High Road

I was born in 1942.I lived in Steele Rd.Leytonstone.and went to Cann Hall Road from 1947.Rivetts the Car repair shop was on the corner.Reads the Cycle shop was opposite.I to remember Platts sweet shop and the 1p drink M/c.Black Jacks,Fruit Salad,Sherbert Dabs etc.I recall Bloch the grocers,Walklins the bakers.Geller's the Butchers with animal lungs(lights) hanging up outside.The Co-op had a Post office,Optician and greengrocer.There was Wilson's Pet shop were I used to nick dog biscuits from the outside display.There was Barnes newsagents I was mates with the owners son Kenny.Macari Ice cream parlour run by Lou Macari's father.He had a pushbike/barrow that he sold ice creams from to local kids.Lou Macari would have been around 6years old then and was very gifted even then.They moved back to Ayr in Scotland.Lou went on to play for Celtic,Man.Utd and Scotland.Just remembered Luckovers the Fish and Chip shop at the Thatched House crossroads were the Trollybusses used to lose there overhead poles and bring the traffic to a stop while they were replaced...My playmates were,Johnny Thompson,Dougie Collins,Chris Childs, David Bayliss Jimmy Fincham,Peter Marks,Kenny Barnes.to name a few.Would love to hear from any one of that era .I am now 72 and have fond memories of my childhood in Leytonstone.I now live in St.Neots in Cambs.and have done for the last 45yrs.When I last visited the area I grew up in it was unrecognisable to how I remember it.Asia had come to London!!!!

Hi Brian - I was born in April 1943, and must have been at Cann Hall Road at the same time as you, but maybe in the year below you. We moved to Borthwick Road from Walthamstow when I was seven, so I started in the Juniors, not the Infants. At first Mr Dyer was headmaster, but then it was Mr Reid. I was in Mr Kemp's class for the last two years. I don't remember many of the boys' names in the class, but there was one called Dougie, who was always making jokes, and there was a Kenny who was form captain. I remember John Hill, who had very fair hair, and Trevor Russell, who was always top of the class. My best friend was Helen Pocock, who lived with her grandparents in Elsham Road, and her aunt was married to the butcher on the corner of Cann Hall Road, just a bit further up towards Wanstead Flats than the school. I'm still in touch with Helen, and she is in touch with Margaret Duff, who lived in Blenheim Road. I've lived in the north-east for 41 years now, and last time I visited Leytonstone was really shocked to see that the whole of the junior school had been flattened into a playground for what used to be the infants school, but is something different now, and Cann Hall School is now a modern building, down at the Wanstead Flats end of the road, past the railway bridge.

I just read these comments to my Dad, Mark Schofield (born 1936) who grew up in Leytonstone and he too remembered all the shops etc. He also knew a lot of the names mentioned by Brian.
He was born in Avenue Road but grew up on Eve Road. He is the eldest of 8 and you would probably remember his younger brothers and sisters.
He remembers playing football with Jimmy Fincham.
His Friend Lenny Northfield who now lives in Canada, worked for Noakes Butchers on the corner of Cann Hall Road/ High Rd.
Friends include - Terry OShea, Keith Bayliss, Ben Tyrie, Valerie Spong plus a few nicknames I cant spell!!
Lovely to hear from anyone who remembers him
Jane

My father was lived with his parents and aunt at 53 Leyspring Road. My dad was born in 1927 and went to Tom Hood school. During the war the school was evacuated to Horsham, supposedly for safety, but the school they were housed in was neat to an RAF airfield. My dad and his friends spend many days collecting shrapnel from the raids that happened on the airfield.
My dad, before the war, would take his bike to the ponds on the flats. He was a rather mischievous lad and liked to cycle on the ponds when they were frozen- many a time my nan was called by neighbours to say that Lenny was cycling on the ice. I remember the off licence on the corner of a road which sold sweets - I can still remember the smell on the shop. I also have great memories of Bearmans at Christmas and being taken by my nan and great aunt to buy new clothes at Easter or toys for Christmas and birthday.
I went to college in Stratford -1976 to 79 and had rented accommodation in Steele Road. I remuer buying some vintage 1930's gloves from a leather shop on the main road, just past th Thatched House pub, going towards Leytonstone. The owner was selling up and had boxes of old stock that his father had brought over to escape the Germans pre WW2. I could only afford three pairs of beautiful Italian, leather, 1930's gloves. I told him to get out in touch with a museum. Does anyone know the name of this shop or have any info on the owner? I still have the gloves.

Barbara, Brian, Gillian, Jan.
It is with much interest that I find reading your memories of Cann Hall Junior School and Leytonstone. Born in June 1951 I started in the infants summer of 1956 - 58 then the juniors 58 - 62. I can't remember any teachers in the infants, but my junior school teachers were Miss Prager, Mrs Thorpe, Miss Perry (later to be Mrs. West) and finally my 4th year teacher Mrs Westcott (previously) Miss Simpkins. We lived at 7 Steele Road opposite Fullers Builders yard and when closed used their gate as a goal when playing football in the street. Members of our gang apart from my brother Robert who is 2 years older then me were Pete Johnson at number 5, John Higgs at number 9 and Colin Stageman who lived just across the road at number 20.
All the stores mentioned in your memories I remember quite well. Reads the bike shop in the high road just opposite Steel Road is where my Dad bough my first bike.
I too remember Jimmy Fincham, he was quite a few years older than me. At weekends he did the milk-round for Smiths dairy which was basically a shop just past our school on the same side of the road. Although quite young he would let me pull the electric milk cart while rushed on to collect the empties and replenish with fresh pints. Jim would usually treat me with a shilling or two, but all I got from Mr. Smith for my troubles was a chocolate biscuit.
School summer holidays most days were spent over Wanstead Flats playing football, cricket or making up games of our own and no doubt like many of our generation the days seemed so long. Very little TV, no computer games, just friendships and imagination.
After Cann Hall I followed Rob my brother and went to George Mitchell Secondary Modern along with several classmates. Bobby Herd, John McCarthy, Brian Rickford, Alan Klein, Alan Cox, Clive Ingram. Unfortunately the only one I'm in touch with now is John Mac.
While in the second year we moved house which I thought would be a disaster without my friends close by, but it turned out ok. Dad bought a house across the far side of Wanstead Flats just off Aldersbrook Road opposite the lake/sand hills which wasn't too bad.
After finishing school 4 or 5 of us all bought Lambretta Motor Scooters and joined the Druids Scooter Club. This new and adult recreation lasted a few years but then we started getting a little older, meeting new friends, and more importantly girl friends.
Times had changed, our wonderful childhoods and school days were gone, we were growing up and embarking on adult life with whatever that may bring. Hopefully we have all done well, some maybe not, I guess I'll never know, but I often look back on those carefree childhood days in Leytonstone when every day seemed to be an adventure.