Hi there, my name is Paul Richardson and I am new to the group. I am very interested to see the references to the Swiss Cottage as I lived there from May 1963 to July 1965. My late father was the landlord there during this time and I was at school in Dulwich. Reading further I remember the shops in Wastdale Road, particularly the sweet shop, Moyes, opposite the Swiss and on the other side of the road backing onto the garden of the pub was the greengrocers (Fred). I also remember the milk machine on the corner of Stanstead Road and Brockley Rise. It did indeed have the chocolate milk there; this was called Mikky, and was very tasty. I often had one of these when going to the newsagents with my Dad before opening on Saturday evening to get the papers with the classified football results. Anyway, I see there have been some photos mentioned here. I would be grateful please if someone could send me a link to see these. Would certainly bring back some memories. Many thanks in advance, Paul.

I remember the Swiss Cottage. The bus stop used to be called the Swiss Cottage rather than Forest Hill Fire Station as it is now.

Welcome, Paul, and thanks for sharing those memories!

On the previous page is a posting by 'timbo' with a great link. Have a look here http://fhhistory.blogspot.co.uk/ and scroll down a bit!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevegrindlay/5177873765

My goodness! Where was the boys' home, Shaftesbury House, Perry Rise? I've never known of that before!

It looks like it was that big old building - set back from the road, as I recall, other side of the hill beyond The Prince of Wales pub and on the other side of the road - just before Brent Knoll school. Is that right? It was torn down a few years ago, wasn't it?

I found this which may interest local historians... http://www.british-genealogy.com/threads...l-for-Boys

Shaftesbury House was next to the old Greenvale Special School. It has been demolished.

So the old Greenvale special needs school on the far side of Perry Rise has moved to Waters Road in SE6, and in its place is going to be the new Brent Knoll school, which is currently on Mayow Road.

It's like musical chairs!

Greenvale's old address was 69 Perry Rise SE23 2QU.

The Baptist Church (junction of Derby Hill and Dartmouth Road) was obviously demolished, but I don't know when and why. I used to go to Cubs in the church hall next door and once a month had Church Parade in the church.

There was a Co-op store where the (ex) Post Office used to be. It was a SSCS co-op, that's South Suburban Co-operative Society, and I was always reminded to make sure we got the "divi" (dividend, in cash) by quoting our membership number which was 246381 (that's from long, long ago: funny thing memory!) As a young boy fascinated by anything mechanical I just loved the overhead wires carrying the money, or the change and receipt from the central cashier: the little pots the size of a jam jar would go whizzing across the the store from a strong spring, on a taut steel wire. Tried to make one to set up in the garden, but didn't get very far with it.

Sainsbury's was on the site of the Red Cross Shop and their name is still in the mosaic on the front step. They also had a central cashier in a little booth at the back of the shop: shopping was obviously quite a slow process in those days!

The Local History section on the top floor of Lewisham Library has a very good collection of old photos and documents.

This is the mosaic tiled entrance to the old Sainsbury - now Red Cross shop.    

I was born in 1962, and throughout the late 60’s and 70’s my dad and i would make regular trips to all of the local cinemas.
Trips to the Capitol in london road, the Odeon in lewisham (was one of the largest screens in london ) Studio 6 & 7 in lewisham ( now a car lot i think )
Plus the cinema in sydenham ( now the Co-op) generally to see the latest Bond movie or whatever was popular at the time.
I’m really looking forward to the new screen in e dulwich, beckenham is just a bit to far –)
Until the late 80's FH was graced by 3 seperate green grocers, which i now sorely miss.

To Emmasouthby
I remember your stepfather's shop with all the TT race photos on the walls: seem to remember they also sold cycles as well. My first moped (new) came from that shop and came in very useful on some of the local hills. It sometimes needed a bit of pedalling assistance on the steep bits!
To Triangle
I think the smell (and clouds of smoke) of coffee roasting came from a shop a little way past the current Sainsbury's. The roaster was in the front window of the Home and Colonial, I believe.

Derbybill,

Yes, I also remember the roaster being located in the shop window - it had a very shiny, (chromed?) appearance... and yes, clouds of smoke!!!

Also recall that a bit further up the road in one of the big houses on the same side of the road was my GP's surgery, a wonderful doctor by the name of S.Barnes. I lost count how many times he attended to my youthful cycling injuries! There was a torch like beacon on the outside wall of the house which lit up at night.

Hi Paul my name is Paul Garratt grandson of Fred Garratt. He had the shop for many years at the end of the Swiss Cottage garden fence it was the 1st shop on that side he started in the 40s as a 2nd hand cloths then a pet shop then the greengrocers. I have a photo of me outside the shop taken on the 6th May 1950 and it has fish tanks in the window. I was 2 when that photo was taken & I also lived above the shop while my dad was doing his N/Service. I also worked in the shop on Saturday's & at xmas delivering orders.

hello all, just registered in order to join in this thread, I grew up in and around se26/23.
My world spanned Adamsrill road to Kirkdale for most of my life

@Emmasouthby if your step-father was Bruce Daniels his shop was in Catford by the railway over bridge; I remember him well, as I bought my first big bike from him, about 1966 and another a few years later; I still got the receipt for the trade-in somewhere.
In Dartmouth road the dealer was Harold Daniells he was the very famous TT rider and several times winner, I too remember the cartoons of him around the shop. He was a Norton agent primarily, and tuner of Manx Nortons.
Another big motorcycle dealer in the area was Streamline motorcycles in Lordship lane, opposite the pub.
John Surtees dad also had a motorbike shop further down Stanstead road.
I use to go to Scouts in a hall opposite the Telegraph pub.

A bit farther down Dartmouth road was a tailor where we school kids would get autographs from Freddie Mills the boxer, who was a customer.
Nearby a cycle shop which had wooden rims on show in the window.
Near that a school outfitters;
further down, David Greig, grocer, Mac Fisheries, Home and colonial, which I think was the source of the coffee smell.
Under the Dentist, about where the hairdresser is, was a pre tesco supermarket, or at least a self service store, Bass stores was its name.
The Veg stall round the corner I also knew, and WH Smith was in a wooden shack a relic of the war, I did my paper round [ 9 bob a week] from there.
Down the alley behind what's now the bookies the veg stall man kept his stall and discarded stuff, I used to scrounge wooden orange boxes from there, my Mum would make bedside cabinets for us kids from them. A good one would go for a soapbox cart, or trolley as we called them.
I'm sure I recall another stall there but can't remember it.

There were actually two Sainsburys side by side, one did dairy and meats, I can remember buying butter and cheese off the blocks in there; also suger in blue paper bags.
When it got turned into a charity shop,late 60's, a novel idea then, my brother bought his first motorbike from in there, a James, around £15, wetsuit and helmet thrown in.
The cinema I remember as ABC? not Capitol? our treat was Saturday morning pictures, the kids would queue right round the side. After I'd spend my penny bus fare on a doorstep of bread and dripping in the cafe next door which is now Home Accessories [all thanks to google street view this].
It was a badly bomb damaged building that I think had some kind of restaurant above?
Station back then was still tatty bomb scarred, a greasy spoon cafe inthe courtyard next to it; us hooligan kids could sometimes snaffle empty coke bottles from behind and take them back in for a deposit return.
The other side of the station was a huge railway goods yard, where in a hard snowy winter once I had to go to collect coal from there with my mum and help her push it up Dartmouth road to Kirkdale in my brothers push chair.
Loads of memories coming back, but hard to put a name to some places, I am just old enough to remember a ride in a tram up London road.
A pet shop on the corner of Waldram place had a monkey in a cage for an attraction, and at the other end that big yard was a council rubbish yard where the small dust carts they used then would tip their contents, smelt a bit ripe at times!
Devonshire road was a bit of a dive and one house at the begining was reputed to be a brothel, at least, the scary woman that lived there had a yen for young lads it was rumoured.

The old Bird in Hand pub used to have a hefty wooden post outside with a lot of deep grooves in it which I was told was a remnant of mooring ropes from the old canal.

My Mum lived in Stansted Road for many years till she died in 2007, I haven't been back since, I find it all much changed and a bit disappointing to be frank.
Best bit of my memories was Horniman Museum, where I spent so many happy hours but even thats changed now.

That is a fantastic post longtimegone.
Thanks.

Yes, Perryman's right: what great recollections! Thank you.

I don't remember any monkey but the pet shop was still there in 1987 when we bought a sheltie pup there. I think it became a curtains place before it became the doors shop it is now.

The monkey was there during the late 1950s and 60s.

Harold Daniells Shop was 65 Dartmouth road, and I am sure Saturday flicks was ABC minors.
Thanks for kind comments, I'll see what else comes out the dustbin of memory perhaps.

Good to see Forest Hill library is still there, I became a member at around 5yrs old, my mum encouraged me to be a reader at that age, I still am. I used to use the side door in Thorpewood avenue which led in to the newspaper reading room at the back. A wonderful idea that was.
I hated the swimming pools though, still can't swim; I remember them as dank cold and stinking of Chlorine which would hang about on you all day after.
Also the public baths in cubicles my Dad would use from time to time when he felt too tight to use the immersion heater at home in summer.
Outside was a Brylcreem machine which would dispense a huge dollop of the stuff for a penny or tuppence.
There was a huge signal box by the alley into Clyde Vale and thestation had another platform in the middle of the tracks, used to get to it by a gate in the subway, I think it was used for excursion train in summer, might be wrong on that though.

Forgot to mention previously the large Woolworths opposite the cinema.

Looking on Google street view I am astonished to see so many food take-away shops, who eats it all?

This post was last modified: 15-05-2015 06:02 PM by longtimegone.

More memories, please! These are fascinating.