Colin Crosby Heritage Tours

Working in Hornchurch

One of the places where I worked many years ago is Hornchurch, in the part of Greater London that used to be Essex.

As a young Assistant Manager in the cinema business, before being appointed as a Manager in my own right, part of my duties consisted of spending time at other cinemas being in charge while the Manager was off sick, or on days off, or otherwise not present.

So I would spend a day or two here and there, and sometimes longer periods while a Manager perhaps was on holiday.

I had to go to the Odeon at Hornchurch for two weeks, to be in charge while the Manager, Ken Gasper, a much older man than myself who was probably in his fifties at the time, was on holiday.

I always enjoyed going out on relief as it gave me an insight into how other Managers organised things, and I made mental notes about what I considered good or bad, which certainly helped me in my later career.

If anybody reading this has any connections with Hornchurch, or Essex in London in general (Born? Lived? Worked? Ancestors? Relatives?), I will be very pleased to hear from them.