I remember Lewisham used to much more civilised and cleaner.. We all loved Chiesmans, pity it’s gone, I worked in the restaurant there.
I also remember the big flood, lots of strange creatures emerged from the flooded river!
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Some promotional material from the In Living Memory project, Lewisham Underwater.
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I was in the second form at Prendergast Grammar School, which was at Rushey Green.
The ground floor of the school was flooded, so we could not go to school until the water had been cleared out.
As far as I can remember this only took about one day and we were soon back at our lessons.
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I was born in 1959 so was just about nine when the heavens opened for two days solid on my Birthday Weekend.
My parents were so worried they confined me to home in Burnt Ash Hill all the time so I never saw anything spectacular outside except for our usual mid-garden seasonal puddle becoming a large pond.
After that my dad planted a willow tree there which has grown extremely well since in the previously (till 1926) Burnt Ash Farm grounds.
I heard about Central Lewisham flooding and within weeks my parents were off to buy a splendid (undamaged) large Persian rug heavily discounted in the ‘Flood Sale’ (one of many over the years as the carpets were sold in the basement by the River Quaggy under the high pavement).
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I was born in Lewisham in a house and lived there until the day I got married.
I remember being able to see the bell tower of the church opposite Primark from my back garden before the flats were built. I also remember Ladywell being flooded – the only way across was someone rowing you across in a boat.
The old school behind Lewisham swimming baths was the school I went to at the age of four. The old swimming pool, fire station and police station have now been used as other things.
Lewisham has changed very much over the years.
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I have lived in Lewisham 60 years, the first part of my life being in Nunhead and Southwark.
I remember the 1968 floods as I was living in Bell Green, Lower Sydenham.
My current home was built on the old Crystal Palace railway line and I remember seeing railway carriages standing obsolete behind one of the old blocks of flats.
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1972 the house was sold to us – the surveyors said it is still damp from the flood and it needs to be repaired before we give a mortgage.
The people who sold the house paid £7000 for the repairs and it is still good after 52 years. The council built a concrete wall to stop the flooding and they’re now building a complex of 36 units surrounding our street of 8 houses – a conservation area.
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During the floods I was working at a Jewler in Lewisham called ‘James Walker’. The water was above knee height and was making the shutters sway. We had to bring everything up onto the counter to save it from the water.
We also had a robbery around that time on a Saturday. They had a gun and tied us up with rope and bound our mouths. We eventually escaped and called the police.
Terence
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In my days – more community spirit. I was there for the New Cross fire. We pulled up outside the house but decided to go home because we were too tired The next day, we read on the news what had happened.
In the area, there were also 3 brilliant schools that are no longer. St Joseph’s, St Theresa’s & Our Lady of Lords.
I remember the riots in Lewisham & the times of blackouts (no electricity) & the floods from the river Quaggy. There was a Blackheath funfair. A family event. Now there is People’s Day held in Catford. There was a town hall in Catford where we watched the 10 commandments.
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These images demonstrate the extent of the flood risk in the borough from both surface water and from rivers.
Visit these links to explore the risk from both surface water and rivers in your area.
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