Share your memories of the park
Those of you that visited Wormholt Park for the centenary celebrations on 10th September last year would have seen the history display of the park and the surrounding area. Many of you may have met our historian, Peter Trott, on the day.
We are continuing to seek out memories and photos to go in a 32-page booklet celebrating the first 100 years of the park, to be published in April this year. Peter is continuing to research the history; just in the last few weeks he has uncovered a photo of the Wormholt Park School sports day from the late 1950s and a picture of the 1959 winning Wormholt Park School football team.
This Friday (20th January) the Fulham & Hammersmith Chronicle will be publishing a few photos and a further appeal for help.
We are particularly looking for memories and photos of the bandstand, the Second World War shelter trenches and the allotments. Also photos of tennis or bowls matches and more recently, basketball, cricket or football matches. From the 1950s through to the 1980s the Council held August Bank Holiday Galas and various theatre groups performed in the park but we have only found one or two photos.
In 1972 the first PlayCubes in England were installed in the playground. Do you have a photo of them? Or any photos of the earlier or later playgrounds?
If you can help please email wormholtpark@gmail.com.
I used to live at 25 Bryony Road. We moved there in 1940 from East Acton. Our house in Crocus Walk (Just off DuCane Road but no longer there now) was completely destroyed by enemy bombing – Luckily no one in at the time – My Father was a London PC and always on night duty. I was coming up to 4 yrs old and was visiting my 2 brothers who were evacuated to Cookham, My 2 elder sisters were in Maidenhead, and North Devon (Womans Land Army). On hearing our house had gone – We had to stay in Cookham. Berkshire. My Father got another house allocated just off the Westway near the Library. He took it over, and it too was completely destroyed along with St Catherine Colmans Church the next night. So we waited while a third house was allocated. That was 25 Bryony Rd. We stayed there throughout the War. Slept on Chancery Lane Tube Station in 1940/41. Then we had an Anderson Shelter put in the garden. All was well until Feb 1945 when a V2 landed on the Flats killing a lot of people including the young girl who shared a double desk with me at Wormholt Park School. It was about 9.00 pm I was in bed, and all the windows in the front of the house were blown in, and the roof damaged.There were lots of large shelters in the Park opposite the School.
If you went up Wormholt Rd and crossed the Uxbridge Rd, there was a pub on the corner , and almost opposite on a bombed site, was a small Army Camp with Italian POW;s living in it. They wore battledress and had Large Diamond Shaped Brown Patches on their backs and one knee. They were amazingly let out, and would date the young girls.
Earlier probably in 1944 a VI (Doodlebug Flying Bomb) hit Blaxland House White City. Lots of casualties. There were other houses bombed by traditional bombing. Hemlock Rd on the corner, and in Thorpebank and Galloway Road, and counless others all over London. I left Bryony when i joined the Army in 1954. Spent 38 years in the Army and now live in Wiltshire. I did go back to Wormholt Park once in the 80’s. It seemed remarkably unchanged. In the 60’s my Mother and Father were allocated a one bedroom Old peoples Flat in Hammersmith. Not such a nice area as the Hammersmith Borough Council Estate that included Bryony Rd. All the Streets are named after Plants and Flowers. There were also LCC Houses in Gravesend Rd and elsewhere. They were a different colour,and not so nice !
Sadly I note the Savoy Cinema has gone – My Golly I’ve spent some time in there, as well ast the Gaumont and Odeon in Acton. I think all the cinemas have gone, Of course there was no TV in those days.
Changed schools about 1948 to St Clement Danes in DuCane Road, next to the hospital. That’s gone now as well ! Hammersmith Hospital is still there, even bigger now, and Wormwood Scrubs Prison is unchanged. Burlington Girls School has gone I think. I was attached to 10 Parachute Bn (TA) in 1958 for a year ,and we used to Parachute from a Barrage Balloon on the Scrubs. You had a fine view of the inside of the Prison from 800 ft !
My apologies for rambling on. As you can deduce from my rambling I have fond memories
of my early life in the Bush. As a serviceman my duties took me all over the world, The Middle East, Persian Gulf, Cyprus, Oman, and the Far east and Europe. But The “Bush” is still the best, mind Wiltshire not so bad either !
Best Wishes – “Pegasus”
John white Jnr
My father lived at 223 due cane road
John herbert white. Brother
Mick white.
Any stories photos.
Would be very appreciated
E mail.
Whitejohn424@gmail.com.uk
Thank you
DuCane Road is much changed now – Hammersmith Hospital remains, and is much enlarged. HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs remains. My old school (St Clement Danes is gone, moved to Hertfordshire. The site is now accommodation for the Hospital I believe. Burlington Girls School around the corner is also gone to Hertfordshire. I joined the Army for 3 yrs and spent the time in the Far East. On returning i worked at CAV’s in Acton. I wanted to join the TA at White City (10th Parachute Bn TA). At first I couldn’t join, as I was still on Reserve Service for the Army. Eventually they let me be “attached from the RAR”. I did my Para Course at RAF Abingdon, and used to Parachute from a Barrage Balloon on Wormwood Scrubs. I later re-enlisted in the Army and stayed in until i was 55 ! i often go online and look around the streets that were my former home. Not a lot of changes – except all my old cinemas (The Savoy at East Acton, and others in Acton and Shepherds Bush are sadly no more.)
Hi David. I think you knew my elder brother and sisters Leslie, Jackie Linda and Janet we lived in Sawley rd and my nan lived on the west way. We all went to wormholt and Leslie is in the football team featured on the home page !!
No I don’t think so – I re-enlisted into the Army again in 1958. Travelled all over the World until 1991. My Parents left Bryony Road and moved to Marryat Court W6 somewhere around the early 60’s. After leaving the Army in Oct 1991 I returned to Wiltshire. I did do one 2 yr tour at Regents Park Barracks in – but travelled from Wiltshire to London daily. Thank you for ypour post.
Just read your tales with great interest Pegasus! My mums 70th Birthday this weekend and just doing a bit of research! Born in Wormholt Rd, to the Coker family. Mum went to Godolphin & Latymer school and has very fond memories of her childhood and growing up in Shepherds Bush! I too am enjoying reading up on what life was like back then – thank you for your post! Best wishes x
Thank you Pippa for your kind remarks. I always regarded Wormholt Road with interest. The houses all seemed so large compared with the HBC and LCC houses. There was a church at the top, St Lukes. My sister used it a lot. During the war when she was living in Maidenhead (her firm moved out of London during the Blitz), one of her work friends married a Canadian serviceman (RCAMC). They got married in St Luke’s Church . We held the reception at No 25. Lots of Canadian Serviceman all in uniform .they brought lots of Tinned Fruit and US Chocolate bars (all things that were either unobtainable or rationed at that time!). We had listed the Brides residence as No 25, and then found out that the church parish boundary ran down the centre of Bryony Road, so the wedding was to be cancelled.Our parish was St Catherine `Colmans on the Westway opposite the Library, but that was destroyed by bombing in the 40’s .We then registered the bride as living at No 16
Bryony, which was in the Parish of St Lukes ! Come DDay the Canadian Field Ambulance Unit moved across to Europe. Amazing days, that seem just like yesterday. “Tempus Fugit” !
regards David
Hi everybody I went to wormholt from 1965 to 1971 if there is anyone out there who was there at the same time please get in touch. The picture of the school football team from the 50s has my elder brother in it, unfortunately he passed away three years ago again if anyone remembers les KENDALL please get in touch. Rob
Hello Robert, I am sure your Sister Janet Kendall was in my class at Wormholt school. We lived at 31 Wormholt Road. My Grandparents bought our house in the 1920s, and it was sold in 1980. I am 58 years old now, living in Rayleigh, Essex. My name was (and still is) Ruth Archer. I very recently joined The Wormholt Gang page on Facebook, so I do hope you enjoy sharing memories on there. My Mum, now aged 83 also went to Wormholt school.
Hi Ruth
Yes Janet is my sister, all of us went to Wormholt during the 50s and 60s there was Leslie, Jackie, Linda, Janet and myself.
We all lived in Sawley rd on the other side of the park.
I wonder what difference there was in price of your family home from the 20s to the 80s ?
My parents could have bought there house on Sawley rd for 6k in the 70s but decided not to and move to clacton on sea instead, the house recently sold for 660k !.
How many of the teachers names can you remember ?
Regards
Rob
Well what a shock,
I remember all of you, I was Penny Millns.
I was also friends with Jane Spall and Anne Briggs. I lived in Old Oak Rd.
How strange you now live in Rayleigh, I live just past Bulward Hall in Highroad Hockley.
My father lived in due cane road number223 his name John Herbert white. Brother Michael White. Sister Kathleen
My father passed away 27 12 2014 missed and loved
If anyone new my father. It would be lovely to hear from you.
He was born 11 11 1942. Into motor bikes. Worked at c a v.
Thankyou very much John Jr.
Evelyn Evans.,I lived in adelaide grove 1943/1953′ grandparents lived in roxwell rd,I attended wormholt then on to Victoria school,askew rd, love to hear from anybody in that time.
Interesting to see the response that builds from an initial post. I often wonder what happened to many of my friends from my wartime days in East Acton and Shepherds Bush. When we first moved to Bryony Rd we didn’t have a shelter, so had to sleep on the platform at Chancery`lane , often wonder why they didn’t allocate a station nearer to Shepherds Bush. We later got an Anderson Shelter put in the garden, but by that time the aerial bombing had stopped, and VIs and ~V2s had taken over – no warning with those. A VI hit Blaxland House White City, and a V]2 the Flats just of Steventon Rd killing many, including the girl `i shared my desk with at Wormholt Park. I often wonder what happened to Mike Kelly who used to live in the White `City Estate.
Does anybody know any of the names of the boys in the school football team ???
Hi Evelyn, I was born at 51 Adelaide Grove in 1945 and lived there until 1953 when I moved to Harlow in Essex. I went to Ellerlie road school. I used to play in Wormholt Park and at the Scrubs with my brother who is a year older. I remember seeing prisoners looking through the bars, and also the barrage balloons.
Thank you to all who contributed to this topic.I left London in 1954. Although I worked in `Regents Park Bks for 3 yrs. Commuted daily from Wiltshire for 3 yrs !. Now in my 80;s I still have fond memories of London. My schools were Wormholt Park School, and St Clement Danes in SuXane rd – now noved to `hertfordshire `i beleive.