Remembering when

SIDCUP’S 70-YEAR

EVOLUTION

Penny Duggan, committee member of the Lamorbey and Sidcup Local History Society, delves through the archives to explore how Sidcup has evolved since 1952 – the year in which the society was formed…

In 1952 Sidcup was a fine residential district with a bustling high street. The town owed its development to the electrification of the railway line in the 1930s, and it was considered to be a good place to live, within easy reach of London and the Kent countryside.

Sidcup Place and the Manor House were both occupied by the offices of Chislehurst and Sidcup Urban District Council. Entertainments organised by the council included the annual tennis tournament, which attracted large crowds, and the August Bank Holiday Horticultural Show. Another popular place for entertainment was the Regal Cinema.

In Sidcup high street, there was enough custom to require several greengrocers, butchers, fishmongers, bakers and stationers. In those days, the early closing day was Thursday. There was an air of class consciousness: upper-class ladies would never go to the high street without wearing gloves. Sidcup was most definitely viewed as a respectable place for posh people to do their shopping! There were ladieswear shops, jewellers, haberdashers, tailors and shoe shops. Next time you’re in the high street, look up at the railings above Iceland and you can still see the ‘B’ for Burtons.

A large department store, Dawsons, was situated at 24-34 High Street, where Better Gym is today. It employed a large number of staff and sold a variety of goods including clothes, haberdashery, bedding, curtains, carpets, rugs, linoleum, furniture, china and ironmongery.

Perhaps the most noticeable feature of the high street today is the range of restaurants and cafes. A couple of micro-pubs have also been opened and are proving popular with the locals. Back in 1952 the choices were more limited, with The Ruskin and Criterion restaurants, as well as the Black Horse pub.

It’s encouraging to see more independent retailers appearing on the high street. Two hotels have sprung up and we will soon have a new library with a cinema. It’s certainly a very different Sidcup to the 1952 version!

Our society was formed during that year, initially as an offshoot from a local history class that met at Lamorbey Park Adult Education Centre. Originally called the Local History Group, it became a fullyfledged society in 1956 and holds a wealth of information on the town and the fascinating people who’ve inhabited it over the years.