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Bill Russell looks back on life growing up in Charlton Village in the 1950/60s. Don't fancy that soap much....
Follow me down Memory Lane or should it be Charlton Lane. I'm not sure which it is? I think maybe both. Let me try to paint you a picture of everyday Charlton Life in the 1950s/60s, a different world from that in which we live in today.
Charlton Village has not changed that much, a few buildings down here and a few slight changes there, but its basic fabric and character remains the same. The Bugle and Swan are still there thankfully, but they are not the throbbing heart of the village community they once were. It's the people that have radically changed. Social habits, values and attitudes are so different now.
Charlton and the surrounding areas were devastated by the Luftwaffe during the war. My mother told me on one particular day after they had bombed along the river all day they came back again at night to wreak more destruction simply being guided by and bombing the flames. She said it was possible to read a newspaper at the top of Plum Lane in Plumstead at midnight with the light given off by the fires from all along both sides of the Thames. It looked like the whole river was ablaze. The London Docks and The Woolwich Arsenal were always popular targets. They used to lay the dead out for identification in Beresford Square. I don't think The Valley or Charlton House ever got hit, which is most surprising given the devastation that I witnessed as a small boy with bomb sites everywhere.
Thank heavens the war finished before I was born. I was part of the baby boom following the hostilities as the heroes arrived home. The conflict left a legacy of social upheaval and affected everyday life with shortages and hardship, but everyone knuckled down and accepted their lot and got on with living. Very few people had cars, while television and telephones were an extravagance affordable by only a few. There were no supermarkets, with food bought fresh on a daily basis as nobody had fridges or freezers at home. Butter would be as hard as iron in winter and runny in summer, whilst everyone had fresh milk delivered to the door. Most of us had to put up with no running hot water; boil the kettle on the stove or coal fire for this luxury.
Toilets were mostly outside and I promise you that nobody would linger there very long on a cold winter morning. Toilet paper consisted of yesterday's newspaper, which hurt your bum, and a tin bath in front of a coal fire provided the weekly ablutions. Soap was a carbolic evil-smelling stuff, which all little boys hated. Shampoo stung your eyes and towels were as rough as sandpaper. On winter mornings the frost would have formed on the inside as well as the outside of the windows in your bedroom.
Smog was by far the biggest curse and a danger to life in those days. Houses and factories spewed out thick black smoke from thousands of coal fires. No wonder they called London "The Big Smoke". In winter, a thick fog would descend very quickly and hang over the river and its surrounds. Foghorns would bellow on the Thames as large vessels tried to avoid each other. How dense it was can best be illustrated by the famous incident of Sam Bartram not knowing a game had been called off at HT, and he was standing there in goal peering through the fog while everyone else had retired to the dressing room some time before enjoying their second cup of tea.
Housing was at a premium. There were prefabs in Charlton Park along the Ha Ha Road side, and Cherry Orchard and Springfields Estates of multi-storey flats were being built to accommodate those unfortunates who had been bombed out. 
The local economy boomed in the post-war era due it proximity with the docks across the river, the Dockyard and the Arsenal. There was no such thing as unemployment, with plenty of jobs to go round in this No Work, No Eat society. Most people worked locally in the large factories along the Woolwich Road such as Siemens, Johnson & Phillips Cables, Harvey's, British Ropes etc.
The Woolwich Arsenal, and numerous other enterprises that revolved around it, employed thousands of people. The Royal Docks across the river were busy with ships from all over the world bringing raw materials to build a broken country. Big barges and tugs would be continuously file up and down the river. It was a hive of activity.
Transport was by Bus, Trolleybus or Tram, but for longer journeys (which were not very often) we took the steam train. I can still remember standing with mates on the footbridge next to the level crossing at the bottom of Charlton Lane waiting to get a gush of steam and smoke as the train whistled by underneath. The Woolwich Ferry with its paddle steamers was constantly going back and forth across the river taking people to and from work.
People worked hard and long hours to put a meal on the table. What little money that could be spared for entertainment was spent either in the pub (beer was cheap in those days), going to the pictures or watching football and other sports. Free entertainment being the best value of all. Charlton Park used to host matches on a Sunday morning. Local league pub side stuff, but I can remember the crowds being four or five deep around the touchline to watch a particularly good game.
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Part 2
However, when it came to football Charlton Athletic were the main talking point in all the factories and schools. It provided a relief valve against all the week’s tensions. Most people worked Saturday mornings, so it was common to go with workmates to the afternoon match at The Valley.
All league games were normally played on a Saturday afternoon, but FA Cup replays which were usually held the following Wednesday afternoon due to no floodlights. Absenteeism from work and school was rife. It was surprising the whole community stricken with stomach bugs and bad backs were miraculously recovered by kick-off.
The attitude of supporters was different. Of course they wanted their team to win. but it would not stop them applauding a good save or a good goal from the opposition. There were never any problems with rival supporters mixing with one another and as for fighting each other that would have been ridiculous. Most people had enough of fighting for freedom and fighting to survive in life to start trouble.
Player's attitudes were also very different as well. If you went down in the fifties you were hurt, really hurt, you certainly didn't dive. There were no substitutes. Injured players carried on with dislocated shoulders (Derek Ufton) and all sorts of other injuries. It was a game played by gentlemen and played fairly. If a player handled or was the last one to touch it before going out of play he would admit it to the ref.
They were strong tacklers then but they never resorted to cheating or trying to maim each other in order to win an advantage or a game. They were hard but fair. They played on snow with an orange ball. They played in the thick mud. They played on Christmas Day with the return match against the same opposition on Boxing Day. They played open and attacking football with five forwards and five defenders. Hence some of the scores like 6-4 twice against Plymouth 6-6 draw with Middlesbrough and of course the famous 7-6 victory over Huddersfield, which every Charlton supporter says he attended albeit the gate that day was very low. By the way I was there. Honest, I was !
Charlton as a club became a local focal point with a good hard core of fans watching heroes like Johnny Summers, Stuart Leary, Long John Hewie, Don Townsend and Willie Duff who replaced Sam, to name but a few.
The Valley was the biggest ground in the football league. The massive East Terrace stretched up in the sky, and the South Bank on Charlton Heights was even higher although not so wide. The four apexes of the West Stand, with its CAFC logo, and the barn type structure of the North Stand made up the other sides. This was surrounded by a great deal of land which the club owned.
There was talk of swinging the pitch around so the East Terrace would be behind one goal. Another terrace would be built the other end of the pitch. There was also talk of turning it into the Wembley Stadium of South London and hold important National and International matches. Investment was going to be poured in to make the Valley top notch. In truth, all that happened for years and years was the little wall running round the pitch was whitewashed each season and the little fence that runs along its top was painted black. I know as my uncle painted it. Everything else slowly went into general ruin and decay.
I wonder where all that money went from the regular 50,000 plus crowds of the Fifties ? Not in the Valley. Not buying better players. What a wasted opportunity.
Football coverage during this period was a closed shop. The FA and Football League were extremely jealous of each other as both wanted to be the only ruling body of football. They disagreed on lots of things but they definitely agreed on one thing. They were both absolutely fearful of this new media interest in their baby and nest egg. Football and television did not mix. The biggest fear in those days was radio and television would reduce the crowds to such an extent that there would be no money to me made.
All the bread and butter money came through the gates. It was a simple philosophy. Less crowd, less money. I wonder what these forward thinkers of the fifties and sixties would make of the current situation if they were alive today.
The media had strict rules to adhere to. Radio was only allowed second-half coverage of one match and then they could not announce which game they would cover until after 3 o'clock. On the days Charlton played away, every supporter sat by the radio (which was a big heavy piece of furniture that sat in the best room of the house). They tuned in to BBC Sports Report at 5 o’clock on a Saturday for the football results. and hastily checked their pools coupon at the same time hoping they had come up with the elusive 8 draws that would win them a fortune.
After that excitement had finished, the next event was waiting for The Evening Standard pink classified edition to come out on the streets via paper sellers about six on a Saturday evening. It had all the results plus a report of the match from most games involving London and Southern teams up to midway in the second half. I still to this day do not know how they managed to get match reports to the printing press, printed, distributed and to the public an hour or so after the game had finished.
There was no catering facilities, though I seem to remember being able to get a cup of tea behind the North Stand. You could get a bag of peanuts from the sellers that walked through the crowd or you could buy hot chestnuts at the Floyd Road entrance.
There was merchandise sale or marketing of Charlton Athletic products. Sam Bartram opened a shop in Floyd Road in the mid sixties, but it closed soon after. As a kid my parents bought me a red football shirt, white shorts and red and white hooped socks from some clothes shop. Mum then sewed on a number 7 on the back of the shirt because I played on the right wing with my mates.
How things have changed.
I love going to The Valley and the surrounding area not only for the game but to drink in all that nostalgia, re-live some wonderful memories and hear some long lost but not forgotten voices.
A Charlton man forever and wherever I roam.
I can remember the old Valley clearly from 1964.
Both photos of The Valley were taken during the 60s ........ the floodlights were first erected about 1961/62.
And I can remember the Worthington hoarding above the East terrace around 1966-69.
Thanks for that Bill (and AFKA).
A really enjoyable read which brought back some memories for this old git!
I remember that tree on the left hand side by what would have been the greengrocers, I'd like a £ for every car that lost it on the bend coming into the Village and careered into the tree in was a big old lump as well when they finally chopped it down. Probably Bowes the shoe shop is the only one still there from when I was a kid, Mum used to take me to Clarkes in Woolwich to have my feet measured then take me back to Bowes and choose whatever the guy had cheap enough to fit the budget and to the nearest half size. : )
Had my first beer in the Bugle (Light & Keg) would have been 14 ish, its hard to believe thats almost 20 years ago now!!
Really interesting article.
Does anyone know when the Evening Standard stopped publishing the Saturday evening "sports pink"? I'm 31 and don't recall it being around in my lifetime. I always wondered why London didn't have a Saturday sports paper, having bought local versions on my way home from away trips to the likes of Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham, Coventry, Newcastle and so on.
Great story ... I lived in Victoria Way when I was younger, and then moved to Cherry Orchard when I was 10 ... used to visit the chippy in Charlton Village every Friday night for our fish and chip takeaway.
Used to queue up at the top of Victoria Way every Saturday night when I was little to get the Evening Standard with all the football results.
Didn't the Valley take a, relatively, minor hit in the bombing?
Not sure ... but I know that Charlton Station did as much of the damage wasn't fully repaired until the 60's.
Later around 6.15pm, after having got back from The Valley, I'd be sent by my Dad to buy the "Classifieds" from the local newsagent, which contained all the classified full team scores with reports of all London team matches up to about the 75th minute.
Well into the 70s the London Evening News was merged with the Evening Sub-standard, but the the Standard classified edition still continued.
Then during the mid 80s, the Standard dropped it's Saturday editions altogether.
The Evening News classified edition was printed on pink paper until the early 60s, before white paper was introduced for that edition.
Many of the classified evening papers all around the country used pink paper (some still do). And I'm sure the Sheffield paper, if my memories still function, was printed on pale green paper.
What a brilliant article. Also, great supporting responses.
Like many others, I grew up on the Springfield estate, initially in Downe House and then Games House, having moved to Pound Park, prior to my Fathers death. My whole family, were living locally, Cherry Orchard, Valley Grove and Mascals. I attended Fossedene road, until 1962, before moving on to Eltham Green.
The Village Post office, was where I used to purchase coach tickets, for the Lewis coaches, to take us to away games. The meeting point for which, was outside Charlton house.
Mention of Football matches in Charlton park: The big games use to be between, Plumstead Maybloom, Valley Celtic, Greenwich Town Social and the local team, from the Rectory field: Greenwich Borough. All playing in the Metropolitian Sunday Premier Division. Maybloom and Celtic, always played in the park, on Sunday afternoons, which drew very large crowds- 1000 plus. As a youngster, I used to watch these games and eventually played in a couple before moving out of the area.
My other memory, is climbing over the wall of the Rectory field, to Watch Kent play Cricket against Surrey. When Stuart Leary was turning out for us and the County. What a player he was.
I still drive through the village on my way to home games, bringing back great memories. Charlton, not just the team but also the place, Great!
Wilson House. Number 10 : )
Totally remember Mick McCarthy cos the bugger sat on me when I woz knee high
to a grasshopper. Anyone know if he's still around?
Played footy on the lower playground and we [all the gang] used to hang out around the bottom end
of Springfield. We did'nt get on too well with the Cherry Orchard pansies or the mob down Victoria Way.
First school was Charlton Manor and believe it or not my first teachers name was Mrs Charlton !!
Lots and lots of memories of Springfield Grove, Charlton House/Park especially the free concerts and
garden fetes , plus going to school at Bloomfield which closed and we all transferred to Eaglesfield...
Yes.........that name ALWAYS made me angry.............how dare they...........
Moved eventually into the flats, 64 Coutts House down Church Lane before getting married and living
in sunny plumstead-sur-mer [Rippleson Rd ?? not sure of spelling...]
I seem to remember a very old, large house the used to be at the top of Church Lane almost near
the church which looked VERY spooky .... anyone remember that ?
The big picture brought back memories of standing on the front fence in the late sixties. Pictured is one of the confectionary sellers that used to circle the running track with a tray of items. The fare was usually; Wagon Wheels, Wrigleys Chewing Gum, Chipmunk Crisps, Plastic Cartons of Orange or Blackcurrant, Mars Bars.
Addick2Pike - The Sunday Met League was a very good standard, full of non-league players who were allowed to play social football, as the teams they played for were still deemed as Amateur and they were not under contract (despite receiving "Boot Money"). Eltham Hill were my local team in Sutcliffe Park at Greenwich Borough's old ground. They had players from Dulwich Hamlet & Bromley playing for them and regularly drew up to 500 spectators. I can recall a cup final at Charlton Park with a big crowd and being taken to Cray Wanderers old ground in St Mary Cray for a London Cup Final, which must have been at the end of 1965/66 season.
Anyone got a pic of the old house referred to?
Tutt-Tutt: You were correct regarding the 'Permit' players. Plumstead Maybloom and Valley Celtic, had several such players in their sides, 1960-64. Peter Kinsey-brother of our very own Brian- played for Greenwich Borough, at the Rectory field-home of Blackheath Rugby Club.
I remember one Firework night, when we convinced a number of the younger lads, that Mr Maguire- the caretaker, who lived in Downe House - had said it was ok to cut a tree down, adjacent to the stream, below the top playground. He went loopy, as he saw it landing just infront of his flat. What a bonfire, it made though!
We used to play in several of the damaged properties, towards the top of Victoria way, during the mid-fifties. On our way home from fossedene. I assume they had been damaged during the war and had been left deralict. Never once, was we chased off. Great days!
I remember the house at the top of Church Lane, Ken - haven't got a photograph of it sadly. It's where the sheltered accommodation next to St Lukes is now located.
Immediately prior to Charlton Manor, Miss Charlton taught at my Primary - Lucas Vale in Deptford.
I played my first game for Lucas Vale against Charlton Manor at Charlton Park in September/October 1962. We dropped into Miss Charlton's flat - somewhere near the Standard? - on the way, at which time she made it clear that she wanted us to lose. She got her wish - 7 nil it was!!
I remember that Charlton Manor's "football teacher" at the time was a Mr Gill - George, I think. Seemed a nice bloke.
My brother was friends with a guy called ' Ronnie Chance ' who apparently had a bit of a
reputation......perhaps the estates ''hard man'' and I think he had a brother too but can't
get my braincell to remember the name.....
Other boys I remember are Roger Parnell, Paul Arnold, Graham and Alan Bayliss plus
Mark and Paul Smith.
I def remember the HUGE bonfires and now understand where all the firewood came from...
that old spooky house in Church lane probably fueled many Nov 5ths thanks to Ken. The only
thing I can't remember was if the bonfires were pre/post garages being built?? probably before.
Remember the hollow oak tree?? had fun with that too AND all the conkers that we used to
get from the trees nearby. Also, scrumping the apples from the garden of the house next to
the bottom end entrance [opp spooky house].
My mum used to take me to the coop[?] in charlton village and I seem to remember they had
their own money, perhaps some sort of paper/cardboard coins?? anyone remember that?
aaaahhh Charlton Manor, those were the days. but absolutely hated the school dinners and the
'vomit' smell of the gym. LOL
Hey........can you imagine what would happen nowadays if a 'female teacher' took young boys
back to her flat?? Miss Charlton, yes, one of my all time fav's.I think she was responsible for me having to
stand up in front of the whole school and read out a friggin poem...........Oh and Mr Gill, yeh, remember
the name but can't put a face to it.......young chap maybe? broke/twisted his ankle in the playground??
I too played football many moons ago, the estate had a team and we used the 'Bugle' as our watering hole
and Charlton House for team meetings. Many times I havd to go down into the cellars of Charlton house to
retrieve the pool table and if you've never been under Charlton house then you've no idea how friggin scary
it is.
For all the years that I lived on the Springfield estate and time spent in the village / park etc, I NEVER, EVER
went into the ''other'' pub opposite the chippy..can't even remember the name. I do know it had a bad rep but
don't know why?
Just out of interest, can someone please list all the names of the flats in Springfield? there's about 8 or 9
right?
Got lots more to add here but for now am gonna go off and see if I can find some pics......
Click Here - Opens In A New Window
or copy/paste this link into a new window
http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/greenwich/assets/historic-maps/charlton/1746
Quote/
Charlton was a typical Kentish village in 1746, with its church, manor house, and village street all adjacent to the green.
From its lofty eminence it had, and still has, a
spectacular view over the river. In the 18th century the view north was
across large areas of riverside marsh.
Between Charlton and Woolwich was the densely forested and sombre sounding "Hanging Wood".
Charlton Place refers to Charlton House, the
impressive Jacobean mansion built by Adam Newton between 1607 and 1612.
The house, with its park, still dominate this part of Charlton.
/Unquote
Following on from above website :-
copy and paste link in a new window
http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/greenwich/assets/histories/charlton
Quote/
History of Charlton
Charlton, although a London suburb retains some of its principal
village characteristics. The manor house, parish church, and Bugle Horn
pub grouped around the remnants of the village green. The place name in
Anglo Saxon means "farmstead of the freemen or peasants".
The
earliest traces of a community at Charlton were found in what is now
Maryon Park where an Iron Age hillfort was excavated in the 1920s.
Within the hill fort was found evidence of earlier stone age people.
The present village is beautifully situated on high ground
overlooking the Thames. At the heart of the community is Charlton
House, its former manor house. Built in 1607 - 1612 by Adam Newton
(died 1630) this Jacobean mansion is a unique survival in
London.
Adjacent to the house are the near contemporary parish church,
the original stables, the very fine summer house, and Charlton Park the
surviving part of the original grounds.
In Charlton Road a weather boarded seventeenth century cottage
(Poplar Cottage) remains as a reminder of Charlton�s rural
past.
Although there was Victorian suburban development on the
slopes from Charlton Road to the Woolwich Road, Charlton retained the
appearance of a quiet Kentish village until the 1930s.
Development had also taken place at the bottom of the hill on
the marshes where New Charlton grew up around the burgeoning new
industries along the riverside in the nineteenth century.
As a refection of its changing identity the newly developing
suburb acquired its own professional football club, Charlton Athletic
F.C. Its proud and committed supporters were first rewarded in 1947
when they won the FA Cup and, very much later, the club gained the
distinction of being promoted to the Premier League.
Large housing developments, both private and municipal like
the Guild Estate, Springfield, and Cherry Orchard, joined the small,
attractive Kentish village to its larger neighbours, Blackheath and
Woolwich.
"My mum used to take me to the coop[?] in charlton village and I seem to remember they had
their own money, perhaps some sort of paper/cardboard coins?? anyone remember that?"
I didn't grow up in Charlton but remember the RACS co-ops (Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society or the "Races", as we used to call it) in Welling. Back in the mid-60s, they didn't have stamps or points or anything like today, but ......they gave you back thin metal tokens, shaped like coins, with a money value embossed on the surface; eg 1d, 6d, 1/-.
All pre-decimalisation, of course. You exchanged these tokens for cash or the value taken off your bill, when you paid for your shopping.
As tiny children, my sister and me used them as toy money.
Anybody still have any?
Great reading about the charlton area , i didn't grow up in charlton but my sister lived in victoria way and i spent many a day there in the 70s , maryon wilson park , the little tuck shop there , also wasn't there some sort of adventure playground at the top of charlton lane ? i recall spending most of my school holidays and weekends there .
nostalgia s not what it used to be though !
Roger Parnell, Tony Swain and Mick McCarthy there's some names from the past. Roger must have about 17' 6" tall huge bloke had many a run in with him (mainy on the football pitch) I also played for the team that met in Charlton House and drank in the Bugle................Heathway Fc, I believe they were called after a few years joined Springcourt who ran out of The Valley pub with the likes of Paul Arnold (whose hobby was putting me into the radiators at football training at Fossdene) , Chris Amastoy (sp) amongst many others who's name escape me ( run by Ted Ruby who I know died last year, that would have been when the pub was run by Phil Marriott.
Grew up climbing in the 'Hollow Oak' used to hide from my Mum at "Get indoors time" did anyone ever light a fire inside the tree after one of their mates had climbed to the top !! ( Bloody madness) I also remember the Adventure playground behind St Lukes, dread to think what the HSE would say to that these days what with arial runways, rope swings the only thing that broke your fall was the ground.
Riding your bike down the hill outside Wilson House (crazy) mind you its a good job shopping trolleys wern't about those days, someone would have died......................Ken...
Do you remember Terry Watson??.
Forget riding bikes down hill. Thats for girls and wimps.
Try going down Bramhope Lane or Victoria Way sitting on a thick book or board laid on top of a skate or a soapbox made from old pram wheels and bits of wood. Now that excitement and do it your pants stuff. The tension is he same as Sunderland v Charlton penalty shoot out. WOW
As a little off shoot of this, as is well known Springfield used to have the odd dust up with Cherry Orchard. One of the main faces from the Orchard was a certain Mr Garvey who went on to be more famed for playing the original drum in The Covered End. We was at QPR when he had the drum confiscated despite having the relevant permission, when he returned to his seat he was handed the drumsticks he then preceded to play out the same rhythm on the walls of the away end. Needlessly to say he was removed and missing his lift home blagged a lift on Betty's coach on which myself and my son who would have been 8 years old were passengers. My boy imediately recognised MG as the drummer despite looking a little battered after a misunderstanding with the stewards.
Well after a break of some 15 years I met MG again to speak too, my son had met his daughter at a club and starting courting. Three years ago they gave us a beautiful Grandaughter Sarah and are also very happily married. We still get all emotional after a few beers about the old days, but neither of us can remember if we actually whacked each other as kids.
Its a small world, but its the world of Charlton...........................
Names of the buildings in Springfield - can't remember 'em all but there was Langhorne House (where Ken from Bexley lived), Games House, Ducie House, Downe House, Bayeux House, Wilson House, Priory House amongst them.
him when playing footy. Now, Terry Watson yes, remember him and I think another
guy who lived in the same block was Ray Bates.
Now, back in the day when shoes were shoes and the leathers came out like loafers
[is that correct spelling?] I'd take them to the cobblers in the village which I think was
near the chippy and get the metal tips put on, heels and toes, and thought I was the
dogs bollocks. Only thing is they were rather noisy when walking and nearly slipped
ass over tit a few times which quite amused my friends. I can smell that shoe shop
right now..........
Thanks for the list of flat names [above] wow.......I'd forgotten most of them ... I think it
was Marr house that we used to 'hang out'....?? fun times indeed.
Another event which brings back a flood of memories was the day of the first Who concert.
The village was bulging and quite annoying coz it took friggin ages to get a pint at the Bugle
once you'd negotiated the 'hippies' and that 'smokey dopey' ....I can't ever remember a time
when there were so many people smoking sooooo much 'grass' all in the same place.
Not sure of course if many of you managed to get into the concert but I did, without having
a ticket. If I remember correctly it all kicked off about Midday and you could hear the music
in the village. About 2pm a few friends and I walked thru the village and down Charlton Lane
and just happened to see a woman letting a few people thru her house into her back garden.......
it was just a matter of climbing her back fence and 'voila' we were in at the top of the east
terrace. Although really crowded, we managed to squeeze into a small gap and that was it,
could'nt move even if we wanted to.
Anyone else manage to get in???
Ray Bates ................. he's probably in prison now. Lol