Skateboarding Mods and all that

The second generation Mods coincided with the rise of Skateboarding and I'd got into skateboarding in 76/77 and then later surfing, so my Mod life inter-mingled with both of these other aspects of my life and there's a few images you'll see here from those times including some from South Ockendon skatepark that was situated in an area now called Ashton Close just near the railway foot bridge

 

The two shots here were taken in 1985 when I was 25 at the Ockendon Skatepark where Broxbourne drive meets Afton Drive. I know I went there again in 1987 and skated there, but it was built on not long after that as far as I know. You can see in the bottom image the bridge entrance just to the left at the edge of the image.

 

Jamie and I and sometimes Xan, Rabbit (Paul Walker) and Tim Gray would skate from Tilbury to Grays. We'd meet up with Ashwell and then skate and walk to South Ockendon. We'd skate there for an hour or two and then skateboard to 'The Rom' skatepark via Upminster, Hornchurch and Roneo corner. I think most days when we did this we'd then get the 370 bus back to Tilbury, but I'm pretty sure on one or two occasions we skated both ways, there and back which is mental!