Here at Fairlawn, let’s journey through time. Fairlawn is a house with stories etched in its walls. Let’s unlock some of them.
Fairlawn Park house prices averaged about £730,000 last year. That’s a significant jump. Prices were up 14% from the previous year. They were also 19% up from the 2018 peak of £612,667. Imagine the changes this street has seen.
Now, picture Fairlawn Park in the mid-20th century. David Jackaman lived at 126 Fairlawn Park. This was from 1948 to about 1956. His home was an Acom prefab. Six of these prefabs stood on a bomb site. They were on the east side of the loop. Another group was likely on the west side.
David remembers the council yard behind his house. A wall topped with broken glass separated them. As a boy, he enjoyed smashing those bottles. Next door lived the De Dulin family. Keith De Dulin later became a celebrity in New Zealand. Mrs. North lived next to them. David and Keith played Monopoly at her house. Arguments led to them being banned from playing there again.
The Chapman family lived in a brick house nearby. Their sons were David and John. Searle’s Garage was down the road. It had an entrance off Fairlawn Park. It backed onto Home Park. This was a shortcut to Haseltine school. Lazy students used it until they were caught. Searle once bought a huge US saloon car. It was probably ex-army.
At the top of the loop was the entrance to the allotments. David’s father had a plot there. He gave it up when the prefabs were demolished. The family moved to Lewisham then. The prefab was cold in winter. It had a refrigerator and a back boiler. There was also an inside loo and bathroom. Two bedrooms, a coal bunker, and a fitted kitchen completed it. It even had a small garden.
David’s father worked at the Bell Green gas works. His mum worked as a home machinist. They bought one of the first TVs on the street. This was to watch the coronation in 1953. He recalls a street party held for it. Bomb sites near Sydenham Road were playgrounds. Parked buses were also play areas. Kids collected used bus tickets there.
The loop of Fairlawn Park was perfect for bike races. Little traffic meant the road was theirs. Cricket was played with a wicket chalked on a house. No one seemed to mind. Mr. Wilson ran a general store on Sydenham Road. He drove a Morris Commercial van. David went to Haseltine Primary.
Teachers taught practical skills. One year, they made microphones from wood and tin foil. At an open day, they built Morse keys and spark transmitters. David believes his prefab’s plot is now a through road. His dad collected tarred wood blocks from lifted tramlines. These ended up in their yard and burned well.
Another Fairlawn Park resident recalls a different life. Jim and Amy Riley lived at 128 Fairlawn Park. Their house was bombed in the war. They were safe in their Anderson shelter. Their grand-niece slept through the air raid. She remembered being led through the ruins. They rented number 83. The original tenants had fled to the west country. This family also attended Haseltine school.
After this glimpse into Fairlawn, consider its evolution. From post-war prefabs to today’s housing market. Fairlawn Park has changed. Yet, echoes of the past remain. They linger in the bricks and the memories of those who lived here.