Queen's Buildings, Scovell Road

Yes Sandra that was my nanny Strath she was married to Grandad Bill strath my dad Tommy was their youngest and the was Bill my dad's brother and Aunt Ada and aunt Carrie.

Tommy my dad married my mum also called Eileen !
as I am 65 years old we may have met i always was visiting nanny and grandad. I am not sure what number Nan lived .Grandad died in 1961 Nan lived to over 90 years old she had been moved to a home in whitstable i think to live nearer aunt Ada a couple of years before she died. my mum and dad are gone now as is uncle Bill Strath and Aunt Carrie. recently in past 4 years my cousins found me again and we have had visits from Whitstable and Deal

Oh Eileen thats so funny your Nan Carrie lived at number 72 we lived at 76 then moved down to 73,i always called them nan and grandad,i remember your nan much more than Bill i was only six when he died,but on a previous post i told the story i remember vividly,when your nan wanted my mum to knock she used to write my mum's name (DOLL)in chalk so as she went up or down the stairs she would just call out and go in,your nan had written outside the door and as me and my mum were going home we went in,i remember your nan whispering to my mum and after they asked me did i want to see Grandad thinking nothing of it i said yes,they took me in the bedroom and he was laid out on the bed,he had passed away,it was my 1st encounter with death i dont think i was upset i dont think i really understood what had happened.I also remember very well your Nan was the 1st person i ever knew who had a telephone my mum had to use it on several occasions when my dad was ill (in the days you could call the doctor out).Your nan had to wear a special boot on one foot it was very high but looked a tiny size,not sure why she had it,but my mum used to say she got a drawing pin in her foot when she was young,i dont think that was true it was said to make me keep my shoes on. Your nan left the buildings just before us in 1970 i thought she moved up near honor oak but cant be sure.Just had another flash of memory,your Grandad Bill standing at the bottom of the block smoking a roll up,he was always in the same spot and used to keep an eye on me if my mum let me down stairs but i had to go back up if he went in!!!! as i got older i used to take your nan's turn of washing the stairs down (my mum used to offer my services saying i did'nt mind)i dont think i had a lot of choice in the matter. Perhaps some of what i have said will stir some memories for you, and we may have met at your Nan's at sometime.What a wonderful site this is we are able to share stories.

wow you have my darling nan and grandad spot on. also yes nan did move to a home i thought hither green but couldn't remember then onto
where her daughter Ada lived a home near there.

nan wore a black boot built up yes i was told a rusty nail caused the foot. but if you noticed she had a bent finger as well. so it could have been a gene defect.

my dad Tommy visited her every day even when as he got older. although we moved from London in 1961 he was a postman at union street/ Copperfield st . Southwark. him and Nan loved horse racing , they studied the racing together.

My grandad was the first dead person i saw in my life my dad was the second 35 years later!!!
At Grandad Strath's funeral they made me kiss him in the coffin i was 15/ or 16 yrs old. at the funeral i had a pretty flared flowery dress on lilac it was. with a net underskirt. then all the women at the funeral made me take the net underskirt off lol.

wow this is wonderful memories. i loved nan and grandad Strath so much.

Eileen,perhaps i was unfair thinking my mum had made up the story why your nan had the big boot,she said it was caused by a drawing pin,and it seems you had the same kind of information (rusty nail)but i think children were hidden from the truth in them day's.When you said about the horse racing it made me laugh because when Carrie wanted a bet put on she would write my mum's name outside her door,but if mum was already out sometimes the bet never got put on!! not good if she had picked a winner ha ha.It seems your Grandad was the 1st taste of death for both of us,it has stayed with me always (not in a bad way)I was'nt allowed to see his funeral but i remember mum showing me the flowers laid at the bottom of the block,and being told i had to be very quiet as we went past the door that day.keep well Eileen

Dear Sandra
thank you for that. I once read up on children/adults wearing a big boot but also with her bent finger it was definitely something in body makeup. coincidence is that nan had isabled niece, another thing is my youngest Lisa got knocked down in 1988 and is in wheelchair 23 years on . she is 40.

I would love to keep in touch with you

Sandra just found this as you know recently we made friends .and nan was my nan and grandad bill and tom was my dad.
isn't funny how you and i have something in common?. I am trying to see if we are remembered i think we lived in or near 18 scovell road
my nickname was neenie strath my real name is Eileen. remembering the twins we have discussed this. i have also found photos of the buildings too. its amazing and i cannot get away from this site i love it. looking at old letters. I am amazed Charles Dickens school still in use too!. I love the Author Charles Dickens . i remember there was a bust of him in school. many years ago my friend Carol Coleman came back from australia to visit she lived in marshalsea road and we went to look at CD school it looked so small this was about 20-30 years ago. Her dad was Charlie coleman and once he dies she never came back. And sadly died in australia about 7 years ago.

FRED START wrote:

Yes , Sid's my cousin. told him of your enquiry and he said to tell you he's still alive ( heart attack few years back ) and unmoved at Letchworth.Fred

Hi Fred my name is beverley bleach nee hobbs, i have started a now & then southwark on facebook, its so much easier to use than this site. take a look and perhaps anyone you know could go on there we are trying to get as many photos as possible. would be best if you left me a msg via facebook, hope to hear from you.

Eileen if your able to put your photo's on pleased do,everyone loves to see photo's.If you enjoy reading try and get some of Harry Bowling's books all he lived in the buildings and later became a police man at Crter st station (walworth rd)the books are fiction but uses lots of references to Queens building's and around the area.I remember the name's of the blackburn twin's were Mary and Ann and they had another sister Iris their mum was Dolly,i do remeber the name peachy but they were older than me, i have older cousin's who lived in the buildings and they would know them.

Morning Barbara
i would like to look at the site now and then southwark on facebook,how do i find it?
many thanks

sandra, dont know if its the same site but theres a now and then walworth site. just type in now and then walworth in the search box on facebook. i tried typing in now and then southwark but nothing comes up, only now and then walworth.