Just trying to envisage Lewisham as a vibrant place...................

Nope, especially as my Dad who lived on an estate just off Brockley Park, lived down past an alley affectionately named "s**t Alley" by the locals due to the amount of dog and other excrement and dumped furniture et al. (no matter how much it was cleared up it arrived promptly again the next day).

Lived in Lewisham all my younger life and family still do. ~(Brockley,Forest Hill, Sydenham, Bellingham).

We were moved to Sydenham from Brockley from an overcrowded house in 1971 to a larger house in Kent House Road by the then younger John Gummer. It was supposed to be temporary housing - hence the lack of flooring, heating,etc. Parents were eventually moved out in 1982 as the council decided the house was falling down.

Strangely enough the house was gutted and turned into flats, even the unused cellars were turned into a flat. Sydenham (in the borough of Lewisham) was never vibrant in the 70's and definitely isn't now like the rest of the borough.

Another retail area isn't needed in Bell Green it's housing that's needed, and community and cultural centres. Charity shops have their use yes as well as Estate Agents but get smaller shops back like they used to be.

I've seen so many old shops, especially in Brockley and environs disppear over the years it's criminal.

Change parking restrictions, get rid of red routes, bring back a cinema - anywhere - do something about the bottleneck under catford bridge i.e. a flyover?. Gut Tescos in Catford and start again. Demolish the flats above and start again making it less of a no go area.

I remember when it was a night out to go out to the pictures at Sydenham, Forest Hill or Catford. There was a sense of belonging to where you lived. Not just passing through, or crawling through...having enough time to point out which places have closed down or disappeared.

Instead of selling up Police Stations (Will Kneller Rd be next?) keep the building - as they are sturdily built - and either turn them into some sort of community centre or hall. People have got used to where the buildings and are already a part of their identity. We lived just off the Police Station in Brockley and if you saw a policeman you knew you should show respect and that you could always ask them for help if you were in trouble, and they knew where you lived as you grew up seeing the same faces. The building would then be a focus for people.

I know the poor old small shopkeeper can't keep up with competition from the bigger lot but if we all had a "local" again we would use it -

You used to be able to park in Catford along by the shops, there was an M&S, Woolworth etc. Now all it has become is a polluted route for emergency services and a big bus lane.

You used to also be able to park in Lewisham before it all changed to being one way, before the shopping centre was built, and remember the throngs of people shopping in the market - which was our regular shopping area, and we would walk or bus from Brockley. We had a Matthews Butchers in Brockley Rd, Wavy Line, Greengrocers, bakers, post office etc so didn't need to get too much from elsewhere.

As children we would all walk from Brockley to the "Saturday Morning Pictures" at the cinema - now non-existent - in Lewisham. There were no cars taking children there, hence less traffic and safer for children then, there was a snake line of children all the way back down to where the entrance to the shopping centre is opposite the old Cheismans.

It wasn't ever "vibrant" and there was probably as much poverty then, especially in our case, as there still is today - you only have to take time to look to notice.

I know Lewisham itself suffered badly due to bombing (look on Pathe News website there is a lot of old footage) and it was quite an up and coming area to live in in Victorian and Edwardian times so has seen a lot of change.

I can't remember what was there before the new baths were opened in Lewisham, but remember the opening day - it was all going to be new and vibrant then apparently. But it wasn't. It needs an injection of interest from the people who live there - but like everywhere else it's apathy and "I won't bother as no-one will take any notice anyway".


ahhhhh memories.