Thamesmead Residents — Mini Me

“I moved here on 20^th July 1972 and I was pregnant when we arrived. We lived in Portsmouth before but my husband got a job in London. Thamesmead was advertised in the newspaper, but you had to apply to get a home here and be interviewed to make sure you had a good job and earned a certain amount. I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I arrived. There was so much light, it was like living in a greenhouse.

I used to work at the Lakeside Centre, in the bar during the week and in the restaurant at the weekend. We had all the best entertainers come to the Lakeside, mainly towards the end of their careers when they didn’t want to give up!

The friendships I’ve made here have been the most important thing though, there are so many groups and activities to be part of.”

“Although originally from Kentish Town, my husband, Jim, lived in Eltham for a number of years and had family scattered around Thamesmead, in Winchat road, Hartslock drive and Belvedere, so it made sense for us to move here 20 years ago. That was in February of 2000. We’ve made good friends over the years, and became part of a strong church community. We used to go fruit picking with the children on sunny days and ate half of it before we got home. My sister in law made fairly decent wine fermenting some of those fruits but sadly had to pack away the equipment when her husband developed respiratory problems. I remember a carpet of bluebells as we walked through the woods behind Lesnes Abbey and these wonderful weeping willows overlooking Southmere lake. Jim would take photographs of these throughout the year so you could see the subtle changes the trees went through as the months rolled by. He took many amazing pictures and one could be forgiven for thinking they were taken in exotic places like the Serengeti at night. We also used to take metal detectors on a treasure hunt to see what we could find in the fields off Binsey Walk where the horses now roam, and only found shrapnel and a penny.”