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A FEW MEMORIES OF THE PAST - Written by Norman G Pleasance 1913-1987
As children we had some very happy times during the Great War. As very little happened in Woodford we had nothing to fear, but when the warning did sound, it was very exciting for us, as we were allowed to get up from bed and come down to the living room where a bed would be made under a large wooden table, piled up with wooden chairs and cushions, making us as safe as possible. Another very exciting day was when the Graf Zeppelin went past Chigwell Road in flames, and came down at Cufley. Strange to think these terrible things can be exiting when you are young.
One of the very thrilling times for us was when the Fair would come to Chigwell Rd, bottom of Maybank by the side of the river, and they would get us boys to fill the tanks or the engine of the roundabout, from the river, with the promise of a few free rides, which I never remember getting, but it was always an exciting week..
Our Saturday afternoons were very often spent at a Football match, over the farms to where St Barnabas Rd is now built. I think the team was called The Crusaders, but we used to get more fun watching Mr White, from the ��ѿ��ýs. He would rush up and down the lines with excitement, and if a goal was scored he would throw his hat high in the sky, which was great for us.
Another thing which is a thing of the past, if we had a storm in the night, all the workers from the Brickfield , where Raven Rd now stands, would come running along Chigwell Rd to cover their bricks which were in long rows drying out. Those that were out first would knock up the other workers up as they passed their homes.
As for floods it was quite normal after a heavy fall of snow for the Police to come knocking us up to tell us the water was rising. We would all get up and start getting ready for the worst, but we were lucky it seemed to just reach our front door, and would then start going down. One morning I had to climb over our back garden wall and come out into Waverley Rd - the only way I could get to work with dry feet, and as I had not long started work in George lane, and was going to learn to be an Upholsterer, (at 8/6d a week) had to look after that job.
Those days there were no houses from Maybank Rd until Snakes Lane, so there was plenty of low marshland to take the water. It was after they built the Southend Rd that we had the bad floods. I was then living in Waverley Rd, but my parents still lived in Chigwell Rd. On the way home from work, I called in to say I would come round after tea to move some of the furniture, if the water was still rising. Well I had a very quick tea, and when I opened our front door to go round, the water was running along Waverley Rd. I had left it too late. Anyway, I walked round with water over my knees, and found all the neighbours had helped each other. My Mothers piano had been put on 4 chairs, and the water was just up to the seats. As I opened the back door , great blocks of ice rushed in. We were better in Waverley Rd, it just came up to our floor boards and just splashed up when anything passed by. Some of Mr Whites children enjoyed it as they had a large table turned upside down, and were rowing past our house.
Did you know there may be hidden treasure buried in one of the gardens in Waverley Rd? Well one Sunday morning an unexploded bomb went up, and it left a crater large enough to bury a bus. Well that was a lovely burial ground for everything you did not want, but I guess some of the junk would now be worth a bit. Please dont start digging in my garden, as you will be wasting time.
My boys (my sons) tell me they used to play in the orchards (apple) which is now Waverley Close, and that there was a very deep water well in the grounds. I wonder which house was built over that, may find you could save paying water rates.
Before they built the Southend Rd, Chigwell Rd was a very quiet road. From Maybank Rd to the Old Mill, was our main playground, and we would get very cross if we had to stop playing football or playing with our tops, while a horse and cart passed going to market. Just a little busier these days. When they first built the Southend Rd, the course of the river was altered to go under the new bridge, and a bollard with a red flashing light was in the centre of the crossing, to be later changed for a large roundabout.
When I was very young our little shop at the corner of Waverley Rd was a sweet shop, owned by a little old lady, I think her name was Mrs Hodskin. The shop was lit by oil lamps, and as you went in the door, a bell would ring and she would come from a back room holding a lighted candle, so it was a lovely way for us boys to change our old coins, not always English.

Another unusual job was the old Lamplighter. The main roads had gas lamps which had to be lit every night and a man with a long rod would come along each night and each lamp he would have to pull a small chain, which turned the gas on, and then in the morning he would be back to turn them off.

We had a very worrying time after a bad night when Maybank Rd was hit by bombs. They found a hole in our garden in Chigwell Rd and the Wardens thought it was an unexploded bomb, so everybody out. Well I was just married , had a flat in Cleveland Rd so my parents came to stay with us. We made beds on the floor and that night we had a very bad Air raid, our flat shook once or twice and my Father kept saying , dont worry thats only our guns. Well in the morning we went to the shops and I dont think there was a window left, and there was a Landmine in a large tree right near the Plaza Cinema. Lucky for us it did not go off. The hole in our garden in Chigwell Rd was made by bricks blown from the Maybank houses, so once again we were very lucky. Another fright I had was when I was on night duty at Barnados. We had our Fire Pumps at the side of their orchard and at that time we were warned there could be an invasion. Anyway it was on night watch in a small hut at the gate. All very quiet when there was a loud crash. Well when I plucked up courage to go and investigate, with my hair standing on end, I found an old dustbin had been tipped over and the horrible gasping noises, were made by a large number of hedgehogs, after the fish heads from the bin , no invasion after all.

This may make the young lads envious, I bought my first Motor Cycle from Jarvis on the Epping New Rd. It was a brand new BSA, 250cc with a few extras, such as Twist grip, and Pillion seat, and ready taxed for the road. I thought at the time , rather expensive £36. I rode it all the way from Buckhurst Hill in first gear, being afraid to change up. No tests those days.

Were we lucky to live in Lower Rd which is now Chigwell Rd? Some people said we were lucky to live in the country, but on a lovely warm night or day, if you had your doors or windows open, you were always able to tell which way the wind was blowing. If it was from the North you always got the strong smells from Frenches Red Brick Kilns (not too unpleasant), now built on by Wansford Rd. If from the East, Vile smells from the Sewer Beds and pig farms, and hundreds of flies and gnats from the river. We had sticky fly papers hanging in each room, these would be black with buzzing flies stuck to them. If it was a South wind once again strong smells from Mr Gales Brickfield, which is now Raven Rd. Now if it was a West wind, always very pleasant, no smells, just the happy sound of children playing in Mr Whites Playground.

Another highlight was when a relative of the owner of the Gordon Rd Off Licence, would bring his plane and fly it in the field at the bottom of Maybank. He would take you up for 7/6d a flight, and each time it landed 2 men had to meet, one each side of the wings, then guide it back to the starting point. If you wanted to Loop the Loop, or Corkscrew, that would cost more, anyway just an ordinary trip was out of our reach, but it was fun watching. The same field had a few football pitches, no changing rooms, so they had to use the large hut behind the sweet shop at the corner of Maybank, which also had a tea room at the side. Quite a site to see all the players running along the road smothered in mud.

Did you know there was a big German Prison of war Camp built just passed Roding Lane? A bit worrying to live so near, but we never had any trouble, they would take them out on buses with an armed Soldier on the platform, and come past Chigwell Rd , whether to go to the shops I just cant remember. Also in most fields around would be guns and searchlights and if they were firing our way, you would hear pieces of shrapnel rattling down on our roofs, so it was wise to keep under cover if possible. There were hundreds of large balloons all around, these would go up very high, with a cable down to the ground to stop the German planes diving too low over London. During a raid as soon as the planes came over the Coast, our Wireless would go dead, this was very good as it gave us time to prepare for the shelters before our sirens sounded. Our Anderson Shelter was at the far end of our garden, so what with getting the children dressed it was always a bit of a scramble.

Another thing I shall never forget. We were at the fire Station training for a display we were putting on at Wanstead, It was a boiling hot day and we were rushing about in full uniform and gas masks with ladders and hosepipes, for about half an hour. When we stopped for a break, a young man (a Claybury Hospital in mate) who had been watching us chuckled and then said “and they call us mad”. How true that was.

Another great change was the Old Mill, (between the Roundabout and Holy Trinity Church) which was later Mill Garage, where you could get petrol for 1/6d a gallon. Then there was a block of houses with a sweet shop, then a small road into a Nursery which was behind the houses. Tomatoes and cucumbers were mainly grown. On the other side of the Road was another Nursery but they grew mostly plants and flowers. Just passed the sweet shop was the well known Cycle and repair shop Barnacles, then a few more houses and another Pig Farm which was later changed to a small factory, making Side cars for Motor Cycles. Now its the Old Mill Court. From here to the Church was all farmland, and as far as you could see looking towards Gants Hill, not a house could be seen apart from eight cottages which no doubt were farm houses. These stood on the hill near the PDSA. These were a landmark, known as the Eight Houses. Also from the Pig Farm to the Church along the side of Chigwell Rd, was quite a deep ditch, which we would jump across to walk along the farm side. Unlucky for me one day I missed the bank, and landed in the ditch, lucky not much water but plenty of mud and of course I was in my best Sunday clothes. No Sunday School that day, but a good ticking off when I got home. From then on I kept to the path.

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