Shops and Shopping

Fab morning spent at the new Brights Centre with Age Concern members and new visitors. Looking at shops and shopping in Rainham we created a 2D facade of shop fronts along Upminster Road South at the present time together with a 3D 'village' of fascia's and information from past shops and businesses in the same area.

We also met a Centenarian! Trixie turned 100 at the end of November and helped us with many layers of histories in Rainham!

A-Z of Rainham and Timelines at The Village Christmas Fayre

RAVE (Rainham Association for Village Events) are the organisation behind the Rainham Village Fayres which exist to promote Rainham Village and its small business's, the Fayres have been running for about 20 years now, they take place on the 1st  May bank holiday and the 1st Saturday in December.

We were invited by both the Library and the Youth Centre to have a stall at the Christmas Fayre so decided to take up both offers and took on some hired help to assist!

Had an enjoyable day chatting to local people and collecting memories and happenings for our timeline and some amazing A-Z artworks from youngsters together with facts, dislikes and likes in the village. (tried some amazing juice from the stall next door too - ginger, carrot and kiwi!)

Planning and Shoes

Day in The Ship Centre organising everything for the Christmas event on Saturday. The Youth Centre have created some fab alphabet letters, need to buy washing line and pegs! Popped into the shoe shop to chat to the owner about it's history and shopping in Rainham, so much has changed since the new store arrived, couldn't believe it had been there since 1990! Essex Footwear is right next to the walkway to the big store and had some of it's land compulsory purchased to create the 'alley'.

Map Mania in Romford

Visited the Local History section of Romford library to look at some of the old maps of Rainham and the surrounding area. Fascinating selection of maps from across the years, interesting to see the changes in the local landscape across time.

So Sad So Deri Sad

Interesting day in the library, found a new section of reference books with a couple of gems, one book all about Rainham Town FC formed in 1945 and disbanded in 1994. Also found a book of street names which mentions 'Deri' a local social worker who has a road named after him.

Have a few ideas now emerging; A Rainham A-Z or perhaps an acrostic from Rainham Trail; Ruins Archway etc.. Then there's a handful of lost stories, the Royalty and the Bridge, the hidden compartment in the chest inside the Norman church, allotment workers arriving by train from London, the library fire, and then the unexplained; smugglers tunnels, Viking Way (why viking way?) the buildings behind the buildings, the empty social services building.....

Lots more to find out we feel!

Ray & Dot

Had a visit from Ray & Dot Wright during our day at Rainham Library and had a lovely chat about their lives in the village and their families.

Ray's grandad, Alfred Walls was a lamplighter and lit 52 lamps from the clock tower to Wennington Road every evening, he also ran the bike repair shop during weekends, rowed the ferry across the Thames & carried out car repairs and all in addition to his day job! Ray also told us a really sad story about his grandfather. In addition to all his jobs Alfred was asked if he could become the grave digger for the village which he accepted only to find the first grave he dug was for his wife and child.

On a lighter note Ray and Dot told us about the fire station built on the little factory site in Wennington and the fight for it to be built, about the smog, the new A1306,  Ford's - where Ray applied to work for because the wages were 2s11d an hour, more than he could earn working with his father as a lorry driver.

We learnt about dried fish skins being taken to London by horse and cart to sell, about the allotments, the families with large houses who employed local people to keep the ditches of the Ingrebourne River clean and clear of weeds.

We also found out Ray is 81 years old and Dot is 80 years old and they look amazing! 58 years of marriage too - clearly Rainham is good for you!

Post it!

Productive day at The Ship Centre (nice cup cake too!) read a couple of books on the history of Rainham, made contact with RAVE and booked an appointment to visit Romford Library Local Studies Centre to look at some old maps of Rainham and other sources of information.

Started jotting down the variety of information coming through so far and the water isn't going away! Read about a possible tunnel linking Rainham Hall to the river which would have been created for smuggling. Also found out the May Fayre was offering coach trips down to the river from Rainham to see the wildlife there and then there is the new walkway connecting the village back to the marshes and river. Oh and the new maze at Rainham Hall is created from sailing knots.