The Flash Flood of 1955

I can remember the Storms and floods that occurred n 1955, when the ravene lake on Plumstead Common flooded and overflowed in torrents down into Roydene Road flooding many houses. Also, what with the huge amount of water flowing down Tormount Road this all added to the volume of water and the flood damage. A lot of the houses in Lakedale Road were also flooded out during this storm.

A big gate on the back of Dickins shop was taken of its hinges and swept all the way down the road.

I was about nine years old at the time and it was really frightening for me at the time. I was living on the hill in Tormount Road at the time and I had just gone down to Mr Haywood's house, in Roydene Road. He was a bus driver and I was there to pick up the tickets for a day trip to the seaside with my family at the weekend.

I literally had to hang on to the walls and the railings to get back up to my house. And being only nine years old at the time I honestly thought that I was going to be swept away down the road. It had only took me five minuets to walk down the road, but it took me nearly an hour to get back home!

The flood only lasted for about three hours. It just came from nowhere, then, it just stopped and the sun came out. But it had caused a lot of damage in that short amount of time.

A lot of the trees came down by the ravine, one went through the garage roof of the man who later was to become my father-in -law.

Graham Day (Hopper)