Growing Up In Stanford Le Hope And Corringham 1960 To 1976

A Memory of Stanford-le-Hope.

When I was born in Chelmsford Hospital, my family were living in a house in Corringham Road, Stanford-le-Hope but my first memories are of 66 Billet Lane. Right opposite what was then known as The Lathol Club, now the Billet. I used to accompany Mum in the early years down Rainbow Lane to the farms to get a jug of milk. I worked alongside my Aunt at the Flints farms, picking potatoes in the Summer. My Mum and aunt used also to make a very little bit of money by cutting the extra mould plastic of large box loads of plastic Bata Factory sandals, and also unwinding skeins of wool into balls. I used to walk down Rainbow Lane and collect pieces of old china from the fields (now understanding that this was probably all early landfill!) and had the view of The Bat, The Ball and The Wicket from my bedroom window towards the Thames, with the lights of Shellhaven Refinery at night looking like a cruise ship and shapes of the tanks and chimneys like an imaginery Eastern World City. The Bat, Ball and Wicket were a chimney and storage tanks at Fisons Fertiliser factory, immediately in line with our house and the river.
Mum and my aunt occasionally took me and my cousin to the "beach" at what we called The Sea Wall (now part of the new Nature Reserve), where we paddled (in God knows what pollution!) and sat on cockle shingle beach. At home Mum often wiped us off with butter to get rid of the odd oil splodge! We had stronger constitutions in those days as kids than the kids of today...a little dirt never hurt anyone.
My granddad with whom we lived used to grow veggies and I got to grow some flowers in his garden, while chatting to old Mr Bennet who lived in the adjoining garden in Rainbow Lane. We used to play in the road in the Summer and pop the tarmac bubbles with sticks.
My friend Susan, who lived in Rainbow Lane and I, made a little home in her granddads shed in their garden. We furnished it with Enid Blyton books and candles made out of orange skins.
I used to go to Stanford Infants and Juniors Schools, the headmaster was adored Mr Jones. There was the Tuck Shop and Mr Crafton's Butchers next in Corringham Road from the school and I had childhood injections at the Church Hall between the juniors and the Tuck Shop. There used to be a "tuck shop" lady operating a little stall from Salisbury Avenue, she used to sell us sweets through the railings on that side of the Juniors at lunch time. She had a little green shed in her garden as a "shop" too. Our Doctor's was Doctor Morris and the surgery was held in the old stable building to the rear of the Doctor's house. My Mum won a beauty contest at the Cinema next door once, and I used to go to Golliwog Club, Saturday morning pictures there. My Aunt worked sometimes as an usher there too.
Sometimes we went to the rec, where there was a slide that used to burn your bum when the metal was hot in the Summer, a roundabout that had slats missing, and a long hobby horse affair that could be quite violent. This was all before St Cleres school was built.
I remember the Post Office shop part had wooden shelves and sloping displays with a central counter, as did The Rainbow Stores near the Seaman's Mission halfway along Corringham Road.
Pollards was where all our undies were bought but I remember a Clothes Shop along Wharf Road called "Candy's" or "Cindy's" where I swear my Mum bought me a coat, but she insists there was no clothes shop there....adjacent to a hardware store. In the Council house in which we lived, there was just concrete in the bathroom for floor, with a roll top iron bath before they became fashionable...and "Matey" bubble bath. Granddad loved bread and dripping and washing was done in a big old copper with a wringer in the garden. My granddad was a tanker driver for Shell and when I was small, used to meet me at the Corringham Road end of Rainbow Lane and just drive me the length of the road, sitting up proud in his tanker...one of the old Bull-nosed type.
When I was about 6, we moved Priory Road, Corringham. I always walked to school. I remember the Newsbox at Corringham Town Centre and the petrol station and car forecourt where the new flats are now, and pub where Iceland is now. I went to Hassenbrook Comp and left in 1976.
At that time, dating a lad with connections to Shell, I remember going to a "bash" at The Haven Hotel, at what was still Coryton "village" down at the Oil Refinery. I used to go to Brownies at the Hall in St Johns Way, buying a 6 penorth of chips afterwards and I used to do First Aid at what is now a very scruffy old hall in Lampits Hill opposite Fobbing Road. We didnt have much when I was growing up, and my values are led by that, and Im very glad for it. I had a happy time growing up in Stanford and Corringham, and with connections there still, it holds a very special place in my heart.