# Flying Angel House, Victoria Dock Rd, London



## INiven

Hello, I am currently running a heritage project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, to research and explore the heritage of the former Mission to Seafarer's London Mission, Flying Angel House on Victoria Dock Rd, Canning Town (Custom House). We are looking to make contact with anyone who stayed there up until 1973, any anecdote or story, however short, would be a welcome addition to our project. If you are interested in contributing, or would just like to find out more about what we are aiming to achieve do get in touch, I am happy to answer any questions. Best wishes, Isabella.


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## Les Gibson

Memories fade, but is this the mission where the padre was also the 'bouncer' at the dances?. Remember falling in love with a 'local girl' when 'Jesamine' by The Casuals was the hit of the day, I think 1968. With Canadian Pacific on the 'Beaverpine' then and we always berthed at the Royal Vic. docks, just along the road from the mission.


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## barrygreenwood

No you are thinking of Anchor House and Father McGuiness.


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## Vindi Phil

*Canning Town Mission.*

I shipped out of KGV in the 1950's & '60's and never stayed there but I used to store my gear there before joining my ships. I travelled from Ramsgate by Lambretta with my gear on a pannier rack, crossed on the Woolwich ferry to store my gear there before returning to the "Pool" to get a ship. This was before motorways and with a maximum speed of 45 mph it took over 3 hours each way. I then returned home to return the following day by train to Plaistow Station, get a taxi to the Mission, collect my gear and then join my ship. Happy days.
Vindi Phil.


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## Ron Stringer

Vindi Phil said:


> I travelled from Ramsgate by Lambretta with my gear on a pannier rack, crossed on the Woolwich ferry to store my gear there before returning to the "Pool" to get a ship. This was before motorways and with a maximum speed of 45 mph it took over 3 hours each way.


Ah the Lambretta. In 1964 my wife was a pupil midwife at West Hill Hospital, Dartford. On completing her Part 2 training there and qualifying, she went home on leave to Manchester prior to taking up her first post as a midwife.

She, and two suitcases containing all her belongings, travelled on her beloved Lambretta. She can't remember how long it took, only that she started early in the morning and arrived before dark.


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## Edward D Smith

I stayed there a good few times while waiting to join ship(NZSCo) Also you could leave your gear while home on leave.But the last time I went there after travelling from home (Shetland) it turned out to be London Polytechnic. It was a handy place to stay.


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## ben27

good day les gibson. 27.feb.2013,08;29 re;your reply to flying angel house.victoria dock london.i am asking you about your ship the 'beaverpine'.(1968?) i know there is a time gap.but i thought i would ask you.did the beaverdale still exist when you were on the beverpine,i ask because i joined it in 1946 after i was demobed from the t124x.dock street pool.a very modern ship in its day.or maybe it had a name sake,have a good day.ben27


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## joshe

Ben27 I did one short trip on the BEAVERDELL from 6 July to 8 August 1962 from Victoria docks.


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## ben27

hi joshe,today,01:20 re:beaverdale.just spoted your reply to my inquiry.1march,(post7)thank you for same.as I said to you.she was modern for her time.how did you find her.nice talking to you,have a good day.ben27


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## Kenny MacRitchie

INiven said:


> Hello, I am currently running a heritage project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, to research and explore the heritage of the former Mission to Seafarer's London Mission, Flying Angel House on Victoria Dock Rd, Canning Town (Custom House). We are looking to make contact with anyone who stayed there up until 1973, any anecdote or story, however short, would be a welcome addition to our project. If you are interested in contributing, or would just like to find out more about what we are aiming to achieve do get in touch, I am happy to answer any questions. Best wishes, Isabella.


Hi stayed there a few times in the mid 60s waiting for NZS CO ships to dock also used to pop in there on Saturday afternoons to watch the sport on TV. There was also a wee clothes shop close by that would change your Advance note mostly £5 which went a fair way in those days the name of the shop escapes me now
Kenny MacRitchie


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## billmaca

stayed there when working out of KG,V pool, and when shipping out on the Norweagian pool ,early 60's ,you could change your advance note at the Freemasons pub just on the next corner


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## Kenny MacRitchie

billmaca said:


> stayed there when working out of KG,V pool, and when shipping out on the Norweagian pool ,early 60's ,you could change your advance note at the Freemasons pub just on the next corner


Never changed them in the Freemasons though i used the same regular, wish i could remember the shops name. Kenny


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## Leratty

In the 60's there was a really hard Aussie padre who we all respected there. I recall one time staying there as could not get into the really nice one in I think East Ham, it was a Catholic one 'Stella Maras' could that be its name? A really modern & nice place, much more expensive though. Anyway we were all out on the hootch as usual & that night got back around 1am by taxi beyond under the weather & full of Chinese food. We had met a couple of old mates with no where to put their heads down so we said 'no worries' come in to the FA. Numb Nuts, we went in showed our key to the door bouncer then got up to our rooms & opened the window, yelled out sending the door key flying down to our mates with it landing on the pavement. Well all the noise aroused the door man & the Aus padre, we were thrown out for the night so all of us with no where to sleep. Someone said 'bugger it lets find a ship to sleep aboard' which we did. Padre was unimpressed with us but let bygones be bygones. That is so long ago!


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## Paul Sibellas

*Flying Angel. Custom House.*

I stayed there a lot in the late 60's. It was also known as Stornaway Castle because of all the Stornaway seamen who stayed there, the Stornaway gazette was on sale at reception. . It was also nicknamed the Flying Tab Nab & Flying Flip Flop. The rooms were like prison cells, an iron bed, small wooden table & chair, some rooms had bars over the windows! You could be woken up by the cleaners keys jingling in the corridor & wonder if you had been banged up!
I did hear a story of a young seamen who left a note saying he could do nothing right & threw himself out of a window, he got caught on the flag pole that stuck out of the front of the building, the fire brigade getting him down. So if the story is true, he really never done anything right. 

A Scottish AB fell down a mast badly injuring himself, when he came out of hospital, he had springs from his leg holding his foot up & other injury's. He couldn't travel, so he booked into the Flying Angel as that was near the Seaman's Dock hospital. His sister traveled to see him & the powers that be in the mission gave kindly her a job in reception to be near her brother & earn money to live on. She was a a bonnie lass & we all fancied her. 

It had a decent bar there that was a meeting place for us all staying there. I think the women who ran it was a bit stern. 

There was a light on the top of the building to guide Seamen home. After it ceased to be a mission & converted to rooms for young people, my sister lived there for a while & the light was still there.

The wee clothes shop near by could have been Gregory's, he liked to call himself. The seaman's outfitters. He had a notice in the window,"Gear before beer". There was a bar very near called "The Custom House Hotel", seamen called it,"The Steps". A bit further past that was a cafe called "Marco's where a lot of the Flying Angel seamen used to eat, Marco was Italian.


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## KellyM1940

Edward D Smith said:


> I stayed there a good few times while waiting to join ship(NZSCo) Also you could leave your gear while home on leave.But the last time I went there after travelling from home (Shetland) it turned out to be London Polytechnic. It was a handy place to stay.


I am trying to contact Donald Smith from Shetland ex ESSO Tks


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## Mojobun

INiven said:


> Hello, I am currently running a heritage project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, to research and explore the heritage of the former Mission to Seafarer's London Mission, Flying Angel House on Victoria Dock Rd, Canning Town (Custom House). We are looking to make contact with anyone who stayed there up until 1973, any anecdote or story, however short, would be a welcome addition to our project. If you are interested in contributing, or would just like to find out more about what we are aiming to achieve do get in touch, I am happy to answer any questions. Best wishes, Isabella.


Hi I worked for trinity house Blackwall on a course. And stayed at this mission for 6 weeks. I remember the dances and the girls mostly nurses where paid 50p to dance with us.they where counted in and out. This was 1971 getting radio licence. Pub nearby opened at 6am for dockers. Great time great day's


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