The Flat, Hockley

[Charlie]

A friend told me yesterday that the road through The Flat (Lodge Road) was originally built of wooden blocks with tar poured over them.
When they were taken up for a "proper" road to be laid, people came with prams and sledges to take away the wooden blocks for firewood (my friend was one of them).

 

[dek carr]

Not sure about the road as i didn,t live in that area but i do know that a lot of the old factory floors were laid of wooden blocks and were sold as firewood when demolition was in progress. Dek

 

[terryb18]

I can remember when I was living near the flat, there was road works going on and me and my mates filled a couple of prams with wooden blocks.Can't remember who had them now, probably had a few each for the fire. This must have been in the mid 50's.

Terry

 

[Astonian]

hi terry
thats a good memory you have got , i myself remember that
much to my amazement when i seen the wooded blocks for the rd surface i told our kid about it
when i got back from our aunty winnies phelps and uncle harry phelps
whom lived at the bottom of ford street across from the bus garage
at the time he thought i was talking cobblers until he dashed down to the flat into woolworths
and bought a six penny camera and seen it himself
have a good day best wishes Astonian ;;;

 

[terryb18]

Wood block for roads - what happened to them!



A factory on the Greenwich Peninsula was once the home of the manufacture of wooden tarred blocks - much used in all roads in the late 19th/early 20th centuries. A correspondent writes:

"I remember when most of the wooden paving blocks were removed when the roads were re-paved after WW2, in fact we used them for fuel since coal and coke were in such short supply; they were huge producers of smoke because they had asphalt laid on top of them, London justified it's nickname, "The Smoke". I don't know why they removed them, they seemed to do an adequate job, perhaps it was to provide work and improve the infrastructure at the same time. There was avery cold winter just after the war, it was the winter of 1946/1947 in fact, and I seem to remember burning the blocks that winter. We moved from Princes Square to Connaught Square in the January and my dad hired a coster to move the fuel on his barrow. He didn't arrive and was still missing hours later, we thought he had stolen our fuel, but it turned out that the police saw him with it and assumed that he had stolen it. When Dad reported it, the problem was sorted out but he had to pay the man for the extra hours he spent on the job.

Read the rest at ............https://greenwichindustrialhistory.blogspot.com/2009/01/wood-block-for-roads-what-happened-to.html

Terry

 

[BernardR]

Many roads in the centre were made the same way - it kept the noise down but I guess when pneumatic tyres were the norm there was less need. My Dad used to get the old ones at times they burnt pretty well but spat a lot.

 

[Carolynn]

We had pre-warning as my Uncle worked for 'The Corporation'; as it was then called, so we were ready shovel and pick in hand - back home and they were thrown straight down the cellar. They were great on the fire, and as Bernie said they did spit a bit.

Astonian, I see you mention Phelps at the bottom of Ford Street which was where I lived was there a Barry there??

 

[Astonian]

HI Carolynn
how are you fine i hope as it leaves me the same
yes barry is my cousin and his brother bryan phelps ;at the bottom of ford street
barry lives in spain ; bryan has is own bussiness in brierly st summer lane
there dad my uncle used to remind me of the freddy frinton the comediun hes was a brillient guy
along with aunty winn she was my favorite aunty ;and we used to have the biggest bon fires in ford street
did you know barry and bryan well ?.
barry ran one o my grand fathers shop for him n aston x
we have got another member on this forum whom is also a cousin to barry and ryan and myself
and thats hockley brook , [ jill ]
have you got any memories of barry please let me know
have a nice carol best wishes Astonian ;;;

 

[Carolynn]

Hi Astonian, personally I havent got any memories but the name immediately rang a bell. I will ask my 2 brothers if they have any memories. One brother went to Icknield Street born 1942 and the born 1938 went to George Dixons, They also had a football team in the late 50s called Fordonians, I wonder if Brian or Barry played for them. Will come back to you

Regards - have a nice (wet) day.

 

[Astonian]

hi carol
i recall the team but not sure or not about brian it was him and his mate but i cannot think at te moment there
friends name if any one was it would have been bryan ; i think barry was the table tennis
both the lads was very popular down the street
but please do askedyour brother when you get the chance ,
look forewarded to hearing from you again
on the subject of the flat being torn up my other uncle bill was on that gang for the corporation
removing those blocks after finishing with that job and the corporation he later became the care taker
of the lodge rd church up lodge rd oppersite the hospital and devonshire pub
until he diead a couple of years back i had two cousins whom lived there
peter and janet ,and my dad worked at charles harris along the rd from ford street on the flat
as a bakelite moulder from boy to man he died march 30 th 1958 on a good friday
i also went to inckneild street i could not go to any other school my mother said
like my other friends oseler or barford , mother said you will go with barry and bryan your cousins
i kicked a fuss up bu it was all in vain thats where i ended up
Astonian ;;

 

[Carolynn]

Astonian, were you at Icknield Street when 'Johnny' Walker and Pete Watson was there. They took over Burberry Street in 1958 which was renamed Harry Lucas to which I went to. My exhusband also went to Icknield Street and he lived Unett Street by the White Swan. I went recently with my youngest brother to a reunion which they have every 2-3 months in town. Roger 0'Carroll, Geoff Holder, Peter Hinks (lived in The Opening which we had the bonfires) Tony Carless (Piddock Street), Bill Edmonds. What a great day that was. We lived at the top end of Ford Street almost opposite the Pawnshop. My mom worked at Wasdell Mudguards which was right opposite. We had what was called 'a factory' attached to our house where you could either get into it in our yard or upstairs by our bedrooms. It was a large long room, never did find out what it was used for though. We also could get through to Park Road through the yard. . Lampost right outside house - great for putting a rope one for swinging. Happy days

 

[Astonian]

HI CAROL
You have brough such memories flooding back to me as if only yesterday
i most certainly do remember the lads i did not know of the reunion as i left brum some years ago
i live out in the sticks of worcestershire
johny and the gang i certainly remember the lads and that lamp post we used on the gas mantle
and i remember the mud gaurd factory very well and especialy carelss
have you spoken with jill ; [ hockley brook] she is another cousin of ours she only lived up the rd from
there ?.
its a small world carol ; you have got to admitt
well carol i have got to dash off now to fetch my son but i look forewarded to hearing from you again son
by the way bryan was utube not so long ago singing about hs dad as theywas very close family
i think it was church street over the brook just past angelsey st where aunt winn died some years ago
any way carol speak soon , best wishes ASTONIAN ;;;