please empty your brain below

The 54 is my journey to work in beckenham from Woolwich, always happy to read your descriptions
Happy Birthday (yesterday) DG, great read.
In these overheard conversations, do you ever consider the Kennedy saying 'Evil will triumph when Good men do nothing'? (I paraphrase.)
Checking the LHRG books the 54 was first introduced on 18th January 1922, it operated daily between Camden and Keston, there was also a 54A as per the 54 between Camden and Catford then Forest Hill. The 54A first reached Croydon from 11th October.

On 13th February 1924 the 54 was withdrawn and the 54A was renumbered 54. It was rerouted at Lewisham to Plumstead Common instead of Central London from 11th June, giving us the basis of the modern version.

Back in 2000 the both the Beckenham and Elmers End branches only had a tram every 30 minutes Mon-Sat evenings and Sundays, so many former through passengers on the 54 to/from Croydon had less convenient journeys after the improvements.
When I was at Trinity School (Croydon) in the late 60s, I used to often catch the no. 54!

We lived in South Norwood, so the first part of my school day was spent on the no. 12 from Norwood Junction (Portland Road) to Ashburton Park where I would sometimes change on to the no. 54.

Thanks DG - happy memories!
And many happy returns for yesterday.
A belated happy birthday DG.

Greenwich Council's recent draft plans for Woolwich Town Centre include a proposal that the 54 should omit those busy first two stops.

Interchange with the trams on the 54 is hopeless. Beckenham is a mad dash while Elmers End is a faff and the connection is often missed.
Hand-shaped butter? Only until it melts. Then it's just butter.

[tee hee].
You forgot to mention how Beckenham's Three Tuns used to host David Bowie and his Arts Lab music nights in the '70s..
A brillliant read, as ever, DG - the collected observations would make a great ‘slice of life’ picture of early 21st century London.

On a pedantic note, the ‘great gash’ just before the Royal Standard is of course the A102 (alas no longer classed as a motorway), not the A2.

dg writes: That's one of the phrases I cut and pasted from last year's report. I feel let down that my collective readership did not spot this error at the time.
A great read as always.
Being 2 years older than you, I couldn't remember last years post in that much detail so the cut and pasted parts went unnoticed!

At last, a blog where I am completely familiar with both bus and area!

Yes, it's very annoying that the 54 doesn't run to Croydon anymore, it would have negated the need for a replacement bus service this month while the trams are closed to repair the Blackhorse Lane bridge.

When my kids were little many were the day trips to Blackheath/Greenwich on the 54, it was an easy journey. Nowadays if I want to go to Blackheath I get the tram to Beckenham and catch the 54 outside M&S.
Ah' the last 54 of a Saturday night! Lived in Lewisham in the 70's and regularly used to catch band's at the Fox Club in Croydon ( mezzanine floor of the Nestle Building), when the bus ran all the way to Croydon. It often meant checking watches, trying to catch the remains of a song before rushing over the road to catch the last bus back to Lewisham. There was the 75 (which now runs from Lew to Croy) which could get to Catford, but think it always left about 5 minutes earlier.

From Status Quo in '72 all the way through to the Jam in '77. Probably for half of those gig's had to leave before the end of the set, often missing an encore!

Somewhat surprisingly have now been living back in Lewisham for the last few years and on several occasions have relied on the last tram (00.50)ish, from Croydon to Elmers End, which connects with the last 54 to Lewisham. If only this had been available back in the 70's!
@Rick
he hasn't forgotten to mention anything. DG has chosen to write about the things that he wants to mention. It's better to say "Did you also know that..." and then tell us your fact!
Always Woolwich-West Croydon in my time when I lived in Croydon in the 80's A full history is on this excellent site https://www.londonbuses.co.uk/_routes/current/054.html

dg writes: See link at foot of post.
One of my local bus routes. I ran from one end to the other a couple of weeks ago, having ridden the bus to the far end. Surprisingly hilly at the Woolwich end.

Minor correction: "conveying residents between Woolwich, Lewisham, Bromley and Croydon" should surely say Beckenham rather than Bromley. Unless you're talking boroughs, in which case it would be Greenwich rather than Woolwich.
Fair comment Roger L ..I’m new to DG so still learning format..
There are an awful lot of closed pubs in Woolwich which used to serve the dock workers and military. One you didn't mention passing was the Kings Arms, which was bombed by the IRA in 1974.
A great read as always. You intervined the sentences copied from previous birthday trips so well that it's not easy to spot them out unless one literally put the two referenced articles alongside.

Still, I remember the scene where you took the 53 and was constantly blocked by the 54 last year, as if it happened just a few days ago. Glad to see your 54 trip slightly smoother, as the 53 being in front this time but didn't block your 54 bus from pulling in.

And the Elmers End bus stand surely looks grand in the photo.
The pastel-framed flats in lemon, lime and olympic pink are mildly interesting.

It's a pop-up village (not my phrase) that may only be there for another 3 years. It's built of pre-fabricated units rather like large shipping containers. When constructed it housed formerly homeless families.
[Guardian article]

It can all be taken apart and erected somewhere else, which is probably what will happen when the planning process finally reaches a conclusion and somebody erects a more permanent building there. This will probably be another new London vernacular brickiest, unless fashions have changed by the time permission is granted.

The site was originally a leisure centre, demolished around 2013. At one stage a school was going to be built on the site, but plans changed. The ground was empty for a couple of years until these flats popped up.










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