#103

Businesses which had been around this part of Cranbrook Road for 30 years or more started to disappear by the early 1990s. Popular watchmakers, fishmongers and tailors had sat amongst the dry cleaners, estate agents and financial services but were closing down or moving out as traditional retail focussed around the High Road. The rise of the convenience store from the mid-80s has seen its presence consistent here since, as have restaurants of varying international cuisine. In the last 10 years the boutique café and beauty clinic has seen an upsurge in town centres. Are they the intergenerational businesses of the future?

[@rajnirvan3336]

Wow early 80s Ilford was memorable. 1982 was my 1st knowledge of Ilford

[@IlfordRetro]

You've always had a good memory Raj....

[@rajnirvan3336]

@@IlfordRetro Oh definitely. Fun and happier times

[@pandora8478]

As a little boy walking to school, I remember shops like Wests showing how well to do ilford was. I went to a private school called Cra’;nbrook College on Mansfield rd, and there were two private girl’s schools nearby, Park and Ursuline.

[@IlfordRetro]

It's sad to read that in recent years both Cranbrook College and Park School have closed, I believe due to lesser intake numbers. Wests definitely was upmarket and one of the earlier department stores to close down unfortunately.

[@ClydebridgeStation]

The Gateway building society sign needs explaining. Although not a branch of the Gateway, Lawleys estate agents would've been a local agent for the Gateway, offering limited facilities, such as paying in cash to an account, or withdrawals, or making payments for a mortgage. They would've only offered these, and perhaps a couple of other facilities, a Gateway branch offering full facilities. You may be interested to know, the Temperance Building Society merged with the Bedfordshire Building Society in 1974, to create the Gateway Building Society. In 1988, the Gateway merged with the woolwich equitable building society, to create the Woolwich building Society, itself later taken over, and absorbed into Barclays. It's therefore possible that upon the merger, Lawleys switched from being an agent for the Gateway, to one for the Woolwich. Nowadays, estate agents acting as local agents for building societies, are quite a rare thing. Certainly, here in Fife, I can't recall the last time I saw a local agent for a building society.

[@IlfordRetro]

You have comprehensively filled in a hole in the research I did for this episode - very much appreciated. I noted the Gateway signage and didn't connect it to Lawleys being an agent for them, which makes sense, but rather that Gateway Building Society had at some stage been there, but fitting in a caption to say this seemed laboured. Had I thought about it further, signage of that style would not have predated Lawleys which was there from at least the late 60s. It means your summary is the most likely story behind it, so thanks for explaining it! I wonder if the notion of having estate agents acting as local agents for building societies faded out during the spate of demutualisations and closures of their estate agency branches during the mid to late 90s?

[@amankataria1997]

Have you got cross the road where the new hotel is? That would be interesting

[@IlfordRetro]

I wish I had a good photo of it as it was, and I agree it would be interesting to do one featuring it because a lot of change has happened there since the early days of Cranbrook Road.

[@peterb514]

Haha.. I can be first for once! The bus is a Leyland Titan.. in my time (mid 60s-late 70s) they introduced new types on the 167, replacing the venerable RT, firstly with the double deck DMS, then not long after replaced by the new single deck, dual door SMS, which was three feet shorter than the MB series which proved to be too long for service and also very unreliable. I used to get off at the stop before that turning if I was visiting Owen Clarke art shop!

[@IlfordRetro]

Indeed, thanks for giving the first comment on this one. Good recollection on the bus types, I have a photo of a DMS at this junction but it wasn't as good. I wasn't local at the time of the SMS and it's interesting to hear they were introduced to solve the length issues for the route. The RTs were a classic looking vehicle weren't they, and Owen Clark was a classic shop!

[@storm3698]

I have just returned from visiting my family in Newbury Park and we went to Ilford a few times. I was fortunate to be in Ilford for Mercato Metropolitano opening on Thursday. I must say i was quite impressed about the size of the place and range of food on offer. Worth a visit.

[@peterb514]

@@IlfordRetro indeed it was! The SMS was the last single deck bus that was specifically designed by the then London Transport. Until a few years ago I owned three RF single deckers, one of which was a Green Line coach. The closest an RF got to where I lived was Chigwell Row (Express route 724) which ran from Romford all the way to High Wycombe (later Heathrow Airport). Red RFs generally ran on routes where there was a height restriction. Again, the only red RF I actually rode on was route 250 which ran from Romford to Epping. Sorry… lots of geeky comments from me today 🤣

[@IlfordRetro]

@@storm3698 Really nice to hear you had a good time, and that you picked a locally historic day. That market has been 5 years in the making so it's good to hear that it's worth a visit. I will have to go and sample what's on offer.

[@IlfordRetro]

@@peterb514 You once owned three RF single deckers?! No need to apologise for the geeky info, you are a true enthusiast! The green routes really did go far and wide; imagine a route from Romford to High Wycombe now......