Back Lane, Rochford

In the 1950's I used to visit my great aunt and uncle who lived in a large house in South street. We never entered by the front door but instead went round To Back Lane and walked through a large high wooden door into a yard where there was a pump with large iron handle. On the far side of the yard was a stable. The house was dark inside, and there were glass fronted cabinets containing stuffed animals. There was also a pair of snow shoes hanging up in the hall. My great aunt and uncle lived at the house with another relative who died and I have memories of an auction of the house contents with an auctioneer selling from a front window of the house. My great aunt then moved to a clapper board house in West street. When I was a bit older I would visit my aunt travelling on the train from Southend and the fare was two pence farthing.

I used to walk up Back Lane when catching the 11 to Paglesham in the 1950s and it certainly sported some odd buildings. One was the storage barn to Cramphorns where you could get your bunny hay. At the rear of The Kings Head were stables which were in use in the 1950s. I remember being placed on a stabled horse which at that time appeared enormous as I was only a nipper back then. If you look carefully it had written in faded painted writing "good stabling". This was a real throw back to the pre-motor car era. At the top of Back Lane was Arthy's Bakery shop and the bakery itself with yard. The other bakery in the town was Clements in South Street. They delivered bread in a brown electric van right up into the 1980s

I remember the tall wooden building in Back lane where they used to sell duvets, quite a new thing in the early 70s. you had to go upstairs in the wooden buiding, the air was full of dust from the duck down. They also sold flowery nylon covers and pillow cases.