Sydenham Road in old photos

The History of Sydenham from Cippenham to present day. Links to photos especially welcome!
Falkor
Posts: 1371
Joined: 10 Feb 2006 17:45
Location: Surrey Quays

Sydenham Road in old photos

Post by Falkor »

If anyone has anymore photos to add please post!

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image


Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
Ulysses
Posts: 893
Joined: 1 Apr 2009 12:30
Location: Sydenham

Post by Ulysses »

There's a lot to take in there Falkor. I loved each and every one but wondered if there was a way of 'grouping' or explaining them briefly (not each one but each group) like you have on other threads?

What I found most fascinating was:

a) How smart the lower part of Sydders was. Especially the part that the ever horrid Prince Alfred sits on. Those pictures of the Prince Alfred as a hotel with the imposing catholic church. You would need a lot of imagination to square what assaults your eyes nowadays with that fine parade in your pictures.

b) How bulit up Sydders was in your aerial views. It would seem in the 50s/60s various ramashackle buildings (now mercifully demolished) were bulit on any availble plot of land.

c) How often the same business seem to have been here forever. I'm sure there's a reason but some shops seem to have operated as the same type of business for ages! I guess they were passed down the generations of the same family?

d) How much the GLC and the 50s and 60s have to answer for! I really wish the 50s and 60s hadn't happened. They leave a legacy of nothing interesting nor worthwhile and shall be forever remembered as the decades that most of London's beautiful roads were put to the wreckers ball and replaced by sh*t-holes. [Excuse the strong word but I really hate all things 1950 and 1960s - the first person to write in saying it gave us the Beatles will get summarily shot!].
Falkor
Posts: 1371
Joined: 10 Feb 2006 17:45
Location: Surrey Quays

Post by Falkor »

The best way of explaining those photos would be to take John Coulter's narrative from Sydenham and Forest Hill Past, and split it up and group the various paragraphs with different parts of the High Street. To everyone's horror you would then discover that less than half of the known historic buldings of Sydenham were actually photographed! If I get time I might do that... maps would also come in handy.
Ulysses
Posts: 893
Joined: 1 Apr 2009 12:30
Location: Sydenham

Post by Ulysses »

I've got Coulter's book so will do just that. I think you're right...alot of Sydenham's famous old buildings don't seem to have been photographed.

I often wonder how many are in private collections though and yet to be unearthed. Perhaps with the passing of generations and offspring going through old drawers/albums we might find some of these Victorian/Edwardian pictures come into the public domain?

Do you have any of the Priory that stood next to Queen's Hall? I love the ones of the Dolphin. I wondered if the owner would be interested in them. Hang them on the wall of his grastropub?
ALIB
Posts: 1553
Joined: 12 Oct 2006 21:34
Location: East Sussex

Post by ALIB »

Simply stunning Falkor. That must have taken months to put together. Lots of point of focus for me .

The Croydon Canal Bridge
seeing a steam train run through Sydenham
The greyhounds tiled room
And the Chemist window- now Kente
leenewham
Posts: 5886
Joined: 2 Sep 2007 11:58
Location: SYDENHAM
Contact:

Post by leenewham »

These picture gave me butterflies.

I contacted Falkor about this. I'd like to set up a blog about it called 'what was Sydenham' with his pictures, pictures taken now form the same angle and keep it as a record from past to future, with hopefully additional comments on posts by people like Reg etc.

Anyone up for helping us out on this? Falkor? Resident Sydenham Shots photographer?

I think it could make an excellent exhibition in one of the empty shops in Sydenham road.
regoneil
Posts: 73
Joined: 27 Nov 2007 12:35
Location: walton on the naze

Post by regoneil »

I am amazed at this collection; it has brought back so many memories of shops that I knew in the twenties/thirties.
I should be glad to add comments if required as so many names of shopkeepers come back to me.
What a wonderful collection
Ulysses
Posts: 893
Joined: 1 Apr 2009 12:30
Location: Sydenham

Post by Ulysses »

I was looking through these again last night Falkor whilst watching John & Edward mercifully being bundled out of X-Factor (we all have our weaknesses!). Two things I wondered:

1) When you pull out of Sydenham Railway Station currently on the 'down' platform immediately after the bridge on your left there's the remains of a small building. It's at track level and not part ofthe Doctor's surgery...so what is it? It definitely looks Victorian.

Also if I look to the right I can see the remains still of the old 'up' platform?

2) Those pictures of old Greyhound entrance...are they mine? I only ask as in the penultimate picture you can see Julwz' and my feet. That's my left foot so I wondered what angle you had the camera at...looks a bit close for comfort! :wink:

(I remember it being dark and we were both snapping away that day - your pictures were much better).
regoneil
Posts: 73
Joined: 27 Nov 2007 12:35
Location: walton on the naze

Post by regoneil »

Ulysses, your question no 1,
Many times I have stood on the old up platform and wondered what thw small buiding was, and I came to the conclusion that it was used as a shelter for "Fogmen". In earlier days, whenever a smog descended, a man would sit close to signals to put a detonator on the line if the signal was showing red to warn the driver to stop.
An old school pal of mine told me how his father was so employed and on one occasion, he accidentally caught his foot n the live rail and was thrown up the bank close by.
Maybe that building was possibly, so used.
At one time I thought that it may have housed a signal box. but I never saw it being used.
mcleanmuir
Posts: 93
Joined: 31 Oct 2007 08:03
Location: West Wickham

Post by mcleanmuir »

Fantastic selection of photos. It was good to see The Golden Lion, it reminded me of seeing DJ Robbie Vincent there in the early 70s, about the last time I bought a round.

Welcome back falkor, your input has been missed.
sarahc
Posts: 125
Joined: 16 Jan 2006 10:29
Location: Sydenham

Post by sarahc »

Falkor! I have ABSOLUTELY loved looking at this pictures and photos. The Children's Hospital took me RIGHT back - having spent MANY MANY hours in the A&E department!

Thank you soooooooooooo much.

Sarah
regoneil
Posts: 73
Joined: 27 Nov 2007 12:35
Location: walton on the naze

sydenham road in old photos

Post by regoneil »

On second thoughts, I feel certain that the building on the end of the down platform originally would have housed a signal box, as the structure is very similar to the signal box that used to stand over the footpath leading to Forest Hill station, the arched alcoves in the supporting wall are common with many railway structures such as tunnels etc. During the 1930's I cannot remember it being used as such.
Ulysses
Posts: 893
Joined: 1 Apr 2009 12:30
Location: Sydenham

Post by Ulysses »

regoneil:

Ordinarily I'd agree with you.

Firstly; thank you for your evocative thoughts on your time standing on the 'up' plaform and much besides. Reading your posts and your PMs to me I can only hope that my memory and prose is as keen as yours is at 90 years old!

However, I'm not buying the signal box. I was taken in with the fog-men thought you had but not the signal box.

Why? Well I travel extensively through Kent/Surrey/Sussex/Hampshire/Essex and to my mind signal boxes are often raised on stilts/weather-board/wooden/...'temporary' affairs.

This is a well built building with a certain 'flourish' that went beyond a mundane function. I appreciate Victorian's had a flair for raising things beyond their means (see Crossness pumping house) but not so this buliding?

Sure you won't reconsider?
budweiser
Posts: 44
Joined: 6 Oct 2009 18:04
Location: Cambridge

Post by budweiser »

Thank you so much Falkor! So many memories of my childhood in the late sixties early seventies.......... :D
angela53
Posts: 225
Joined: 18 Aug 2009 21:38
Location: london

Sydenham road in old photos

Post by angela53 »

Brilliant collection of photos!

I had forgoten about all those magnificant tiles in the Greyhound.

Sydenham sure was very grand!
budweiser
Posts: 44
Joined: 6 Oct 2009 18:04
Location: Cambridge

Post by budweiser »

I don`t suppose anyones got any of the pictures of the 2 Greyhounds that used to be outside the pub have they?. I used to sit on them. Lol! :D
lbere
Posts: 238
Joined: 6 Sep 2006 16:11
Location: se26

Post by lbere »

Amazing photos, thank you!

I remember buildings from the 1970's onwards

Such a shame Sydenham was allowed to decay
jackieboo
Posts: 113
Joined: 6 Feb 2008 21:42
Location: croydon uk

Wow

Post by jackieboo »

Thanks for these............I too remember things from the late 60's onward and have seen the decline..

As for one of the first photos of "Steemsons", I went to school with a Vanessa Steemson in the early 70's. ooerr.

I used the up platform a lot at the station and remember the huge clock and old fashioned red chocolate machine.
PhilAppleby
Posts: 1
Joined: 15 Nov 2014 09:56
Location: Kirkby Stephen Cumbria

Re: Sydenham Road in old photos

Post by PhilAppleby »

I have just found this site. Absolutely fantastic. Born in Sydenham 1953 and moved north in 1979, it's great to see old photos that bring back memories. Will try and find some old photos to post that might be of interest to everyone.
Lois
Posts: 90
Joined: 29 Sep 2007 03:27
Location: Westwood Hill SE26 6PE

Re: Sydenham Road in old photos

Post by Lois »

Sainsburys sydenham.jpg
This image was posted on a page on Facebook "Sydenham...back in the day" by a John Tidy who kindly gave me permission to post it here.

The delivery boy was his father and as a boy he used to go shopping there with his mother.
He went on to say that saw dust was sprinkled on the floor, the shop assistants wore white hair nets, butter was purchased by weight which was then patted into shape with wooden paddles before being wrapped in greaseproof paper and biscuits where purchased from glass topped tins.
Post Reply