Puffin Billy

I moved to Temple Hill Estate back in 1953 and left in the mid sixties. I have great memories of the chalk pits (Stone) and the Puffing Billy and all the playing fields. My friends Linda Borley, Katie Johnson, Jennifer Hunt, Christine Daniels, we would cycle all the way to Northfleet and sometimes Gravesend. We also had great time scrumping in the Littlebrook Hospital orchards on the way down to the Thames and sometimes we went left towards Erith and sometimes right towards Stone and Greenhithe. There were old wartime forts to play in too. There was a pub that sold sandwiches etc. We also would go blackberrying there. There was also a pontoon (that's what we called it). I was there when in 1953 there was a flood and the Thames reached the bottom of Keyes Road (where I lived). It was great being a child then.