Plashet Park

[lizshearer]

Dear All,

I work within the Parks team at the Council and am looking for some memories of Plashet Park. We are aiming to apply to the Heritage Lottery Fund in August for a large grant to improve the park physically but also to engage local people with it's heritage. Much of the building heritage is no longer there, for example the bandstand, so I am aiming to promote more the memories and stories of the park - can you help by telling me some stories?? how do you remember it?? what did you do in the park? how was it valued at the time? did you attend any orgainsed events at the park? what were the memories of the zoo?? Any memories will be gratefully received!

Thanks, Liz

[DougT]

Liz

As Plashet Park was my local when I was a child in the 1950s I do have some very fond memories of it. I and friends always used the entrance near Shrewsbury Road to go into the park and the first thing you saw were Tennis Courts, hard courts to the left and grass courts on the right. The courts always became very busy during Wimbledon fortnight as many locals tried to emulate Rod Laver for a short time.

Just past the hard courts was a small fenced off area that was for the sole use of younger children. Then came a large open area where we used to play football and cricket generally using coats for goalposts and, in the summer, a tree with a wicket chalked on it when we played cricket. In those days we used real leather footballs and also proper cricket balls which went some way to explaining why the younger children had their own fenced off field. I spent many happy hours playing football there before going home covered in mud.

On the right hand side as you continued along the path towards Woodhouse Grove there was a drinking fountain and a small putting green.

If you turned right as you came into the park at Shrewsbury Road you would have the Grass Tennis Courts to your left before coming to the Children's Playground. No Health and Safety in those days to insist on "soft" surfaces. If we fell off the swings or roundabout then you simply wiped away the blood and carried on playing. I also remember there was a "Monkey" Climb and slide in the playground and the slide was quite large. If it had been polished then the chances are that you would fly off the end and land in a heap some distance away.

To the east of the playground was a concreted area in front of the cafeteria. I think the cafeteria was only open at weekends and possibly in the school holidays but was always a good place to buy cold drinks and ice cream. The concrete are in front of the cafeteria was probably marked out as a netball court and used by local schools. On Saturday afternoon a guy called Bob Beadle used to run a PE class for girls in that area. I remember that a lot of the girls from Monega and Shaftesbury Road Schools used to attend this club. It would be quite difficult for a middle aged man to run such a club in 2012!

There was a large field between the playground and the library in Plashet Grove where I think that for the majority of time "ball games were prohibited" although there was a Cricket Pitch in this area that was used by East Ham Corinthians Cricket Club at weekends.

Towards the South east corner of the park bordered by Woodhouse Grove and Plashet Grove were the Flower Gardens and there was also a Bowling Green at the edge of this area.

Cycling was forbidden in the park and this rule was enforced by the group of park keepers. Men resplendent in their green uniforms but generally loathed by the kids as they seemed to forever be telling us off for one misdemeanour or another. A number of years later I regularly saw one of the "Parkies" who had made by life a misery when I was coming home from work. He always stopped to have a chat to me for a few moments although I had not used the park for many years.

I remember the Zoo being set up in the park but by that time I was past the age where I wanted to visit it. I do however remember the noise that some of the birds made at unsocial hours which could clearly be heard in my home in Strone Road. To be fair there was only Lincoln Road and the Plashet Cemetery between us so I suppose we should have expected some noise!


Doug
 

[lizshearer]

This is wonderful - thanks so much Doug! I've read on here previously about Bob Beadle - obviously a character!

Any more memories of the park out there gratefully received!

Liz

[Michael H]

My first girlfriend lived close to Plashet Park and as we were young (mid-teens) and had little money, we spent tons of time over there, holding hands and gazing lovingly into each other's eyes.
It's probably not the sort of stuff you're looking for, but hey ho.

[DougT]

Liz

Further to my original response I now attach a photograph of Bob Beadle's Sports Club probably taKen around 1956. I believe but cannot be certain that Bob Beadle became a local Councillor a few years later.
Doug

[55shelley]

I was raised as a foster child in Shelley Avenue close to the park from 1953 to the early 70s and had an honory 'grandpa' George 'Pop' Burrell who would take me for regular trips to the play ground and to walk our dog, Billy.  I had good fun on the 'small swings' and the roundabout, but was too much of a coward to try the slide, which seemed incredibly high to me.  As I got older, my sister and I would spend hours swinging from the ropes of the maypole and often ended up with scraped knees.    But my strongest memory is of the animal park, we would spend ages looking at the budgies in the small aviary, and still today I feel nostalgic every time I hear a peacock call - when I tell people the sound reminds me of home, they think I was raised somewhere exotic, not good old E12.

[lizshearer]

Thanks so much for your memories of Plashet Park - they are great!

[Jenny P]

Hi Liz

Like Michael H my future husband and I used the park to do some 'courting'.  We both worked nearby at the Halifax Building Society in High Street North and used to go there in our lunch hour to snatch a few moments together!

[me2you]

I lived in Manor Park, but often my mum took me to Plashet Park. I remember the doves, I think they were kept in the area that later became pets corner.

[JIMMYMCNULTY]

My late paternal grandparents, who lived in Byron Avenue off High Street North, used to take me to Plashet Park in the '60s.  I remember loving the peacocks.  Bring 'em back I say.  I know from reading the NEWHAM RECORDER that the pupils of Kensington Primary School are campaigning for the return of the zoo and for other improvements (e.g. better toilets - badly needed). I take my hat off to these councillors and MPs of the future ; at at stroke they have trashed the frequently heard gripe about the New Generation East Enders not caring about their environment.  And they have got the ear of Steven Timms MP - not bad considering that most are at least 10 years off voting age!

[Lengthofwire]

I grew up in South Esk Road, and PPark was our favourite play area.  I was 4 when the war broke-out so a lot of my memories war wartime based.  Just past the hard courts on the L, coming from Shrewsbury Rd, was a large grass area in which was stationed a barrage balloon.  On one occasion it broke free and dragged its cable right across East Ham, in the direction of the Town Hall, taking chimney pots down on the way!  Further down, on the same side, nearer to Woodhouse, were some underground air-raid shelters.  At about 1945/6 they were demolished by dropping a massive pear shaped weight from a crane, whilst us kids were running around in nearby shelters!  In earlier versions of Google Earth the 'graves' of these shelters can be made-out in much the same way that archaeological finds are discovered, because all the concrete, bricks, bunks, etc, were buried there.  Not many people know that!
Where the grass-courts were subsequently reestablished, the area was used for "Holidays at Home" amateur entertainment, in a "vast", or so it seemed, marquee.
Beyond that area, moving towards Plashet Grove, was 'The Swings'; a large asphalted area for general play, a snack/tea shack that was never open, Ladies toilets, and Gents.  Beyond was the band-stand, where we used to have 'dirt bomb fights'.  Health & Safety!!!!!!!!!!!
Houses along the park side of Shrewsbury Rd seemed to be empty, so the gardens were often raided for apples, etc.

For a more explicit version PM me.