I lived for 2/3 years in Pembury Street, which is in the same area of Sittingbourne as was this video. The family lived in rooms wit a related family. We were there from 1946/1947 until 1951/1952. I have enjoyed watching the videos about Sittingbourne they bring back a lot of happy memories . I try to pick out as many places that I remember. It would be great to have a chat with someone from the old place. Garry.
My dad was a stockman in Borden, George Waters. A jovial big man who some readers from Borden may remember. If you go into The Maypole you’ll see a big wooden spoon upon which is a brass plaque that reads ‘George & Edie - Bonnie & Clyde’. That’s my dad and mum. They were the ones who ‘put me on the stage and I never looked back.
I used to call the last landlord of The Castle, ‘’Me ol’ pal and beauty’ because that is what he would call most people he didn’t know the name of. A lovely old chap. A run down sort of place but always a pretty good crowd on a Saturday (as Billy Joel sings in ‘Piano Man’ ) and my microphone smelled like a beer in some pubs too! Happy days.
When they pulled down Cross Street and built the car park you had to take a ticket which lifted the barrier and let you in but when you went out a man would put your ticket into a machine and you had to pay him for how long you were in there. One of the old drinkers in The Cstle knew me and dad and so every Saturday dad got to park his car in there for free. My mum used to get her ‘perm’ in town on a Saturday and my dad’s only job was to go to Rooks and get cream cakes for tea. But one day he put them on the roof whilst he put a canister of paraffin he bought from Tetts in the boot and drove off with them on the roof. Gawd knows where they went but my mum was livid!!!! He never heard the end of it!
I remember those streets from my childhood - still attractive but in decline. Great to see a shot of Peter Birch's shop. I did a paper round for him around the Quinton estate area - after first making up the rounds and doing a couple for W.H. Smith. Morning Assembly at BGS was half way through my day. Happy Days. I'd dearly like to love the 'new' Sittingbourne, but for me it's architecturaly ghastly...
I remember there was a huge advertisement hoarding board near the car park after they pulled the first houses down. One Saturday it had a huge face of Billy Graham on it advertising one of his rallies… as dad locked his car I pointed to this huge face and said ‘who’s that?’ And my dad said ‘Billy Graham.’ And I said ‘it says he’s got a rally soon. And my dad said ‘yeah, it’s in Monte Carlo. And like an idiot, I believed him! I sang that night thinking he was Paddy Hopkirk’s navigator.
Remember Cross Street very well. And ‘The Castle’ pub. As a boy landlords would smuggle me in to sing on a table with people requesting songs for me to sing, throwing coins into my grandad’s cap when I did so. That must make me a ‘poor man’s juke box’. But I got a lot of money every weekend for doing so and never needed a paper round. Of course this was the early 1960’s - would never get away with it now. But I later went into working men’s clubs and earned lots more!!! Only sing and perform to raise money for charities these days.
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I lived for 2/3 years in Pembury Street, which is in the same area of Sittingbourne as was this video. The family lived in rooms wit a related family. We were there from 1946/1947 until 1951/1952. I have enjoyed watching the videos about Sittingbourne they bring back a lot of happy memories . I try to pick out as many places that I remember. It would be great to have a chat with someone from the old place. Garry.
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My dad was a stockman in Borden, George Waters. A jovial big man who some readers from Borden may remember. If you go into The Maypole you’ll see a big wooden spoon upon which is a brass plaque that reads ‘George & Edie - Bonnie & Clyde’. That’s my dad and mum. They were the ones who ‘put me on the stage and I never looked back.
I used to call the last landlord of The Castle, ‘’Me ol’ pal and beauty’ because that is what he would call most people he didn’t know the name of. A lovely old chap. A run down sort of place but always a pretty good crowd on a Saturday (as Billy Joel sings in ‘Piano Man’ ) and my microphone smelled like a beer in some pubs too! Happy days.
Apologies - slightly adjusted narration on this version
When they pulled down Cross Street and built the car park you had to take a ticket which lifted the barrier and let you in but when you went out a man would put your ticket into a machine and you had to pay him for how long you were in there. One of the old drinkers in The Cstle knew me and dad and so every Saturday dad got to park his car in there for free. My mum used to get her ‘perm’ in town on a Saturday and my dad’s only job was to go to Rooks and get cream cakes for tea. But one day he put them on the roof whilst he put a canister of paraffin he bought from Tetts in the boot and drove off with them on the roof. Gawd knows where they went but my mum was livid!!!! He never heard the end of it!
I remember those streets from my childhood - still attractive but in decline. Great to see a shot of Peter Birch's shop. I did a paper round for him around the Quinton estate area - after first making up the rounds and doing a couple for W.H. Smith. Morning Assembly at BGS was half way through my day. Happy Days. I'd dearly like to love the 'new' Sittingbourne, but for me it's architecturaly ghastly...
I remember there was a huge advertisement hoarding board near the car park after they pulled the first houses down. One Saturday it had a huge face of Billy Graham on it advertising one of his rallies… as dad locked his car I pointed to this huge face and said ‘who’s that?’ And my dad said ‘Billy Graham.’ And I said ‘it says he’s got a rally soon. And my dad said ‘yeah, it’s in Monte Carlo. And like an idiot, I believed him! I sang that night thinking he was Paddy Hopkirk’s navigator.
Remember Cross Street very well. And ‘The Castle’ pub. As a boy landlords would smuggle me in to sing on a table with people requesting songs for me to sing, throwing coins into my grandad’s cap when I did so. That must make me a ‘poor man’s juke box’. But I got a lot of money every weekend for doing so and never needed a paper round. Of course this was the early 1960’s - would never get away with it now. But I later went into working men’s clubs and earned lots more!!! Only sing and perform to raise money for charities these days.
The last line of my narrative should have been "Station Place" - not "Railway Place" ! - More
apologies
I used to buy my music magazines from that News agents in the 1980s.
The dual level carpark demolition and modernisation at the Forum in 1998, not 1988.
Oops - thank you!