the corner of Goodrich road was a sweet shop called Murtons, we used to sit on the step in the evenings of climb the lamp post to the cross bat and hang there, a pair of semi restored houses and a red post box on the other corner and Flectures the grocers on the facing corner and Hine the builders one along from the final corner.

The church on the corner of Lordship lane we were sent to Sunday school in the basement, I think the B.B. used up stairs.

[bob]

Yep the uplands Louisa one of the motor bikes was probably mine the bands and later disco and the Mag, Newlands,Never on a Sunday, Nicos, Westons the chinky were curry cabin is now. Italian now Toast'ed Peckham the Golden Mile most all ready been said. Smallbone and sutton selling grain, live baby chiks for sale in the market,wood yard. The 3 old men wearing their medals one with no legs on a square bit of wood on castors playing old tunes to earn a bob or two the Hanover Arms the billiard hall,Rossi's,C&A X 2 Raindeer Pub.Toffe apple Man,Candy floss, Roast chestnut man at Christmas, Wimpy Bar Hope pub,Henasee Bar I'v forgot more than I recall.

Bob S

['bout now]

SHORTY IS BACK!! Great start to the weekend. Hope all is well CS

[Otta]

rahrahrah Wrote:

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> Agree with ??? that Camberwell was the more

> happening place around 03- although Inside 72 was

> good. Personally I think ed is better now (esp for

> my time of life - kids etc) than it's ever been.

Camberwell was defo the place to go out in early 2000s. Red Star, Funky Monkey, Silver Buckle.

Oh wait...

[Heber P&F]

.

[Sue]

DulwichFox Wrote:

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> My late mother worked at BHS during the war..

>

> One morning as she was just approaching work a

> German plane came along Rye Lane firing its guns.

> A man threw my mum under the tail gate of a

> parked lorry.

>

> She had a lucky escape. she was 14-15 at the

> time.

>

> DulwichFox.

xxxx

That's a bit heavy, were there many casualties?

[kristymac1]

Ahh the CPT, best quiz night known to man (2002 - 2006 anyway), husband proposed to me (on one knee I might add) over the barrel hatch of the CPT, New years eve 2002 - great year........ For me those days were brilliant, our lives are soooo different now (2 kids, daft mortgage) but just as great - there are elements now of the old girl(and by that I mean SE22 rather then me, but that too is definitely true...) which have been lost, things are a bit more identikit now, a lot of high price mediocre stuff, but the schools are great, neighbours are fab and I feel really lucky to be able to bring our kids up in London (and in a pretty nice part of London too).

I do miss the lovely Leslie (quizmaster sidekick) and Inside 72 though. Dare I say I also miss the pool tables at the Foresters as well...........x

[Otta]

Well summed up Kristymac1.

[Reg Smeeton]

Whichever the year was when they put up a marquee on Goose Green and had a comedy festival. Maybe 2001? I remember that feeling like a golden period. Also the late-ish 90s when "Thistells" became Le Chardon, and suddenly we had what felt like a cool smart restaurant to go to (yes there was a time when I loved that restaurant).

[Burbage]

When it wasn't raining.

[computedshorty]

You could use a Telephone Box.

If you were lucky there was a shop on a near corner, on the corner of Pellett Road and Crystal Palace Road was a GPO Post

Office Shop, outside was the red Pillar Box to post your letters fixed to the side was a stamp dispensing machine that when you inserted a penny the penny stamp stuck out for you to tear off, this was the type that you had to wet for it to stick on a letter or card most people just put it on their tongue to make moist.

Not many people had a Telephone there was a Telephone Kiosk outside the Post Office Sorting Office in Sylvester Road, a red cast iron box with dozens of small glass windows, that you stood in, the door closed after you went in automatically so you could hear your connection, there was this sturdy receiver on top of the money box where you inserted two old big penny?s in the slot, when you had lifted the receiver you could dial the number you wanted if you did not know the

number there was a shelf with four telephone books where you could look up the name to find the number, if your number

answered you pushed a button to connect you that was button ? A?, if there was no answer you pressed button ? B ? to get your two penny?s back that dropped into a tray below. These boxes remained with no damage to the telephone the apparatus or the four books being removed. This was essential as you could dial free for emergencies on number 999.