Author Topic: Wardley Street Wandsworth  (Read 66274 times)

Offline aligator1234

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Re: Wardley Street Wandsworth
« Reply #9 on: Saturday 29 October 11 11:40 BST (UK) »
Hi Ray - Thank you for your comments. I managed to find a photo of Wardley Street in the 1950's from London Metropolitan Archives in London. They also have a couple of Lydden Road/Grove if you were intersted.
I did manage to get to Wandsworth in September. A long trip for me from Norfolk but visited Wardley Cemetery for my Gt.Grandparent's graves on both sides of my Father's family, also Wardley Street but you can't get down it from the end near the pub.
Dad was George Boyd and he was born in 1932 in York Road Wandsworth. My Nan & Grandad wewre George Boyd & Edith Long. They lived at number 73 with my Gt.Grandparent's James Long and Rose Long nee Wright, alongside my Nan's Sister Violet Hall and her Husband Harry Hall with their Son Colin Hall.
On the photo I found you can see the Mission Hall half way down the street. If you are interested in it I would copy it for you.
I found a lady called Joyce Heath who used to also live in the same street but the other end I think, she is Colin's Cousin but from his Dad's side - not a blood relative to me. I have been told by Dad that there were a lot of gypsies down the end towards the river and would love to find anyone who has a photo of that.
My Nan & Grandad, alongside my Dad and his Sister Nita moved from Wandsworth in 1947 to a villaged called Bridgham in Norfolk. A long way from London and Dad was 15 and missed it terribly, but I suppose after the war everything was a mess and overcorwded with lliving arrangements.

Dad tells me his Grandfather wore a bowler hat and had a horse and cart and he would go out with him and skip school sometimes. I wish I could find someone that had a photo of him. I think he died in 1949 and my Gt.Grandmother Rose died in 1962.

Dad said there was a pub close by you would go out of the house turn and go down an alleyway to get to it and remembers the spitoon there. Sometimes his Grandfather would bring the horse in the house if it was cold and his Grandmother would create merry hell.
If you remember anything or have any photos I would love to know.
Thank you for getting in touch.
Best Wishes

Faith


Offline r haworth

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Re: Wardley Street Wandsworth
« Reply #10 on: Saturday 29 October 11 14:22 BST (UK) »
Hi Faith
I would be interested in seeing the photo's.
I lived in Lydden Grove until 1868.
The mission you are talking about was called the Anchor mission.
I don't remember any gypsies in the area.
They were never even spoke about.
My family name were Smith and Wymark
When going down Waldley street the house on the left used to have back yards that used to go over to the next street.
At the back they had sheds where they kept their horses. This was Lydden road.
In the middle of the road was a small pub which had sawdust on the floor.
I remember them getting the piano out in the road and having a sing song.
None of the people ever locked their doors.
Down the bottom of Waldley street a man used to stand at his front door and take bets on horses and dogs.
All the houses in Waldley street and Lydden road and Lydden Grove were all condemed in the early sixties.
Most of the people that died in the are are buried in Magdalin road Earlsfield.
It is hard work going to London as we nowlive near Skegness.
If you send me your e-mail address I will send you pictures from google eath of building thathave been there a long time

Offline aligator1234

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Re: Wardley Street Wandsworth
« Reply #11 on: Saturday 29 October 11 15:56 BST (UK) »
Hi Ray - Thank you so much for all that info. My Dad's Sister mentioned the other week to me that the doors were always left open, and her Grandmother always left the key on a bit of string inside the door so if ayone came they would put their hand through the letter box to get the key, but that did not happen much as I said it was always open.
Dad also mentioned the sawdust on the pub floor, and said all the houses were back to back you went out your front door onto the street and the back was the same.
The building of the Anchor Mission is on the left of the photo I have. I had to get a magnifier out to see it thought because DAd could not remember the name.
If you give me your email address I will copy the photo and send it as an attachment for you, or if you don't have one I will copy and send it to you, if you like. I do like to share with others as I know how hard it is to find things, as Dad moved in 1947 he lost touch with everyone and they have all gone now anyway apart from his Cousins which he really did not know much about. My Nan was a good 10 years older than her Brother's so the people I have found are a good ten years younger than me.
I found a lady on Facebook and her Dad is my Dad's Cousin, and she gave me some information and said Grandad had a Sister called Edith and no-one knows anything about her as she moved. I told her I did because she was my Nan and so was able to fill them in with our family.
There were definitely gypsies at the bottom of Wardley Street, the archives told me that, Dad said there were and I met up with someone else that said a lot of the time people would not go down Wardley Street for the rent because of them. Maybe they had been moved on or away by the time you came into the world. Dad said you would just walk along and keep your hands in your pockets and not look at anyone. Do you remember the pubs name as that is the only thing Dad has forgotten? Amazing story of taking the piano out in the street - maybe that was because a lot of people could not go to the pub. Magdalen Road is where the cemetery is and as I said I went there a few months back, it is the biggest cemetery I have ever been to.
I was told by my Dad's Cousin Joyce Heath (I will find her maiden name out), that my Gt.Grandmother Rose Long and his Aunt Violet and Uncle Harry did not want to move as it was their home, but they did eventually and moved onto a housing estate close by. Not sure if it was a house or a flat.
When Dad moved to Norfolk in 1947 I think he got fed up as he left all his mates back in London and where they moved to did not even have running water, it was like the back of beyond he told me compared to where they had come from, so I am certain he got fed up and joined the Navy in 1949, so after then he said two years later he went back. Took a bus and got dropped off and stood for a few minutes looking down the street remembering it all. His Grandmother certainly made a fuss of him and his Aunt, a shame he never saw his Grandmother alive again, but thst's life.
My email address is *
Well I will get to sending you this photo and speak soon.
Thank you so much for getting in touch.
Best Wishes
Faith
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Offline marymog

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Re: Wardley Street Wandsworth
« Reply #12 on: Monday 07 November 11 12:19 GMT (UK) »
Hi Faith

I come from round that way, I grew up there in the 50s. I never dared walk down Wardley St as a child, because the Wardley-ites were our sworn enemies. I remember having stone fights with them , they one side of the river Wandle, and we the other.
The Wandle was toxic, we never even dared put a hand or foot in it, it was running brown and stunk to high heaven.

When I was older(middle 60s) of course I went down that street, it was very sad by then, condemned and being cleared. Many moved to an estate, which now is called Haldane Place, Wandle Way and St James Drive.(present day map) It used to be called the Henry Prince Estate, and it was built just before  WW2. It was notorious for villany, so I think in the 80s or 90s it was changed and given new names as are there now, in order to remove the stigma,(so I heard) which hung above the estate, although most people that lived there were working folk. The villains werent bad people either, they just had different ideas.
The flats were badly built and dripping with damp, which the council called "condensation" :o but they did have baths and indoor WCs, unlike the houses up Wardley St, Lydden Street, and Grove. most houses on Lydden and Wardley were being demolished and my only real memory was of desolation. Had folk living on Lydden Grove that didnt get knocked down(the houses are still there) in the mid 70s there were still people with the tin bath in the back yard, who were eventually rehoused and the old houses were renovated and sold.

before WW1(according to the old folk) Gypsies lived on land owned by Moses(or Noah) Penfold(I think it was moses, it was biblical anyway) They were door to door flower sellers and rag and bone men. The old property which I think was from the Penfolds, in the 60s was on the corner of Wardley St, up by the river. If i am correct the last of the houses on Lydden Grove, going toward Lydden Road, if you go sattelite, street view, you will see the last property has a large black gate, it used to be two wooden gates, and behind them was where the Totter(cant remember his name, but not Penfold) Kept his horse in a stable and his cart there, with all the scrap which he had collected.

That wil be the place where the Gypsies were, if Im not mistaken. They were gone before or during WW2.

Along side the Anchor Mission was an alley, at the end of the alley was a pub which they called Florries.

it is also mentioned on this site

http://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/have_your_say/community/romany_voices_archive40.shtml

The people that lived up Wardley St and on the Henry Prince were really great people, what we call the salt of the earth. They were not afraid to walk there, just outsiders were, why I don't quite know, I think like the tales told to me in childhood of never go down Wardley street, and others who were told not to go on the Henry Prince. If you wanted to find characters they were abundant in these two places, wonderful people.

mm



Offline aligator1234

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Re: Wardley Street Wandsworth
« Reply #13 on: Monday 07 November 11 13:55 GMT (UK) »
Hi mm - Thank yo so much for replying to my request. I did manage to find a photo of Wardley Street at the London Metropolitan Archives had one. They also have ones of Lydden Road/Grove. It was taken in the 1950's obviously before the houses were demolished. My Dad was born in 1932 in York Road Wandsworth and left in 1947 with his parent's down to here in Norfolk, where I live.
A pity that Wardley Street had a bad name as I have heard from someone else that they also said they would not walk down that street and a lot of houses had no windows, hence the reason my Grandparent's moved out and the reason why.
I know my Gt.Grandparent's and Gt.Aunt & Uncle moved out to a new housing estate many years ago, but are all gone now.
I managed to find a lady called Joyce Hall who lived next door to my family and she moved out many years later. I also had an email from a Ray whose Mother and he lived in Lydden Road/Grove, the other day.
I have seen the picture also of the black gate against the property as someone sent me also that link.
Dad told me also that his Grandfather James Long was a rag and bone man, but on the Census it states he was a Coster of fruit and veg., so maybe he changed his profession.
Thank you so much for the name of the pub as Dad recalls that they went out of their house then there was an alley way then there was a pub but can't remember the name of it so thank you for that I will now be able to tell him, as I have been trying to find the name for a long time now.
I was pretty certain that the gypsies had moved on as Dad recalls them being there so he was told, but can't remember them exactly.
Yes salt of the earth I can relate to as my Aunt said her Grandmother always had the key on a piece of string inside the letter box and the door was very rarely locked.

Dad often tells me when he walked out he kept his hands in his pockets and kept looking straight ahead and not anywhere else, so that is probably why, because of gangs or other people and not being liked.
Sometimes it is a shame that certain streets had bad names but as you said salt of the earth and I know that my family were, just unfortunate in living in the wrong area.
Someone told me last week that the pub owners once brought the pianon out into the street so everyone could enjoy a sing song. I thought that was lovely.
If I find anything else out I will keep in touch.
Thank you again - Faith

Offline shasha

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Re: Wardley Street Wandsworth
« Reply #14 on: Sunday 13 November 11 23:39 GMT (UK) »
HI mm
my mum come from round that way,she grew up there in the 50s. my grandfather(Owen Hughes) was a rag and bone men an my great grandfather (William Hughes marred to Ellen smith) was a door to door flower sellers.

Offline marymog

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Re: Wardley Street Wandsworth
« Reply #15 on: Sunday 13 November 11 23:58 GMT (UK) »
Hi Shasha

Where did your ancestors live?? What is your mum looking for, living Boswells or ancestors. On this site we can only discuss people that are no longer alive, its to do with the data protection act. I suggest you click on the button on the top right hand corner of your post, the button that says MODIFY, and delete your mums name and her sisters and brothers names. or you might get into trouble. If you want to discuss living people you do that by personal message, then the rest of the world cant read it. for some strange reason your uncles name rings a bell, but so many years ago, very vaguely

welcome to roots chat, by the way.

mm




Offline shasha

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Re: Wardley Street Wandsworth
« Reply #16 on: Monday 14 November 11 00:05 GMT (UK) »
thank you have done

Offline marymog

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Re: Wardley Street Wandsworth
« Reply #17 on: Monday 14 November 11 00:18 GMT (UK) »
Great,

so you mentioned Boswell,  what is it you are looking for, you will need to give the name of the great grandfather or something then we can see where they were living. Will need name and rough year of birth, and where they came from, or where they were living in the 1900s, then you can work back.  ask your mum for details

mm