Rylands Estate.

A Memory of Dagenham.

My grandparents moved from Plaistow to Rylands estate during the war after being bombed out. Their name was Harris and they lived at 192 oval road north. My mother was married from there at old Dagenham church.my fathers name was Simpson and his mother lived I think in second avenue. She was widowed and married the next door neighbor who's name was Colman. I lived with my grandparents till I was eleven, next door lived the barons, the Goymers next door but one. The o sheas and the George's lived a few doors up. We went to Beam infants school which sadly burnt down a few years ago. We had such fun skipping ropes across the road as rarely a car came along. Tin can Tommy was another favourite, always a crowd of children playing in the street, always someone on the door keeping an eye on things. The field opposite was a great playground, and the ditch as it was called used to draw us. The sanatorium was across the field on the other side of the ditch, and I can remetmber patients outside in beds. It was a TB hospital so they were given plenty of fresh air. That was a lovely estate where everybody knew everybody. As they say the good old days!

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