Martindale Avenue 1936 - 1965

Nash/Spearink Family

My Great Aunt Daisy and her husband moved to this council bungalow in the early thirties. Great Uncle Bert was a bricklayer and moved for work and the house that went with it.  I last visited them in 1965 so can’t remember where it was. This was taken in 1936 I think.  I have over 40 photos of the house and garden and some on a farm worked by people called French, if my memory serves me correctly.  I am afraid I can’t recall my Great Uncle’s surname.

Peter Spearink

Upon receiving the above from Peter, I started some research.  Using the online records and the Electoral Register I was able to establish that the couple mentioned were Daisy and Bert Nash of 22 Martindale Avenue, Laindon, which is off Wash Road.  This ties in nicely with the nearby farmer called French who was based at Watch House Farm, Wash Road.  It appears that Daisy and Bert had three children, Eric, Leslie and Doreen.

The bungalow, 22 Martindale Avenue still remains today and can be seen on Google Earth.

Nina Humphrey

These two pictures are of the front of 22 Martindale Avenue. Mr and Mrs French are in the second photo and the car belonged to them.  Mr French, the farmer, is wearing the hat. 

More of Peter’s photos are shown below.

These snaps were all taken in the garden and show how Bert used it to the full. You can clearly see the chickens which I remember so well. In the early fifties, well before ordinary folk had turkey at Christmas, it was the only time of the year that we had chicken. Our equivalent of chicken was rabbit. I remember a highlight of the year was going on the train down to Aunt Dais to collect our three chickens, one for us, one for Gran and one for Uncle Stan. Doesn’t seem possible today does it?

Note the mangle!  My mum and aunt Flo, Stan’s wife.  Stan was my dad’s brother. 

I was amazed to see on Google Earth that the house is still looking over open farmland. That garden seemed enormous to me as a child. There were some photos of me down there but they must have got lost at some time.

This last photo must have been taken in the mid to late sixties.  Bert is at the back left and Dais at the front of course.  Chickens seem to have gone and all the veg plot.  I hope these will be of interest to the people who live there now.  

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  • It’s lovely to see the old photos of my family. Daisy and Bert ( my maternal grandparents) actually had 4 children- Eric, Leslie, Doreen and Joan . Joan is my mum – she and dad had 4 daughters, me being the smallest child in the large family pic. My mum is the lady on the left. Thought you may find it interesting and wanted to let you know about mum being the fourth child of Daisy and Bert.

    By Wendy Peirce ( nee Mahoney) (10/01/2021)
  • I remember the Nash family well as I lived at number 3 Martindale.

    By Alan Taylor (09/03/2020)
  • My pm’s father was part of a cooperative that built a group of about 20 houses in a block around Tavistock Road Laindon, the houses shown above look very familiar, are they near?

    Editor:-  As the crow flies the two roads are about three quarters of a mile apart – a little bit more by road.

    By Janice French (10/09/2016)

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