News Shopper: Bexley, Bromley, Dartford, Gravesham, Greenwich, Lewisham & north Kent

Bob Ogley

Welcome to the News Shopper nostalgia column with Bob Ogley. Read an introduction from Bob, and if you have a story, photograph, letter or an anecdote to pass on, write to him at Bob Ogley, News Shopper, Mega House. Crest View Drive, Petts Wood, Kent BR5 1BT or email bobogley@globalnet.co.uk. You can also visit his website: frogletspublications.co.uk

Nostalgia: Bob Ogley looks back 50, 60 and 65 years ago

11:06am Wednesday 12th June 2013

1963: Henry Cooper, south London’s own British heavyweight champion, shocks US boxer Cassius Clay at Wembley on June 18 by sending him sprawling in round four. Saved by the bell, Clay recovers and forces Cooper to retire with a cut eye in the next round.

Have your say

How people were knocked up by a pea shooter

11:03am Wednesday 12th June 2013

THIS photograph of Mary Smith, the East End knocker-up wielding a pea shooter, was taken by Sidcup photographer John Topham in 1931.

Have your say

Community spirit strong in remembering Tom Thornton

11:00am Wednesday 12th June 2013

Tom Thornton would never have seen an email in his life but his name has kept cropping up in my inbox since I wrote about his efforts to save Kelsey Park for the people of Beckenham.

Have your say

Profumo affair, Christine Keeler, Harold Macmillan and Bromley

10:58am Wednesday 12th June 2013

BOB OGLEY remembers a scandal which brought down a prime minister.

Have your say

Wilmington D-Day veteran tells of Normandy landing 69 years ago

3:40pm Monday 10th June 2013

A D-DAY veteran from Wilmington has spoken of being one of the first to land in Normandy in a hail of bullets.

Have your say

Nostalgia: Bob Ogley looks back 20, 80 and 100 years ago

12:18pm Wednesday 15th May 2013

1993: A memorial stone was erected by the Metropolitan Police in memory of Det Con John Fordham who was stabbed to death by Kenneth Noye, in January 1985, in the grounds of Noye’s home at West Kingsdown. Noye was later acquitted, after claiming he acted in self-defence.

Have your say

Memories of stuffed walrus at Horniman Museum in Forest Hill

12:15pm Wednesday 15th May 2013

If you have visited the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill, then you would have seen the famous, wrinkle-free overstuffed walrus which has been on display since it arrived in 1901.

Have your say

Spare a thought for Tom Thornton and his Beckenham newspaper campaigns

12:09pm Wednesday 15th May 2013

BOB OGLEY finds out about the crusading campaigns of Tom Thornton.

Have your say

St Paul’s Cray recycling plant fire prompts look at area’s history of raging infernos

9:51am Thursday 2nd May 2013

BOB OGLEY finds out about the area’s history of raging infernos.

Have your say

Nostalgia: Bob Ogley looks back 40, 70 and 100 years ago

9:47am Thursday 2nd May 2013

1973: A young Bromley student turned pop star returned in triumph from a world tour.

Have your say

Why is it River Darent but the Darenth valley?

9:44am Thursday 2nd May 2013

WHY is the river called The Darent and the valley through which it runs The Darenth?

Have your say

Was writer Enid Blyton a scheming adulteress?

10:49am Thursday 18th April 2013

BOB OGLEY finds out about the claims Enid Blyton had a dark side.

Have your say

Nostalgia: Bob Ogley looks back 25, 70 and 100 years ago

10:46am Thursday 18th April 2013

1988: The government announced construction would begin on Canary Wharf, located on the West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs.

Have your say

Remembering glamorous County Ball at Royal Bell Hotel in Bromley

10:34am Thursday 18th April 2013

A good friend, David Alston from Shortlands, is a man who knows his local history and often reminds me of an approaching anniversary.

Have your say

Gravesend, Erith and Belvedere flood victims meet Queen

4:16pm Thursday 11th April 2013

Don Talbot, from Gravesend, reminds me in an email of the Queen’s visit to Gravesend, Erith and Belvedere in the wake of the 1953 tidal surge, which left hundreds of people homeless.

Nostalgia: Bob Ogley looks back 30, 70 and 100 years ago

11:17am Wednesday 6th March 2013

1983: The giant Thames Flood Barrier, built by the GLC at a cost of £460m, was lifted for the first time following a flood alert. The barrier would be officially opened by the Queen the following year.

Have your say

Recalling Orpington by-election shock of 1962

11:14am Wednesday 6th March 2013

THE Liberal Democrat party is not enjoying its finest hour.

Singer Dorothy Squires' turbulent life: Her marriage to Roger Moore and fire at Bexley home

10:37am Wednesday 6th March 2013

BOB OGLEY looks back at the turbulent life of singer Dorothy Squires.

Nostalgia: Bob Ogley looks back 25, 50 and 100 years ago

11:57am Friday 22nd February 2013

1988: The National Union of Seamen supported a strike by ferry workers at Dover, airports were hit by flight delays due to strikes on the continent and there were 120 million undelivered letters due to a strike by postmen over bonuses.

Bob Ogley nostalgia column

Have your say

Race against time after Thames Estuary floods of 1953

11:52am Friday 22nd February 2013

Historian BOB OGLEY has had letters from readers sharing their memories of the floods in February 1953.

Bob Ogley nostalgia column

Have your say

News Shopper celebrates publishing 2,500th edition of newspaper

10:55am Wednesday 20th February 2013

THIS is a momentous day in News Shopper’s history as we publish our 2,500th edition.

Bob Ogley nostalgia column on News Shopper

Nostalgia: Bob Ogley looks back 50, 60 and 100 years ago

12:48pm Wednesday 6th February 2013

1963: Attempts are made to float a preservation company and re-open the railway line between Westerham and the main line at Dunton Green.

Have your say

Readers share memories of winter 1963 in south London and Kent

12:31pm Wednesday 6th February 2013

Mr article on News Shopper on January 9 about the long, cold winter of 1963 has prompted a few memories.

Have your say

Sandhurst School WW2 bombing in Catford remembered

12:19pm Wednesday 6th February 2013

Historian BOB OGLEY looks back at the Sandhurst School bombing during the Second World War.

Have your say

Photo of Erith Burndept’s factory before Second World War bombing

2:48pm Wednesday 30th January 2013

THIS historic photograph is thought to be a thriving Erith factory before it was bombed during the Second World War.

Have your say

Remembering the Thames Estuary floods of 1953

10:34am Wednesday 23rd January 2013

The storms of 1953 caused much more damage than the 1987 hurricane. BOB OGLEY recalls the floods.

Nostalgia: Bob Ogley looks back 50, 70 and 100 years ago

10:42am Wednesday 23rd January 2013

1913: After the takeover of the National Telephone Company by the Post Office, new tall ‘H-poles’ are established on trunk roads throughout Kent.

Have your say

An introduction to Bob Ogley's SE London and Kent nostalgia column

4:02pm Wednesday 9th January 2013

THIS is a great privilege. News Shopper’s editor has invited me to take an occasional journey back into that magical world which we know as nostalgia.

How Dr Richard Beeching's rail cuts of 1963 sparked uproar

4:56pm Wednesday 9th January 2013

SOME readers will remember the man pictured. His name was Dr Richard Beeching and 50 years ago, as chairman of British Railways, he began to compile a report on the future of the country’s cherished railway network.

Have your say

Nostalgia: 50 and 100 years ago in SE London and north Kent

4:44pm Wednesday 9th January 2013

1913: Pioneering pilot Leslie Macdonald and his mechanic, Harry English, died from their injuries after crashing into the River Thames.

Have your say

Coldest winter in SE London and north Kent recalled

4:35pm Wednesday 9th January 2013

A FEW weeks ago I was giving a talk in Orpington and asked my audience to name the coldest winter of the 20th century.

Essential Links

Local Information

Enter your postcode, town or place name

House prices » Schools » Crime » Hospitals »

click2find

About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.