I'm from Oz and want to know about Dulwich.

[Usedtobebritish]

Good afternoon and greetings from Australia.

The other day I was getting nostalgic about where I was born and so I pulled out my birth certificate and found -never noticed before- that I was born at Dulwich Hospital and at the time lived at 44 Talfourd Road Dulwich.

You see when I was a baby my family moved to Australia and I have never been back to Dulwich since 1953. So just yesterday I took a look at Google Maps and for the first time in my life I was staring at the house that I once lived at. Must admit that although in my mind I have never seen it before the thoughts of my past intrigued me and I wanted to learn more.

So my questions are: What was the area like back then in the fifties and has it changed much? Does anyone have any old photos or can tell me where to find such? Can anyone tell me about Dulwich Hospital? As I lived there for about two years and my parents told me that they took me to the local park, any idea which one that would have been -they would have been walking- and if many new buildings have been built since. Where would my parents have done their weekly shopping? What about public transport, would they have caught the bus or the train to London?

Basically I want to find out about my roots and any info would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help. And by the way the weather today here is fantastic and we have the air-con on. Ha, the reason my parents moved here in the first place :)

Regards Alan.

[jacks09]

What a lovely post. I only moved here a couple of years ago but really hope you get some feedback! There are a few active local historians......I wonder if anyone will remember your family?

[red devil]

Cats used to go missing alot in the 50's, and the rationing queue outside the butchers had to be seen to be believed. And as for trying to buy a house, well, why else do you think your parents went down under!...

[holloway]

Hello usedtobebritish, Dulwich hospital is still just about there offering routine blood tests and community support, no inpatients anymore though. Think it's been gradually wound down as a health service and may well turn into flats. Sounds like a trip to Britain for you may well be in order!

[uncleglen]

If they catch a bus or train into London, be prepared to pay through the nose for a season ticket and stand the entire journey- your parents, like my cousins, did the right thing by emigrating, we are creaking under the strain here now.

[computedshorty]

Hi usedtobebritish.

You were born in Dulwich Hospital, but lived at 44 Talfourd Road in Peckham S.E 15.

I know it well near the the blind school.

.Hi Alan .

See picures att.

Thisj is Dulwich Village about 1953

The old Lonndon tram along the road from your home.

Th tram to Peckham Rye

[Huggers]

Local park could be the small nearby Warwick Gardens, or a further walk to Peckham Rye Park, a bus ride to Dulwich Park.

[Usedtobebritish]

Thank you so much computedshorty for your photos and consideration. It means so much to me. Alan

[Usedtobebritish]

jacks09 Thank you so much for your response!!

[Usedtobebritish]

red devil Thanks for that and made me laugh because my parents are well and truly Down Under! And now that I am old and stuffed myself I only now fully appreciate what a move to the other side of the world it must have been for them. And I guess I have them to blame for my Aussie accent :)

[Usedtobebritish]

Holloway You are so right, cant wait to visit!

[Usedtobebritish]

uncleglen Yes I remember my Dads story well of why we ended up moving here to Oz. He said one day he was in the Subway -Tube?- and he said he was so "Bloody Cold" that he couldn't stop shaking. And right there on the wall was a picture of Bondi beach with a caption of 'Why aren't you here'? He said that he stared at it for so long that he missed his train and headed straight to the Australian consulate instead. Three months later we were here!

[Usedtobebritish]

Huggers Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. Alan.

[taper]

Local park would not have been Warwick Gardens, which was houses then. Could be Lucas Gardens, five minutes walk up Peckham High Street. The gardens to an old asylum, now a public park.

Talfourd Road is rather well heeled these days, although less so at the end where you lived! Lots of big houses, some of which sell for over ?1m. Various famous artists live or have lived there, including Anthony Gormley (now gone) and Tom Phillips. You have Camberwell Arts College at the bottom of the road, which I guess explains why that's so.

But pretty gritty too. The riots in Peckham a few years back started with a bus being set on fire at the junction of Talfourd and Peckham High street!

[Annette Curtain]

Talfourd Road is nice enough at the top, but goes down hill from there towards Peckham

One very nice lady actress lives along there (top end of course)

[computedshorty]

This would have been the local Odeon cinema.

Your parents must have eaten sausages from Kennedy's.