Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Roger Moore: South London James Bond

Well a bit of excitement last week about Daniel Craig filming the new James Bond film in Deptford. But the real South London James Bond is undoubtedly Roger Moore.

As recalled in his autobiography My Word is My Bond, Moore was born in 1927 at the Maternity Hospital in Jeffreys Road, Clapham. He lived in Aldebert Terrace, then in Albert Square in Stockwell (number 4, then number 14). He went to Hackford Road Elementary (later Durand Primary) and then Vauxhall Central School.

As a teenager he hung out at the Astoria in Brixton and the Locarno ballroom in Streatham, snogging on Streatham Common afterwards. With his first wife Lucy Woodward (also known as Doorn Van Stein) , the daughter of a Streatham cab driver, Moore moved into a room in her family home at 16 Buckleigh Road, Streatham in 1946.

By 1952 Moore had started acting, and was invited to a party in St Mary's Mount, Bexley at the home of Dorothy Squires. At the time Squires was one of the biggest singing stars in the country, and 13 years years Moore's senior. Before long, Moore had divorced Doorn and moved in with Squires (Moore and Squires pictured below). Moore went on to star in the Saint as Simon Templar, then took on the role of James Bond in the 1970s - starting with Live and Let Die in 1973.


By this time Moore had long since moved on from South London. Squires - who he left in 1961 - stayed in Bexley until her mansion burned down in 1974.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I live at 17 Buckleigh Road! I'M SO EXCITED! - Jaspreet

Rich said...

I lived in buckleigh road since I was 2 weeks old and never knew that sir roger Moore lived that road my mum still lives in buckleigh road few doors down from 007 former home nice to know a bit of history

Unknown said...

He used to go in rivers the psper shop every morning with the poodles. He used to by me sweets and ruffle my hair. My mother and i used to go to there Gala partys in there garden . My mother had to take there poodles home some times as they would be sitting outside our house we had poodles and there's would follow us home. Good old days xx