All My Yesterdays.

A Memory of Corringham.

This picture was taken outside the Bus Shelter and public toilets in the centre of old Corringham where the number 2A Eastern National Buses used to stop for a 15 min break on the journey from Southend to Grays. Directly opposite used to be the village cobbler, Bob. Bob the Snob to his friends. As a mid teenager I used to visit Bob and sit and watch him work and we used to talk for hours sometimes. There was an old electric fire against the left hand wall that I used to sit on. There was a couple of elderly retired gentlemen who also used to visit for a chat.. One was called The Colonel, who lived quite close to me in Goldsmiths Avenue. The other gent was a Mr Thorpe. Bob used to call him Stalkie Thorpie for some reason. He was always joking about.
Further up the road on the left was my old school, St Mary's Infants. Then was the petrol station. You can see the Shell BP sign. Later the site was enlarged to become not only a workshop but a car showroom too. Alec Monk owned the business. Mr Lancaster, who also lived in Goldsmiths Avenue, was the mechanic there. Alec Monk was eventually joined in the business by his son when he finished school.
As you travel beyond the garage the second row of shops appeared, starting with Cannings, a TV sales and repair shop. I remember going to see Mr Canning one Christmas Eve afternoon after my TV failed. I had visitors over the holiday and did not want to be without the TV. Mr Canning just said to me, take that one there and bring it back after the holidays. What service. At the far end of this row was a shop reached by going up 3 or 4 steps. I remember it as Crudestons, but we all referred to it as The Top Shop. We always bought our fireworks from the top shop. They also sold confectionary and developed camera films.