Here are a few I pinched from one of the only good threads on Rods n Sods, which is an 'old street scenes' thread like this one. They all came from people on local 'back in the day' groups on Facebook. Sadly, I've got no idea about the dates, but the cars give you a pretty good idea. They are all from SE London where I grew up - though I moved away from the area last year.
This is Penge East station, my local station as a kid:
The shops are still there. It's difficult to put a good date on this picture because people were still driving around in that chod in the 1980s, but I guess the shine on the cars suggest it's not a knackered 20 year old Cortina, so it must be early 70's. Back when I was a kid the shops were the same. The Station Fruiterers changed hands a few times and closed probably in the late 80's. It was closed for a bit, then became a sandwich shop owned by Frank Bruno's brother which only survived for a few years, then it became of all things a naughty underwear shop painted black. I never saw this shop actually open, despite passing the station every day, and we always thought it was a front for some local crime or laundering going on. The sweet shop in the corner is still there and was owned by Mr Shukla who must be ancient if he's still alive. Next along was a pet shop and a mini market. Both the mini market and pet shop closed down and stayed closed for years, but Mr Shukla opened one of them back up as a Londis, bought the hop in the middle and as far as I know owned all three. I can't remember what the other were originally but one became a chip shop, another became a Threshers and the one on the end was a dry cleaners.
This yard was round the corner and I never really worked out what it was used for. I think it was just derelict and used for parking for the works in the railway arches:
Maythorpe Service Station on Sydenham High Street. Became a Renault dealer for a number of years when I was a kid and then became a Mercedes van dealership. Not been through for a while so I don't know what it is now:
Robin Hood garage with the Robin Hood pub next to it. Historic landmark that goes back several hundred years and helped define the area. Bulldozed last year and is now some very shitty looking flats. Round of applause for the town planning:
Lewisham High Street some time in the 70's IN COLOR. Doesn't actually look much different today:
I'm not actually sure where this is:
The bus says 180 to Lower Sydenham, but the 180 doesn't run the same route any more. You'd think the give-away would be the level crossing, but they changed a lot of level crossings to bridges, underpasses or simply blocked the roads like with Penge East (and the only remaining evidence of the level crossing is the crossing house), or the railway might have been closed during Beeching. I think it might be Plumstead/Woolwich/Charlton direction but even my dad doesn't recognise it.
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 12:29 pm
