This week we are looking back at life in the ‘Roaring 20s’, with a focus on the businesses and activities of ordinary people.
From a fundraiser started for a new town ambulance to a wartime camp converted by the Girl Guides, these photos capture Romford and Hornchurch in the 1920s.
Life in Romford and Hornchurch in the 1920s captured in old photos
Romford Town Ambulance – 1920
The formal ceremony to mark the transferring of Romford Town Ambulance to the council in 1920 (Image: Havering Libraries-Local Studies)
The Romford Town Ambulance was funded by public donations starting in September 1918 and officially dedicated in October that year.
It served more 300 patients, both military and civilian, before being handed over to the Romford Urban District Council in May 1920, in a ceremony captured in this photo.
READ MORE: Vintage buses from Romford’s past in photos, 1920s to 1982
Captain AE Martin, the Romford MP at the time, is seated third from the right, and presented the ambulance to the council alongside his wife.
Grey Towers Guides Camp, Hornchurch – 1923-1929
Between 1923 and 1929, Grey Towers in Hornchurch – formerly used as a wartime military camp and convalescent hospital – became a training centre and rest camp for the Girl Guide Movement through the efforts of Mrs Fraser-Parkes.
The site included facilities such as camps, equipment, and a swimming bath, with space for 30 Guides indoors and 250 campers.
The final camp took place in June 1929 before the estate was redeveloped for housing, according to Havering Libraries.
J. Mason 18, Market Place, Romford – 1920s
This photograph shows the outfitters shop at 18 Market Place, Romford, in the 1920s, run by Gertrude Mason and sales assistant Dorothy Tredget.
The shop, listed as John Mason Outfitters, specialised in ladies’ clothing, with Gertrude managing it while her husband, John, worked for a neighbouring ironmonger.
The family left the shop before 1933, but Dorothy continued her career as a saleswoman in drapery, living to the age of 100.
South Street, Romford – c.1924
This grainy image shows the entrance to South Street at the Market End in the mid-1920s, when Romford had an estimated population of 20,500, according to Havering Libraries.
A lone policeman directs traffic on the quiet street, where businesses like C. Baldwin, Hatter and Hosier, and Lasham’s chemist can be seen, alongside the Fox and Hounds pub, which closed in 1928.
A.E. Ling’s shop, Oak Road, Harold Wood – c. 1927
Albert Edward Ling, born on February 18, 1905, in Camden, moved with his family to Harold Wood by 1919.
By 1927, Albert was established as a cycle agent in Oak Road, Harold Wood, and this photo shows his shop in Oak Road, A.E. Ling Cycle and Pram Service, Sports Goods and Sundries.
He lived in Harold Wood for most of his life and died on May 3, 1989.
