‘ARTHUR STREET’ a Community first.

As a very young child living in Arthur St, we attended a party at aunt Gwen and Uncle Bills. (Maunder)

It was the engagement of one of aunt Gwen(Gwendolyn) sons. Not a Maunder, but a Watts from her first marriage.

Their house was at the top of Arthur St, (backed onto to ‘The Nursery’), and had a garden. Uncle Bill, and their youngest son had racing pigeons.

This house was larger than our tiny 2 up and 2 down cottage, with its back scullery and outside toilet. Aunt Gwen had been raised at 65, one of the eldest children of the THOMAS Family. My grandparents raised 10 children in the tiny cottage, where I later lived with my parents, Dolly and Ron. Nan, Mary Thomas has died a short while before I started school, and grandfather, many years earlier, and mum the 2^nd to youngest, born couldn’t remember him.

One memory I have of aunt Gwen’s, was a crate of milk in the hall. Capped like soft drinks, they referred to it as sterilised. I never liked to have tea there because the taste was so different.

This house at the top of Arthur St had a basement, which was one room, and the whole base of the house. Once the kitchen I believe, since this was a house that once employed staff. An airy at the front, (like the one we saw in Upstairs Down Stairs), it’s steps leading up to the pavement. The flight of concrete steps up to the front door formed a porch to shelter the basement entrance.

Wide steps at the back, ornate planters on either side led to the back garden. The newer kitchen on the floor above, looked out over the garden.

There were 4 of these houses according to the maps, and 5 of the smaller type towards Northend /South Rd. (see map page 6).

The cottages further down the road with small front gardens, lined up with the airy and footpath of these larger houses. These cottages stood further back than the larger houses, which hid them from the top of the road.

The cottages ran down the street stopping opposite the alley where I lived, halfway down Arthur St. Here, the next cottages had no gardens, followed by a long dark wooden home that was next to the alley that led to Page Crescent, Slade Green.

These were the first houses to go, when the people started to leave, as the ‘street’, started its change from a close knit community, to a place in transit. The other side of the alley was a short block of terraces where a local policeman lived with his mother. Then the 2^nd shop in the street, called Hoyles, and the family home followed. Slightly back from the road was a long building that was once a church, later the Girls Catholic School. Its front concrete area was surrounded with railings, and was used as a mini playground for the girls in the very smart school uniform. None were from the ‘Street’, but were dropped off every morning, usually from cars.

Another alley, which later became the new entrance to the alley to Page Crescent, but at that time, led to the backs of the cottages than ran down to the railway, Boundary St junction with Arthur St. Daisy, another Thomas daughter, lived here with her husband Len Curley with their family. I think 3^rd down from the alley.

At the top of Arthur St, (Erith side) where cottages ran down to another shop at the corner of another wide alley, which led to a waste piece of land, behind and at the side of the shop, until you reached our alley. The Meekin Family owned the shop. Hilda and husband Harry with Hilda’s brother. Hilda and her brother were Meekin, and HILDA AND Harry lived above a shoe shop in Pier Rd, but more about that in another story.

In the terrace above the shop, there was another covered alley.

Not all these cottages were the same. At least one had a large window, and was once a shop, almost opposite aunt Gwens.

AS there was a covered alley on the Erith side, so was there one on the Crayford side, and a family called Neil, lived on the lower side of the alley that backed on to The Nursery, which was earlier known as St Martins Vale. The alley went under the bedrooms of the Neil Family cottage. (See map). I will return to this alley in a later story. I was once asked to run an errand that took me to what was called back houses.

This back cottage had the appearance of shop, and I believe the family was then the Dysons.

The ground floor of Aunt Gwens and Uncle Bill’s was above street level, a hall, staircase, two very large rooms and a kitchen. The floor above, was the bedroom floor. There may have been an attic but I never went that far.

Arthur St, was a downward slope from Northend Road, the steepest part being the first section, (where the steps and playground were in the 1970s). Lowest at the railway lined with solid railway sleepers, along Boundary St, formerly Powell St.

The basement at aunt Gwen’s was hardly used then, but I always thought it could be a lovely big room, although it was cold and dark. A pair of doors at the rear, opened onto a short flight of step’s you could climb to the garden. A hint of former glory I think.

One of four larger terraced homes, joined by five smaller ones, toward Northend Rd which had no steps up to the front door, no airy, but still larger than the Arthur St cottages. They had small concreted areas, like a mini garden surrounded with railings. The railings were not as tall on the smaller terrace houses, as the larger houses, but the cottages had wooden fences.

Most of the houses opposite, had nothing at the front, and you stepped straight off the footpath into the front room.

I lived half way down Arthur St, the alley towards Boundary St, which was wide enough for a car or truck, in those days more likely horse and carts. Both were unsealed. Coal and wood would be delivered to the back gardens, and the dustman would also go to the back. We lived at 65, and you stepped off a small footpath, straight into the front room. These cottages faced the old Arthur St Mission.

(In the map, these are show as facing a nursery, with long narrow buildings in open ground). I recall being told these huts were from the army used by the mission, but the map states earlier, so maybe these were not huts, as the positions are different to what I recall. They may have been glasshouses. The huts used as chapel buildings were definitely wood. The Northend Baptist Mission was opened officially 1919. More about that in detail in a later chapter.

In the house up from where aunt Gwen lived a Mrs Hawkins and her daughter Maureen. At the top of the road was open ground, and where the air raid shelter for the whole street had been during the war. We all had a shelter covered in our back gardens, one by the alley way in Page Crescent was made into a rock garden, lovingly cared for, with streams and building and lots of lovely plants. The family name was SALTER. The elderly lady on the other side of the alley was European, wore a scarf always and kept geese in like a coal bunker, with a bath of water in the back garden.

This large old concrete shelter was still standing at the top of Arthur St when I was a child, and we would play in side, and always get told off by our mums or the local policeman. I understand now why. It will be under the playground, on the Crayford side of the steps.

The other side of Arthur St, at the very top had back gardens to the houses from the corner to The Plough, public house, Northend Rd.

When the only daughter of Gwen and Bill (William Maunder), it was always remembered not for the first wedding of a younger generation, but because of ‘green paint’.

My cousin and I were bridesmaids and so excited.

We went to C & A in Lewisham to find bridesmaid dresses. A younger cousin was very upset as her mum and dad couldn’t afford to buy her a special dress, as she was one of three children, that included a baby.

We would be about 8 & 9, I was the younger, but told was chief bridesmaid, but had no idea the difference.

With short dark hair and slim, my older 2^nd cousin (although we were raised more like sisters), had no problem finding a dress, but I was chubby with fair hair, so it wasn’t so easy. Aunt Ivy Curley/Martin) came with us, as well as our mums and aunt May, mums eldest sister (and my cousins grandmother).

My cousins blue dress had a fine lurex thread in the skirt, full length, and we both had little circles of flowers for our hair.

As always, my dress was to long, because we went to a larger size, but it was very pretty and lilac. The elderly lady on the other side of Arthur St to aunt Gwen, did alteration. I am trying to recall her name, but did most of the alterations and repairs for the street. She died before we left the street, but she was very nice to everyone and well thought of. Mum often had her down for a meal, which wasn’t unusual. We had an open house to everyone, especially those who lived alone.

For many years after the wedding, everyone would mention the green paint in the same breath.

No one really knew why, but early on the morning of the wedding, uncle Bill decided to paint the whole staircase, from top to bottom.

He used green paint, not a pale shade, but a really strong colour. It was winter with the wedding later in the day.

The reception was held at the house, and no doubt everyone in the family was helping, though aunt Gwen was very organized. The house was busy all day as usual, on the day of a wedding.

Everyone was welcomed with ‘Mind the Paint’, and later had a tale about green paint to tell for years afterwards. Both daughter and aunt Gwen, was concerned on the day but it became a good joke in years to come, that uncle Bill never lived down.

No one was spared, even the bride had green paint on her gown.

It took place on a Sunday, as both bride and groom worked all day on Saturdays, and were unable to have time off for a honeymoon, returning to work on the Monday.

Like all weddings, we stood outside the church to have photos taken, and it was really cold for us in flimsy dresses, though aunt Ivy saw we had stoles. Rather than wait for a shuttle service with those who had their own cars, the bridesmaids, bride and groom plus the grooms parents, climbed into the bridal car, and I sat on the bridegrooms lap.

The grooms father was an undertaker at the Co-op at Woolwich, so I imagine he hired the car from there.

I remember this clearly, as someone stepped on my dress as I climbed in, and it tore. I was upset, but back at the house they pinned it, and later my mum had it repaired, though I never really wore the dress again.

The church was I’m sure Queen Street Baptist Church, and aunt Ivy when she married for the 2^nd time, also chose Queen St, ERITH. The family attended throughout their lives, the Arthur St Baptist Mission, and more about this in later memories. Queen St being the mother church.

I have started my first memories of Arthur St, not at the main family house which was 65, but at one of the daughters homes in Arthur St. This house owned by Aunt Gwen and Uncle Bill, was the last house in Arthur St to be left standing, with supports either side. By then we were all rehoused, as was the rest of the community of Old Arthur St.

Aunt Gwen held out until the council found her the house she felt was acceptable, and stayed in Arthur St until the very end. They then joined us in Page Crescent .

The boundary between Erith and Crayford was Boundary St, but the road that linked it to Arthur St along the railways line, was first named Powell St.

In our childhood it was Boundary St, but signs of the former name were there on the bricks of the terrace house at the corner, and on brass flaps we were told held the gas taps for the houses, hidden under brass flaps in the footpaths. Clearly marked Powell St.

The alley that led to our back gardens, was also the back entrance to Boundary St terraces, which faced the railway, looking out on those sleepers, with a green solid gate, always locked, that was one third of the way along, from Arthur St. This led to steps cut out of the railway bank, down to the tracks, so railway workers must have used it to cross to the railway building on the opposite side, used for shunting. I will return to this practise in a later chapter.

On the map, you will see two alleys heading towards Boundary St, lined with terraced houses.

The open land on the Erith side of Boundary St was used as a fair ground, and there is reference to it in Bits and Pieces, but I will also cover that in detail later.

You can see Arthur St clearly marked, and to the lower side, is St Martins Vale, later The Nursery. Although the houses were already built down from Northend Rd, from the corner of Sladesgreen Lane, opposite were Northend Primary School was later built, the area was surround by orchards. Sladegreen Lane, crossed over the railway line at Northend Crossing. Another cousin manned the crossing before I left for NZ. I am not sure if it is still there, as the crossing no longer opens to allow traffic to pass.

On the Slade Green side, was also a railway cottage, built right on the side of the railway, and always well looked after by the family who kept doves.

The area behind Arthur St, and off Slade Green Rd became Page Crescent, where I lived until I married .

Sladesgreen Lane, had become Slade Green Rd, and more recently, the top section to the railway from Northend Primary School became Pearswood Rd. The lower section towards the marshes, and the new housing, retained Slade Green Rd.

St Paulinus Church, Crayford, was the family church used by many from the area for weddings until and still after St Augustine was built in 1899, below Northend Crossing, in Slade Green Road.

This from our family were married mainly at Slade Green and St Paulinus, though aunt May and uncle Bill Maybury’s daughter, I believe married at Christchurch Erith, so it did vary.

No one was married at Arthur St Baptist Mission from our family, but at Queen St, I recall at least 4 in my lifetime. No babies christened there, but dedicated, and some of the family were baptised there as adults. Again, this will be covered in a later

chapter.

Both shops Meekin and Hoyles opened in the new housing at Arthur St, at the road that led through from The Nursery, and were opposite what was then the newly built, Arthur St Baptist Mission, which no longer exists.

I have not returned to the area since 1977.

Memories of the THOMAS FAMILY.