Come along to our nature event on tomorrow – Saturday 14th July 2-4pm.
We are being joined by Friends of the Earth and Kent Bat Group so we can learn all about the inhabitants of our park 
😁
Big Lunch 2018
The Big Lunch will be held on Saturday 9th June, from 12-4pm. We desperately need volunteers to make everything happen, so please contact us via the contact form to let us know if you can help.
Ward Councillors hand in Deed of Dedication Application!
Friends of Havelock Rec are proud to say that our Ward Councillors, (Nicky Dykes, Will Harmer and Michael Rutherford from Bromley Town ward Conservatives) have handed in, to the council Environment portfolio holder, an application for the park to have a Deed of Dedication.
Though the park is already designated Metropolitan Open Land, the friends feel that in the current housing crisis, this is insufficient protection. For instance, the CPRE list 10 sites (link to pdf here) with the same designation that are threatened. It should also be noted that it is perfectly permissible to build schools or other public buildings on Metropolitan Open Land – which is why the site was identified for a school when the Friends ran their campaign to save it.
It is considered best practice to protect council owned green space with Deeds of Dedication, and Fields In Trust provided the Friends with help to fill in our application form – Fields in Trust work to safeguard recreational spaces and campaign for better statutory protection for all kinds of outdoor sites (through Deeds of Dedication). Hammersmith & Fulham Council are protecting all the parks ‘for future generations’ in their borough with Deeds of Dedication (see announcement here).
Here is a photo of the proud moment:
Handing over our deed of dedication over : Will Harmer (ward councillor), Bob Neill (MP), Michael Rutherford (ward councillor), Kerry (Friends), Nicky Dykes (ward councillor)
It’s Snow Days in our Park!
This is the weather where people will walk a long way for the nice safe slope in our park! Here’s some of our pics of this year’s snow days in our park!
And some more scenic pics:
Some nice pics of our park – can you send us some too?
Here’s some nice pics around of our park, and we were wondering if you had some too? We (or our parent friends groups/forums) would then be able to use them for future posts on social media, if that’s ok. We think our park is ace and want to show off how great it is!
collage of photos of Havelock Rec
2018 Events
Put these dates in your diaries!
14th April, 2-4pm – Easter Mini Olympics
9th June, 12-4pm – The *Big* Big Lunch!
14th July, 2-4pm – Bats, Birds, Butterflies and Beyond
5th August, 12-3pm – Summer Family Picnic
Havelock Recreation Ground designated Local Green Space
In November 2016, alongside 20 parks in the Borough, we were designated the title of Local Green Space. A Local Green Space is a:
“green or open space which has been demonstrated to have special qualities and holds particular significance to the local community which it serves.
Development which causes harm to the ‘special qualities’ of a Local Green Space as defined within its Statement of Significance but is otherwise policy compliant will be considered inappropriate and will not be accepted except in very special circumstances.”
A lot of work and time went into the submission for this, so we are very proud to have achieved this status.
You can read the full documentation including the other parks that were granted this status, which is part of the Council’s Draft Local Plan, here.
2017 Events
Our events for 2017 will include our third Big Lunch in June, our third ‘Bug Day’ in July, a brand new summer picnic event in August and our second Havelock Hoedown. Now all we need is for the weather to be on our side in 2017 – we didn’t mind the rain really, but we have put in an early order for sunshine on these dates in 2017.
Our happy Hoedown in Rain and Shine!
Happy Hoedown!
Our locals were not put off by the weather, we know how to have fun here, whether it rains or not!
Bug Hunting and Birdbox Painting
There was a great turnout for our Bug Hunting and Birdbox Painting day on a very warm but windy Saturday 9th July.Even the sun turned up for a while.
Thanks to everyone who came and participated! We sold out of birdboxes in record time and we now have 30 Havelock Hunters in our midst. Lots of people took part in the Scavenger Hunt, and there were some excellent drawings and crafts. Thanks to Sandy and Judy who helped us to identify lots of minibeasts and to Friends of the Earth who had a stall.
Big Lunch 2016
We braved the rain and had a great time, so thank you to everyone who came along! The cake stall was as amazing as ever and the crowning glory made by Michelle was, quite literally, a crown! Happy 90th birthday Your Majesty! We hope the winners of the Guess the Weight of the cake competition enjoyed it as much as we all enjoyed the rest of the cakes.
Our volunteers set up the stalls (in pouring rain!) and a lovely marquee (thanks to the Scouts) complete with beautiful table decorations.
And of course, everyone got stuck in to the Tug of War. We’re not sure who won…. but it was about the taking part.
Not forgetting the amazing game of pin the tail on Puddle the corgi – painting by Sandy.
What a great day, fun had by all who came. Thank you for helping us raise some much needed funds. See you at the next event in July.
Where are we?
As we’ve just sent out lots of leaflets about our forthcoming events, we thought that some people may be new to the area or not be quite sure where we are. Just for you, here’s the map of the area showing Havelock Rec. For more detail on Google Maps, click here.
The two main entrances are on Homesdale Road and off Havelock Road (actually Marlborough Road). The Homesdale Road entrance is a pedestrian entrance opposite the Eivissa beauty salon.
If you’re arriving by car, parking is available on the street but is restricted to residents only between the hours of 12-2 on Monday – Saturday. There is pay and display parking available on nearby Chatterton Road.
If you’ve never visited us before, now’s your chance! We hope to see you on June 12th at noon for our Big Lunch, if not before.
Newsletter 03 – Happy New Year – From Your Friendly Local Park !
It’s nearly a year since the fateful and desperate day when we formed our campaign to save our park, and this park friends group to run it. Thanks to all of you, we still have a park to use and for our children to play in. It also means that we are holding our AGM shortly: please join us for a drink and to talk about our park, at 8pm, at the Chatterton Arms on Wednesday 24th February!
In this newsletter:
Future Events
Our Future work for our Park
What we did this year
Finally
Future Events
10:30am Saturday 12th March – litter picking
12noon Sunday 12th June – OUR 2ND ANNUAL BIG LUNCH
12noon Saturday 10th September – Havelock Hoedown
But more will be arranged – keep an eye on your email or the notice board!
We came and we planted!
We are delighted to announce (for those of you who have not been on the brickfield recently) that we have finished planting both the Homesdale road entrance and the biodiversity hedge (along the chain link fence).
Thanks to everyone who made it happen! Personally speaking, when I first read that we should plant the hedge on Dr Judy’s biodiversity report, I never imagined that a year later we would have actually planted ourselves a hedge! I wasn’t sure we’d even have our recreation ground to put it on either!
Lots of thanks to Stephen Tickner at the landscape group, who enabled it to happen (and helped us muddle though learning how to be a friends group). The he
dge planting was done by a volunteer group that Stephen organised, called Pulse. They are committed to helping long term unemployed back into work.
Thanks also to Mandy, who had faith and organisation to bid for the whips from the Woodland Trust, and to Caroline who found the ones from OVO Energy’s I Dig Trees project.
Above, the drawing of what the hedge might look like in a couple of years time, from our page for your input into our action plan, and our little mascot William, supervising the work on the entrance!
Unfortunately, as the brick pit was filled with crushed and compacted rubble (and other stuff, see our history page) it is hard work to dig the holes to plant, and it is great that people put in the effort for the community – thanks again!
We have TREES and we’re going to plant !
e
We’ve arranged two planting sessions to put in all the little trees we’ve been sent! The sessions are on Monday (14th) and Saturday (16th December), and they’re also on Facebook here and here)
It will be exciting to see our plans to add diversity to our park actually take shape, and for our collective effort to make a little change for generations to come.
Our packs include h
olly, hawthorn, dog rose and hazel from the Woodland Trust, and Wayfaring tree, guelder rose, and dogwood (among others) from OVO energy. For the entrance on Homesdale Road, we’ve also got some ornamental dogwood.
The hedge is following expert recommendation, this hedge will enhance the biodiversity value of our park, not just with the little trees themselves, but by providing food and (when bigger) homes for our bats, bumble bees and birdlife. They will also give shelter for other plants 
and flowers that insects, like butterflies and grasshoppers, will love.
This is one of our projects to help us, as a community keep our park, as it provides a visible sign how much it is valued and used by the community. If you have any ideas you have for our park, please feel free to fill in the survey (http://friendsofhavelockrec.org/our-action-plan/)or just email us:
We are on Google street view!
This summer, Google updated their street view of Homesdale Road, and our notice board now appears!
google homesdale rd entrance notice board aug15
What’s really good about this, is that it means, that any Whitehall official, Bromley planning officer or speculative developer can see that we care about our park and that it is loved. Also, the position of the parked car hides the broken railings, if not the somewhat drunken parking notice! Thanks also to people like Emma and Rebecca, (forgive me if I’ve missed anyone here) there are several notices on it, showing that we’ve been organising events and our park is not “under used” as was suggested when it was proposed as a site for building La Fontaine.
Our park is added to the List of Assets of Community Value !
We are very proud to announce that Havelock Recreation ground has been added to the List of Assets of Community Value!
Only 15 places have been successfully registered in the London Borough of Bromley (see the photo of the other places) since the Localism Act came into effect in 2012.
The Localism Act required councils to keep a List of Assets of Community Value, and it also gave the Community Right to Bid; it means that when listed land is disposed of, the community has the right to a ‘moratorium period’ (seems to be six months) to decide if they want to bid for their asset. Importantly for us, it also demonstrates to government bodies and potential developers, the strength of local feeling about this park.
(a montage of photos from our recent Big Lunch event)
What the internet says about the Community Asset Register, the Community Right to Bid, under the Localism Act.:
Community Right to Bid and the Community Asset Register
As part of the Localism Act local authorities are required to maintain a list of assets of community value which have been nominated by the local community.
A building or land is an asset of community value if its main use is to further the social wellbeing or interests of a local community for example a local village shop, community centre or playing fields.
Community right to bid
The Community right to bid came into force in September 2012. The Community right-to-bid allows communities to nominate buildings and land that they consider to be of value to the community, to be included on a local authority maintained list. If any of the assets on the register are put up for sale, the community is given a window of opportunity to express an interest in purchasing the asset, and another window of opportunity to bid. from: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/5959/1896534.pdf
The Community Right to Bid allows communities and parish councils to nominate buildings or land for listing by the local authority as an asset of community value. An asset can be listed if its principal use furthers (or has recently furthered) their community’s social well-being or social interests (which include cultural, sporting or recreational interests) and is likely to do so in the future. When a listed asset comes to be sold, a moratorium on the sale (of up to six months) may be invoked, providing local community groups with a better chance to raise finance, develop a business and to make a bid to buy the asset on the open market. from: http://mycommunity.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/LOCALITY-BID_UNDERSTANDING.pdf
How the Community Right to Bid will work
The Legislation
How the Community Right to Bid works is set out in the Localism Act and Regulations: With the Community Right to Bid, Local Authorities must keep a ‘List of Assets of Community Value’; the legislation sets out in detail the process they must enter into and what information they must include. The legislation also outlines the definition of an asset of community value, what groups can legitimately nominate, the appeals process for land owners, timescales for groups interested in buying land or property on the list, and compensation available to the owners of land or property on the list.
What is an Asset of Community Value?
A building or other land is an asset of community value if its main use has recently been or is presently used to further the social wellbeing or social interests of the local community and could do so in the future. The Localism Act states that “social interests” include cultural, recreational and sporting interests. The regulations list a number of situations where land or buildings are exempted from inclusion on the list or operation of the moratorium. These include homes, hotels, assets being transferred between kindred businesses, and Church of England land holdings.
Who can nominate Assets of Community Value
A number of community organisations can nominate land and buildings for inclusion on the list: parish councils, neighbourhood forums (as defined in Neighbourhood Planning regulations), unconstituted community groups of at least 21 members, not-for-private-profit organisations (e.g. charities). Community organisations also have to have a local connection, which means their activities are wholly or partly concerned with the area, or with a neighbouring authority’s area.
Moratorium Periods
The Community Right to Bid does not give the right of first refusal to community organisations to buy an asset that they successfully nominate for inclusion on the local authority’s list. What it does do is give time for them to put together the funding necessary to bid to buy the asset on the open market. If an owner wants to sell property/land that is on the list, they must tell the local authority. If the nominating body is keen to develop a bid, they can then call for the local authority to trigger a moratorium period, during which time the owner cannot proceed to sell the asset. There are two moratorium periods. Both start from the date the owner of the asset tells the local authority of their intention to sell. The first is the interim moratorium period, which is 6 weeks, during which time a community organisation can decide if they want to be considered as a potential bidder. The other is a full moratorium period, which is six months, during which a community organisation can develop a proposal and raise the money required to bid to buy the asset. The regulations list some situations where the Moratorium will not be applied, even when it is an Asset of Community Value on the list. These exceptions include the sale of assets from one partner or another (for example in a divorce).
Funding
In August 2012, the government announced grant funding which community organisations can apply for in order to make use of the Community Right to Bid or Community Asset Transfer. The Social Investment Business is managing the £16 million grants programme ‘Community Ownership and Management of Assets’ on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
June 7th – Our Amazing Big Lunch on Havelock
We had such a fantastic event!
Thanks to the many of you who came along and made it a wonderful day! And to Rebecca for all that organising, to Stephen Tickner for helping us set it up and just being there, to Michelle for all those diet-busting delicious cakes (myself, I had too many of those), Cassie for the Tombola, Emma and the local businesses for the Tombola prizes, 3rd Bromley scouts for their tents, tug-of-war rope and expertise, and everyone else who helped out, who are too many to list!
Saturday 2nd May – Litter picking and CAKE
We had a litter picking session, with cake provided by Michelle, the fabulous cake cook!
There was lemon drizzle cake, and chocolate slice (both by Michelle) while Sandy send along some cookies. They were scrumptious! Of course, we did pick the litter too!
On the 2
8th March we made some temporary notice boards for our park:
As it was half term, some of the children did us some drawings to put on them (as well as the proper notices!).
From the NewsShopper – plans to build on Havelock Recreation Ground shelved
Here’s the article that Hatty Collier wrote yesterday, about our park, in the News Shopper:
She said “Plans to build a primary school on a Bromley park have been shelved.
Havelock Recreation Ground on Havelock Road had been earmarked as the permanent site for La Fontaine Academy, which opened in temporary accommodation at Princes Plain, last September.
Residents, councillors and Bromley and Chislehurst MP Bob Neill have campaigned against the proposals.
Local Conservatives announce that our park is saved
One of our ward councillors, Nicky Dykes, has posted about saving our park on the local conservative’s site, she tells us:
Bromley Councillors Stop Plans to Build on Havelock Rec
We are delighted to announce that our councillors tell us that they will not allow the Education Funding Agency (EFA) to build on our park:
Nicola Dykes, one of our Ward Councillors, wrote “Due to considerable opposition from Bromley Town Councillors, local MP Bob Neill and the local community, the Council has informed the Education Funding Authority (EFA) that they will not lease them the land to build the school. Instead they are working with them to find an alternative site for the school which they are confident they will be able to do.
Bulb Planting and Litter Picking
Thanks to all those hardy souls who turned up to help us pick the litter and plant the last of our bulbs!
Tea, coffee and cake were served too, and we all worked hard to improve our park:
Here’s a group photo of some of us at towards the end of the morning:
Litter picking at the Bourne End side,and bulb planting at the Havelock side:
Heart of Havelock
Many of the Friends of Havelock Rec met up on Valentine’s Day 2015 to make a heart in the rec.
Our park is the heart of our community, so we laid out a symbolic heart in the brickfield. We demonstrated how much, and how many of us care about our park. Despite the chilly weather, lots of people turned up to support the campaign.
Newsletter 02 – Keep Calm and Carry On Saving Havelock Rec
Please write to the Scrutiny Committee today!
To Our Supporters,
As we have said before, Havelock Rec is NOT saved yet and we need to keep campaigning and writing; the Council have not thrown the application out, and La Fontaine and the Education Funding Authority still have our park as their ‘preferred option’.
We are very grateful for the local conservative party’s support, but they don’t actually make the decision. We want the option of building on Havelock Recreation ground to be dropped now, and not have to fight a planning application.
Newsletter 01 – Havelock Recreation Ground Not Saved… Yet
Havelock Recreation Ground Not Saved…Yet!
The Council have not thrown the application out, and La Fontaine and the Education Funding Authority still have our park as their ‘preferred option’.
We are very grateful for the local conservative party’s support, but they don’t actually make the decision. We want the option of building on Havelock Recreation ground to be dropped now, and not have to fight a planning application.
Local Conservative team join residents to protect Havelock Rec
Friends of Havelock Rec got some good news today. Here’s the post from http://www.bobneillmp.co.uk/
Monday, 16 February, 2015
Recent proposals to build a new bilingual primary school on a section of Havelock Recreation Ground, put forward by the Education Funding Agency (EFA), have, quite understandably, caused deep concern amongst residents in Holmesdale Road and the local area.
La Fontaine Academy, which opened last September under the Government’s Free School policy, is currently in temporary accommodation at the site of the former Princes Plain School. Although there is of course a need to find a permanent home for La Fontaine, I remain unconvinced that Havelock Rec offers a suitable alternative for anyone involved, including pupils, staff, or indeed local residents. At the end of the day, we have precious little green space in the Borough, and what we do have should, I believe, be protected wherever possible.
Times change ..
(A gem found by Felix)
First artists impression
An artist’s impression of what La Fontaine’s proposed school could look like, using the available details.
Please visit the home page..
Our home page is deliberately not the front page of the site and first thing you see. We want visitors to quickly see any updates we post here. If you’ve not had a read of it yet please click Home in the navigation menu or this link.
What the rec looks like today
We’re working on a mock-up that will show what this view will look like with the proposed La Fontaine school.
To see this as a 360 panorama visit this link. If you view it on a modern smartphone or tablet it will turn as you turn the device using the compass and accelerometer. Be virtually there!
1940s: “My memories of my early life are still so vivid it’s as if we never left…”
My memories of my early life are still so vivid it’s as if we never left, there is so much to tell. You mention the mounds of rubbish and rubble, so I’ll start with that. Much of it was the damage from the bombing during the war. In one place was a large mound where the lorries from the gasworks sometimes used to come and tip the clinker and byproducts from the gas works. Often the local lads used to go and collect bits of coal and coke. It earned quite a few of us a fair bit of pocket money.
One particular occasion was when a large general store in the market square was bombed. It was I believe called Edward Isard, much of the rubble was also tipped over there.
Some of the local Mums soon spent some time over there recovering molten bars of soap and other items. However, back to the brickie. My older brother Bob spent some time in hospital with a badly burnt foot, caused when the mound collapsed. the heat generated by spontaneous combustion was terrific. But to younger kids it was the most wonderful playground.
Many of the kids camps were either in the huge patches of Burdock that used to grow there or the older ones made quite large more permanent structures out of the abundance of water tanks.
“God Help You” if you ever went near or touched a camp belonging to another street. Among the rubble there was a constant supply of asbestos sheets that when thrown on any of the numerous bonfires resulted in loud explosions. Be assured I am in no way fantasising or exaggerating, To young kids it was the most fantastic playground you could ever imagine with new material being tipped there on a daily basis. Quite often there would be tipped a tanker of a creosote like product from the local gas works. It lay in the ground like tar. Many a kid had a good hiding after going home with it on your boots, after a couple of days the soles of your boots just fell off.
Every November the competition to build the largest bonfire caused many a fight as it was almost a nightly job to nick stuff from anywhere you could find. There was always a large one near the Walwyn road entrance.
Reading your oral history brought up just a few of the local names. My grandmother lived at No. 13 Havelock Road, next door was the Crist family of boys from the top was Jackie, Johnny, Dougie and Leslie. A little further up in the last house before the bombsite lived George Aveling and his sister Flossie the other side of the bombsite was the Matholie family and the last house lived Sheila Jarrett Then there was Mr Clapsons Shop (General Store). Directly opposite on the corner of Marlborough lived the Shaddocks family next door to the Danahers Billy, Monty and twin boys, pretty sure there was a sister Margaret also. Coming back down Havelock there was the Luck Family and the Wiles sisters Sylvie and Betty. A few doors further was the Phillips family (quite large in number) I remember the oldest George I believe joined the Guards. Then came Ray Brigden, cousin to Teddy Brigden who lived opposite me in the cottages in Homesdale Road Ted sadly died last year. Next door lived Neville Stubbs who had a printing business and shop in Homesdale Rd. Also his sister Lorna.
The Model Railway Factory you mention was located at the top of Homesdale but on the Main Road and was called Graham Farish. They are still in production and are at the top end both in quality and price. There is a stockist near me in East Grinstead called Martells
I know I’m flitting about somewhat but you mentioned free coke ? If there was any it never came my way !! It was regular pocket money for a lot of us. My dad made me a purpose built barrow that took 28lbs of broken coke (that is what you had to ask for when queuing at the window in the gas works). From memory you could get a small coke, broken which was larger lumps and then boiler nuts (they were a form of compressed coal dust and something else) they were the most expensive and burned very hot.
The Gas Works was I believe run by a Mr Skudder who lived in a house just inside the Main Gate and the ticket windows were further along on the left. You bought your ticket and one of the prisoners of war would take you with your barrow under the hopper and dispensed your measured amount. They, the POWs, would be all over the place driving low trucks called Lister trucks.
I had a regular delivery to the lady next door at No 109 Homesdale called Mrs Stokes, her husband was the manager of a large Ironmongers in the High Street called Weeks, Manager or not, he still had to come in the house through the back door AFTER HE HAD CHANGED INTO HIS SLIPPERS AND CLEANED HIS SHOES FOR THE FOLLOWING MORNING. But she was very kind to me. I still remember her giving me a lovely shiny Half a Crown for my birthday in 1943 I dropped it between the floor boards when we were hiding in the cupboard under the stairs.
My parents continued to live there until my mother died and i moved my father to live near me in Crawley He sold the house to a Mr Hennesey in 1986, I often wondered if he found my half Crown.
I think it’s time i stopped rabbiting on but if you are still interested I can clearly recall the Mornington and Walwyn Crowd And many of those from around Bourne and Jaffray Rd
Quite apart from the Homesdale road lads. Has any body mentioned the large Horses and their tip Up two wheeled carts that used to tip in to the brickfield? They were stabled in Old Homesdale Road at Mackintosh’s Yard The Night Watchman during the war was a Mr Jerry Hodder From Waldo Road He would sometimes roast a potato for us in his fire.
Peter
1948: “My Recollections of Raglan Road school 1948 to 1955
My recollections of Raglan Road school 1948 to 1955.
I was born at Farnborough hospital in October 1942 and as my mother died giving birth to me and my father was serving in the army my maternal grandmother decided to bring me up. Unfortunately it did not work out as we never got on well even though she did her best. I still live in the same Chatterton Road house opposite what used to be Joe Russell’s sweet shop “The Popular”. I still recall seeing crowds of school children anxiously hovering over the newly installed YZ chewing gum vending machine waiting for someone to use it so that they could claim the two pack bonus for the fourth penny inserted. What a mad scramble that was !
My time at Raglan Road school commenced in January 1948 and I left to attend Cray Valley Tech. in June 1955 after I passed my 13 + exam. The infants school headmistress was a dietetically challenged lady named Miss Crossley. We youngsters used to throw six inch square bean bags to each other and I made a raffia table mat that my gran used to stand the tea pot on. Each 24th. May on Empire Day we would all march round the playground behind Miss Crossley as she carried a huge Union Jack flag then we would go home as was the case when, on Wednesday 6th. February 1952, the headmaster of the junior school named Mr. Pepper came into our classroom and informed us King George the Sixth had died. The classrooms were heated by three large black water pipes that ran along the back of each room.
When Miss Crossley retired we bought her a mirror and she told us each time she looked into it she would be reminded of the lovely children. My favourite teacher was Mrs. Taylor who took a shine to me. Other teachers that come to mind are “Dusty” Miller, Mr. Lewis, Miss Nora Fox, Miss Cosgrove, Miss Kerrigan, Messrs. Jones, Ingward and Hunt, David “Loopy” Lake, “Hoppy” Harwood, “Ripper” Gantley, “Potty” Parsons, and “Percy” Sessions. The caretaker was Mr. House.
One day we learned that Mr. Pepper’s house in Southborough Lane was on fire so we all rushed round there to gloat. A thin lady named Mrs. Payne would go from classroom to classroom selling 6 pence and 2 shillings and 6 pence National Savings stamps. We also used to pay small amounts into a boot club in order to save up for new footwear which we bought from the Co-Op shoe shop on the corner of Addison Road and Chatterton Road. The money was entered into a small yellow booklet. Miss Fox was very strict and took no nonsense from anyone. She had no classroom and ran her class just in front of the stage. Mr. Lewis had his classroom in the corner next to the stage so any children who arrived late for his class had to disturb Miss Fox’s class and got a ticking off from both of them. The music teacher was a strange “Percy” Sessions. Several times we went on strike. On each occasion we waited for him to complete his long piano introduction then as he turned to us to start we remained silent. After another attempt he gave up. Peter Woodward took over from him. David “Loopy” Lake was our PT [physical training] teacher and at the end of term we would play Pirates in the gym. This consisted of pulling out all of the ropes and each team had to get from one end of the gym to the other using the ropes or wall bars without touching the ground and avoiding being caught by the other team members. He called me Happy Harry Appley and was a lovely friendly man. Years later when I worked at the Town Hall and used to sit on the Ivy Bridge near Bromley South station waiting to see the steam trains during my lunch hour he suddenly appeared pedalling his old bike up the hill and had a lovely chat with me. His favourite saying was “You frivolous fannies – anyone would think it was friday” and it was ! “Potty” Parsons took us for chemistry and as the science lab. had gas taps on the large benches one of the village idiots would regularly light one of the taps and burn the bench. One experiment was to make glass “divers” that looked similar to cycle light bulbs with holes in the end. When placed into a screw top lemonade bottle filled with water the “diver” would sink to the bottom as the top was screwed down then pop up when unscrewed. He was another lovely master and would give me chemicals to take home and experiment with in my back garden. In those adventurous days there was no such thing as the Health and Safety curse. If you blew yourself up it was hard luck ! His favourite saying was “Oh my godfathers”. “Ripper” Gantley was a nasty man who put me off literature for life. We had to read certain recommended classics then write preces on them. I used to cheat and crib other pupils preces but eventually the supply ran out so, in desperation, I wrote about Goldilocks and the Three Bears. He went mad.
The headmaster of the senior school was Mr. Bullock and I well remember standing outside his office on many occasions waiting to be given the slipper or cane for my endless examples of bad behaviour. I am not much better now.
We read comics like Beezer, Film Fun, Eagle, Hotspur and, of course, the wonderful Dandy and Beano.
The games we played were marbles, conkers, cigarette cards, five stones [later to be called jacks], yoyo, hopscotch and we made models out of plasticine and glitter wax. We would sing silly ditties like “Tell tale tit, your mother can’t knit, your father can’t walk without a walking stick” and songs like “Glad that I live am I, that the sky is blue, glad for the country lanes and the fall of dew, after the sun the rain, after the rain the sun, this be the way of life ’till the work be done.”
Our sports day events were held in Whitehall Recreation Ground and in those days we had winners and losers rather than the present day situation where everyone has to be a winner. Sometimes we would walk to the Blue Circle outdoor pool in Crown Lane for swimming lessons. I believe we also went to the lido in Baths Road. A group of us would regularly scale the railings at night and climb over the bike sheds fence and onto the balcony of the lido to swim naked in the large pool. On several occasions the police were called because of all the noise we made but we just hid until they went away.
A lad named Robert Hayward kept bullying me so one day when he was standing at the top of the playground stairs I pushed him off and he rolled all the way down to the bottom of them. We got on well after that.
In the winter we used to make ice slides the whole length of the playground. One day when I was sliding someone must have tripped me up and I fell onto the back of my head and was rushed to hospital with concussion.
My gran’s cooking was so awful I thrived on school dinners. The lovely cooks included Mrs. Bartle, Mrs. Paige, and my dear aunts Maud “Sammy” Salmon and Peggy Lewis with Miss Bloomfield as chief cook. To the well known Max Bygraves song “Out Of Town” we would sing “Say what you will school dinners make you ill and Davy Crockett died of shepherds pie, all school dindins come from pig bins out of town.”
The building now the Studio was originally the workshops where Mr. Ingward taught metalwork and Mr. Hunt taught woodwork. Where the garden area now is stood a wooden building where Mr. Jones held his pottery lessons.
Our favourite sweet shop was Townsend’s opposite the Co-Op where we would buy liquorice pipes, gob stoppers, lemonade powder and sherbet dabs. In Wallace Pring’s the chemist we bought penny liquorice wood to chew. We took empty jam jars to Mr. Stansfield who lived in a gypsy caravan in Chantry Lane and he gave us a penny for each one. He always wore wellington boots and was the wayward son of Lord and Lady Stansfield. We walked to the local stream to catch sticklebacks or minnows and climb the ash heaps that were eventually levelled and landscaped to make Normans Park or go to Whitehall Recreation Ground which we called the “rec.” and play on the large swing by Union Road or sail our model boats in the shallow pond where the children’s playground area now is. When, for example, we cycled in the park the park keeper, Mr. Doggett, would chase after us, much to our amusement and derision. One of the keepers we nick-named Walrus because of his bushy moustache. The head keeper was Mr. Sid Mortimer who lived in the house at the corner of Walpole Road and Cowper Road. How many of you remember the lovely Victorian water fountain near the house that mysteriously disappeared in the 1950s ? Another pastime of ours was roller skating along the length of Chatterton Road or pushing each other in our home made soap box carts.
On Saturday mornings many of us attended the Gaumont cinema at Bromley South where, for sixpence, we would sing popular songs before watching features like Zorro, Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers and Dick Barton – Special Agent. At one time we had yoyo championships on stage and my pal Pete Gilbert, another Raglan Road pupil, won a dart board and I won a cricket bat which I still have.
In the early days it was a very rough school with many poor and ragged children attending but over the years it has been turned into the high standard and desirable school it now is.
Despite all my domestic problems I do have very happy memories of my time at Raglan Road school and am very grateful to the teachers who fought hard to teach me my basic knowledge to face the outside world with confidence. Bless them all – even “Ripper” Gantley.
Adrian Appley.
1940s: “Rubbish from derelict bomb sites … always steaming hot…”
“I have lived in this road since I was five years old, and I am now 81 years.
This park has beneath it rubbish from derelict bomb sites during the war. It was always steaming hot. Some parts of the Rec sink (because of this) so it was deemed unfit to build on – I don’t know if the powers that be still know about this – heaven help us if they built on this ground and it started to sink! I thought I should tell you the history of this land as there are not many of us left in the road to tell this story.
Before this [that it was a dump] my Grandad used to work in the Brick pit, building bricks, and this is why it was originally called Havelock Brickfields. It was a large hole until it was used as landfill of the wartime bombing rubbish.”
from a supporter’s email (2018).
Help us! Do you what this is – found in our Park?
Help us – what is this mystery object?
The other weekend we were planting hedging whips to fill in gaps in our hedgerow, and we found this glass lense:
4inch glass lense dug up on Havelock Rec (aka the Brickfield) showing conchoidal fracture
Originally our park was a brickfield, and then a landfill site until the 1950s, so it’s possible to uncover all sorts of things that were discarded in yesteryear when you’re digging!
Do you know what it might have come from? So far we have the suggestions of a road lamp or a theatre light? We are hoping one of our members might also belong to the bromley local history society and can ask them?
Let us know what you think? If you are talking to one of our older residents, perhaps they might know?
S.O.S – Save our Swifts
Bromley Swift Survey from the Bromley RSPB
How many swifts are nesting near you?
Swifts have been nesting in our buildings for centuries and have been a common sight performing their aerial acrobatics over our borough’s towns in the summer. They spend the rest of their year in Africa.
Unfortunately, their numbers are in severe decline. Between 1995 and 2015 the UK lost more than half its swifts. Numbers appear to have fallen even more in Bromley over the same period.
The RSPB believes that loss of nest sites is at least partly responsible. Due to our tendency to seal up buildings during renovation or knock them down, swifts are returning to discover their nest site has gone or access is blocked.
Action is urgently needed to prevent swifts becoming extinct in Bromley.
We are running a Bromley Swift Survey between May and July this year to discover where they are still nesting. We need to find this out quickly so that action to provide nesting spaces can be targeted in the right areas.
No knowledge of swifts or previous experience of doing surveys is needed. It will be really simple and easy, and help will be available if needed, for example on how to identify a swift.
We will ask participants to go for a short walk along the streets near to where they live or another location of their choice. A balmy summer’s evening would be best as the swifts will be most active then. The walk should be repeated at least once a month between May and July – so a total of three short walks. The participant would make a note of any swifts they see flying at rooftop level as this means that the birds will be nesting nearby.
It would be great if you could take part. The more people who join in the better as we will build a more detailed picture of Bromley’s swift population.
To take part in the survey or find out more information you can either:
- email our Group’s Recorder Peter Smart on bromleyrspbrecords@gmail.com
- call the Group on 07392 790 719.
RSPB Bromley Local Group