Essex Girls!

Mishap how amazing, we might have worked together! I worked there throughout the summer of 1966. And oh yes, the bottom pinching!
I remember on a couple of occasions being asked to help in the workshop filling cartons with ice-cream for sale in local shops. The machinery couldn't be stopped so we had to form a conveyer belt: me popping open the flat packed cartons and handing them one at a time to the Italian guy. He filled it from the machine and then passed it to someone else to do up the flaps and stack in the freezer. The rhythm couldn't be broken, so when I dropped one of the cartons on the floor, awash with filthy ice-cream, I naturally left it there and picked up another one quickly. Oh no! Can't waste them! Dirty one had to be picked up, wiped on the front of the Italian guy's once white coat, and filled with ice-cream. And they all smoked while doing this - cigarettes hanging from their lips because both hands were in constant use.
It did rather put me off ice-cream for quite a while

There's a TOWIE tour starting at Brentwood station.

pompa moonlight time was when the mirror ball went round and round and flooded the floor with starlight ( all a bit cheesy but I loved it so much) it was also the time that I wondered if anyone would EVER pick me to dance with before I had to run to catch the 25 bus home.

Sorry Chloe I was courting Mrs P then, we met when she was 16. We used to go to the Tottenham Royal, Ilford Palais, Brentwood Meads and the Basidon Locarno along with various jazz clubs and small music venues.

pompa no problem stayed a wallflower until Mr Chloe swept me off my feet at the Fiddlers one never to be forgotten night around 1969.

Oh Meads Ballroom! That was a great night out. And who remembers Shades nightclub in Southend - well, nearer Thorpe Bay really. And the Shrubbery, right at the end of the High Street, on the right, facing the seafront.

My Rossis experiences started with washing up - the water was filthy! - and then out front selling ice cream on the sea front in a little kiosk. I went up to uni in 1966, and was working in the children's home that summer, but was at Rossis the summer before - so I probably missed you.

Most of my courting was at uni rather than Southend, where I was a sweet innocent girl.

I am from the North but met my two best friends, to this day, in North Wales. One was from near Colchester and I spent a whole summer fruit picking - strawberries, blackberries and apples near there. The memories are as if they were yesterday. I loved it! The other friend was from Leigh on Sea and visiting her was an eye opener! The only time I have ever been sailing was there and this was followed by an evening at the sailing club. I had never been anywhere so posh (and still haven't)! This was almost 50 years ago and I have never been back. TOWIE bears no resemblance to my memories so I guess Essex is as diverse as Lancashire.

I have just wasted a lot of time looking up old haunts on the net. It is addictive - time for bed! I found my old singing teacher Freda Parry and discovered that she was Hubert Parry's cousin. And my old GP; and one of my primary teachers etc.....fascinating!

I started by looking up Bread and Cheese Hill to check that I remembered its strange name aright - and it was right.

Born in Essex (near Chelmsford), both parents and both grandfathers born in Essex. One set of grandparents lived in Westcliff, the other set near Colchester. One of my favourite places in the world is Goldhanger.

I was born in Clapham, moved to Wembley when 4 years old, Romford at 8 years old, a Suffolk village at 13 years old and then Colchester. After that, West Sussex and Lancashire but for the last 27 years in East London. I suppose I think of myself as a Londoner primarily although the teenage years I spent in Romford were very happy.

I was born in Black Notley Hospital Braintree though my parents lived in Stratford East London. it was a TB hospital - mother had TB. at birth I was wisked off to a nursery in Writtle while mother convalesced in Passmore Edwards on Clacton sea front. Back to London then a move to Clacton when I was 10 where I stayed until I was 25- moved to Colchester and did my nurse training there. Several years later moved to Chelmsford and then to Witham, after that just one year in Rayleigh as I was working in Southend. DH took early retirement from his job at Thurrock Council and we moved to Wensleydale. Two and half years later being too cold we moved a bit further down to the east Midlands where we will stay I think. I miss Essex and feel more at home there but DH wont move back - the congestion gets to him. I have a sister and MIL in Colchester so a meet up would be good.

I'm an Essex girl. Born in Little Thurrock. That's between Grays and Tilbury. The 1953 flood water came to the bottom of our road. A lot of the old houses had a Dutch style influence but most got pulled down in the 60's. West Thurrock was covered in cement from the Blue circle cement works, and we also had a margarine factory and other proctor and gamble works. IN East Thurrock there was a Bata shoe factory and all junior school kids got free plimsolls each year. Lots of people worked at Tilbury Docks as dockers but some went as far as Dagenham to the Ford plant. My dad worked in the docks at both Tilbury and the Royal Docks in the East end of London.
At the end of our road there was a very large quarry dug at the time before the Stone Age for the flints. We also had Dane holes underground caves where Flint was extracted before Roman times.
We also had tilbury fort which I believe was Elizabethan.
I escaped Essex when at 18 I joined the WRAF. My accent at that time was definitely North Thames Gas Board but now that's gone otherwise I could be in East Enders!

We also had a Rossi ice cream factory in the Broadway and sixpence and a pudding basin got filled up.

Eleothan - I too was born in Clapham at my grandmother's house in Tregarvon Road.

And I also remember the floods, particularly as they affected Canvey Island just down the road from us.

Mishap I was also born at my grandparents' house - in Grandison Road.

I can't claim to be a born and bred Essex lad, I was born in Yorkshire, but have lived in Essex for the greatest part of my life.

Pompa I do agree with you about Frinton. It was our most visited beach when I was a child - the whole family, 6 of us, would pile into the car on a sunny Sunday and spend the day there, then drive up to Clacton for fish and chips in the early evening.
I've lived in Devon for 38 years but I still miss Essex. I do visit now and again because my family are still there, in the Maldon and Burnham area. Last time we spent an afternoon at Battlesbridge antiques centre and another afternoon wandering around Colchester. And yes, Tiptree is lovely, rural England at its best but so close to the capital. Good choice!

I live in Southend. The department store you are thinking of is Dixons.
Would it surprise some of you that there is now a Michelin (sp) stared restaurant at the corner by the Kursal. The Kursal casino was where I worked as a croupier for the Walker brothers (Billy Walker, the boxer) that was interesting :-)
The Keddies family home is now a wedding venue. I love my home town, and as I've said before: kiss me quick hats are a tiny part of the town.

Is there still a fishmonger's under the railway bridge petra? Come to that, is there still a railway bridge? . There used to be another department store, on the other side of the high street to Keddies. It was on a corner. I bought the fabric for my wedding dress there! Can't remember what it was called though, think it began with a P. Any ideas?

Hi AshTree. No, the fishmongers has gone. The bridge is still there and there's always a good music being played there.
I'm trying to think what was opposite Keddies. Will try to remember to look when I next go to our beautiful new library. That's looking at old pics.

It wasn't opposite Keddies, just that it was on the other side of the road. I just had a look on google maps and I think it was the building on the corner of Clifftown Road and High Street - now Bargain Buys.

It came to me this afternoon, petra - I think it was Plummers.

Plummers sounds familiar, was it a curtain, material shop?

I worked for a time in the old central library, the red brick one.