The Kent History Forum

Life Stories and Personal Memories => Personal Memories => Topic started by: KeithG on June 10, 2020, 01:31:31 PM

Title: Evening News Printing Office Rochester
Post by: KeithG on June 10, 2020, 01:31:31 PM
This office used to hire us scooter owners to deliver the Evening News on a Saturday at 5pm to all the local Newspaper shops within the area. This was the quickest way in the congested Medway Towns at this time of day to get the papers to the shops.

Reason why was because all the Football Results came out by 5pm and all hell let loose to sell more papers rather than people just see it on the TV.

The office also had their own scooter a blue Lambretta 150cc with a large yellow box on the back for the large amount of papers.
We just had a paper round type of canvass bag which was put in our metal carriers on the back of the bike. It was good fun also using up Saturdays and meeting other friends with bikes who worked there.

The premises in Victoria Street off Star Hill Rochester was at the rear of the then Conservative Club down in the cellar part. You can see it in the GSV picture but they have altered the brickwork and the large wide door which was on the right has been done away with. The white and black vehicles on the left backed against the wall is where the picture of the group of bikes are.

Looking from Star Hill you can make out the advertising hoardings which is B&W picture of my bike back behind them. In Colour you can see why i chose Orange as our house was the only orange painted one in the street. The Reg. Number is August 1964 when the County Council used up some odd registrations.
Title: Re: Evening Standard Printing Office Rochester
Post by: shoot999 on June 10, 2020, 02:41:27 PM
Did an evening  paper round from there early 60s. Only lasted a week as I was earning more packing up  for the market traders on a friday evening.
If memory serves there was also an ice cream place in the same area. Some of the lads would do a paper round then  push the old ice cream carts around the streets on a summers day.
Title: Re: Evening News Printing Office Rochester
Post by: KeithG on June 10, 2020, 03:51:50 PM
Yes... the ice cream place was just around the corner up Star Hill. On the right were some double black gates that led down to a large courtyard and ice cream vans were also there as I used to go with my best mate on Sundays selling ices. Got into trouble sometimes selling on others pitches so we used to just shoot off quick.
The gates were either by No. 16 or 20 or maybe even just as you shoot off to Delce.... not easy to be accurate now as there is even a new build behind some gates?
Title: Re: Evening News Printing Office Rochester
Post by: AlanTH on June 11, 2020, 11:18:22 AM

Can't remember the Evening News place Walls Ice Cream was just up Star Hill on the right. Selling ice creams cornets etc. from one of their vans was just one of the many jobs I had in what could be termed a "varied career". :)
Started there one  Saturday morning in the 60s along with a young Irish lad we went up to Weedswood and Wayfield estates to flog our wares and did we cop some abuse from some of the awful women that lived there because we didn't have soft serve only the hard block cornets.
We took a few bob, got fed up with the whole thing so took the van back and walked over to the Star Inn and drank the proceeds. Never heard from Walls again.
AlanTH.
Title: Re: Evening News Printing Office Rochester
Post by: castle261 on June 24, 2020, 11:17:32 PM
Talking about Star Hill - Half way up on the left hand side - there are a beautiful pair of silver gates.
Entrance maybe to a paddock, the gates - crafted by a blacksmith - to me look like the ones, that
stand in Hyde Park London, to commemorate - the Queen Mother. - have a look - if passing.
Title: Re: Evening News Printing Office Rochester
Post by: DaveTheTrain on June 24, 2020, 11:55:54 PM
Talking about Star Hill - Half way up on the left hand side - there are a beautiful pair of silver gates.
Entrance maybe to a paddock, the gates - crafted by a blacksmith - to me look like the ones, that
stand in Hyde Park London, to commemorate - the Queen Mother. - have a look - if passing.


The Rochester Independent College backs onto those gates.  The building to the left is the boy's house for older boarders.


The building you can see behind it is the groundsmans' hut if I recall correctly, and the tennis/basketball court is at the end of the track.  You can access the court via a footpath from the school grounds.  I don't know if those gates are part of the college or not, I suspect may be.  They are certainly and odd design with flying pigs.
Title: Re: Evening News Printing Office Rochester
Post by: Lyn L on June 25, 2020, 06:35:24 AM
Yes the gates are part of the College. Designed to show how important music is there. They are musical although haven't heard them myself.


I found this ..[size=78%]https://rochester-college.org/our-difference/location/discover-rics-campus (https://rochester-college.org/our-difference/location/discover-rics-campus)[/size]        scroll down to Musical gates and flying pigs.
Title: Re: Evening News Printing Office Rochester
Post by: DaveTheTrain on June 25, 2020, 09:41:30 AM
Yes the gates are part of the College. Designed to show how important music is there. They are musical although haven't heard them myself.


I found this ..[size=78%]https://rochester-college.org/our-difference/location/discover-rics-campus (https://rochester-college.org/our-difference/location/discover-rics-campus)[/size]        scroll down to Musical gates and flying pigs.


Thanks Lyn,  that is a very interesting bit of video.  I recognised Brian, the former owner of the college in the video.  I think he still owns the buildings and land.  I hope the gates weather in a bit and gain a bit of patina and they will be very interesting.  We had a look around the college last year whilst looking for a suitable school, it is certainly an interesting place.


DTT
Title: Re: Evening News Printing Office Rochester
Post by: stuartwaters on June 27, 2020, 10:25:25 AM
Can we keep it on topic please.....
Title: Re: Evening News Printing Office Rochester
Post by: AlanTH on June 28, 2020, 10:12:25 AM

Back to the Evening News then. I vaguely, after not having been that way for more than 40 years do remember a yard of sorts there but completely forget about it being connected to the Evening News paper.
Slightly off topic I worked at the back in the print room of their main office which was on Fleet Street in London of course. I was involved in the maintenance etc. of the Goss Headliner machines used to print the paper.
Printing started in the early afternoon and our work crew used to get the first editions off the press for our smoko and do the crossword together. About 20 blokes working together could do it in minutes..... and we repeated that on the evening train home from Victoria (I think) and we'd sit amongst those city workers who looked down their noses at us as we were definitely not of their type.
We'd sit together and as soon as the train  started out would come our pens or pencils and to the crossword page we'd go..... "GO" one would say loudly and off we'd go putting in all the answers we already knew. :) About 3 mins. later the shout of "Finished" would go out from all of us and the bowler hatted "Toffs' would sigh in exasperation as we discussed all the clues/answers in loud voices.
Little things please little minds I suppose.... but we loved doing it. :)
AlanH.
Title: Re: Evening News Printing Office Rochester
Post by: Smiffy on June 28, 2020, 01:22:06 PM
 ;D  Alan, that's a great yarn - I bet you were really popular with all of those city gents!
Title: Re: Evening News Printing Office Rochester
Post by: Colin walsh on June 30, 2020, 09:03:59 AM
Interesting ,I lived in union street Untill it was demolished to make way for "the new police station "now long gone itself,I well remember the star printing area,but the information about the school and its gates was new to me?we live and learn,any one remember Buckets cake shop next to the star yard.
Title: Re: Evening News Printing Office Rochester
Post by: AlanTH on June 30, 2020, 10:18:23 AM

Was that cake shop part of the Bucket families baking business in St Margaret's Street? I can remember the wonderful smells coming from there into the primary school next door and the bread straight from the oven we used to buy. My mouth is watering at the thought of it. :)
AlanH.

Title: Re: Evening News Printing Office Rochester
Post by: AlanTH on June 30, 2020, 11:36:40 AM

Strange lot those city gents Smiffy. My mate used to get on the morning train to London at Gillingham, from memory, and me at Rochester. He'd stick his head out of the window of the "First Class" carriage so I knew where our seat was and in I'd get amid much sniffing from some of the "City gents" already there. We'd pull up an arm rest and squash them up a bit which didn't go down too well with them either. Lots of muttering and cries of "I say chaps...." :)
But it was so funny when a jumper
(ticket inspector)
got on and only one of those toffy nosed lot was an actual holder of a 1st class ticket. It used to cost us commoners an extra  1 shilling and 6 pence from memory. (How the heck do you write that these days? 1s/6pence?) I've completely forgotten.
I know this is all off topic, but I can't resist.....there I was wandering down through the city one fine day at lunch time when who do I espy coming towards me but none other than Desperate Dan one of those passengers that looked down their noses at such common workers daring to travel with them. Mind you he was also one of those who never paid the full fare either.
"Hello Dan" I called out "are you on holiday then?" I asked this because his attire was so different from what he'd been wearing on the morning train up to London.... comfortable shoes, old slacks and shirt and he was carrying a large bag. Not at all like the City business man gear he wore on the train. 
Turned out our Dan was a bank messenger and all the mornings papers he had with him on the train were a part of his daily duties and he distributed them to the managers when he got to work.
12 quid a week he got plus luncheon vouchers.... we were quite jealous as we didn't get those LVs but to make up for it we got about 48 quid a week instead.
AlanH.

Title: Re: Evening News Printing Office Rochester
Post by: MartinR on June 30, 2020, 11:44:32 AM
Either formally for maths as 1s 6d or commonly as 1/6 but if you were down at the market you might write 1/6d for your carrot's, pea's and other veg!  ;)
Title: Re: Evening News Printing Office Rochester
Post by: Dave Smith on June 30, 2020, 04:03:42 PM
Title: Re: Evening News Printing Office Rochester
Post by: Colin walsh on June 30, 2020, 09:30:47 PM
Alan H,ref the cake shop question,yes it was the same buckets as in St Margrets st ,next to the school as you say ,unforgettable smells fresh bread,getting back on thread,most of my pals had paper rounds there was a printing press under Rochester station late nights extra results were added to evening papers,not certain if it was connected to the star hill establishment,most of the paper boys were collectively known as "the star boys"
Title: Re: Evening News Printing Office Rochester
Post by: AlanTH on July 01, 2020, 10:28:22 AM

Hi Dave S. I finished my apprenticeship at Blaw Knox in 1965 and left 3 weeks later with another lad from Sittingbourne and went contracting at the Imperial Paper Mills at Gravesend. To get that money we worked 7 days a week and 12 hours a day until the job finished or until they sacked you. :) Fitters at BK used to have a yearly comp. to see who would reach the magic 1500 quid for the year by working lots of overtime etc.
I had many of that type of job over the next few years, hard graft some and nearly always away from home for long periods. I have had many jobs here in Oz doing the same for good money in the mines etc.
I too did a paper round for old Smithy who had a shop opposite the cemetery on the Maidstone Road Rochester. I did Warden and Breton Roads for 6 bob a week! Then graduated to Valley View Road and earned 7/6 a week. Bloody hard work especially at the weekend with rain pouring down and on Saturdays you had to return later in the morning to collect payment from the customers. When I first started I used to walk from Cookham Wood to the shop but used my earnings (with a bit of help from mu elder bro and sister) bought a racing bike on which I balanced the bag on the handle bars. Quite frankly it was child abuse but we didn't know any better back then. I chucked my bag on the ground and refused to do it a couple of times but my elder sister did it for me....
AlanTH.
 
Title: Re: Evening News Printing Office Rochester
Post by: Mike Gunnill on October 30, 2020, 08:16:27 AM
I don't remember the Evening News office in Rochester. I do remember when the Kent Evening Post from the Kent Messenger started though. They had the idea to send copies of the KEP up to Kent stations in London so that Kent bound travellers could read their local paper.  This system worked for two days. The delivery men at the Evening Standard got to hear about this and twice a day a man from the man was waiting for the KEP to arrive in London. He then took control of the papers and walked them over to the next Kent bound train where the arrived back at Maidstone station. The KM gave up the practice fairly soon afterwards. The Standard delivery boys, you didn't argue with!