Two more pictures from the Barlow collection. These two show the demolition of Widley Street which was about 30 yards north of Havant Road opposite the Red Lion. The big house in the foreground, belonged to Coopers Scrapyard.
Kellys.
Not long ago I bought a 1964 copy of Kelly’s Street Directory for Portsmouth. Not only did it remind me of where people lived and who their neighbours were, it also gave me an insight, through the advertisements, as to the business community in the City. Names that I had long forgotten.
Here are a few:-
Some of the best known Estate Agents were Field & Palmer, Chartered Auctioneer and Estate agents of Hampshire Terrace, Bush & Tidy of Grove Road, Southsea, Hall Pain and Foster and Butler and Cooke had branches all over town as did Whitehead & Whitehead, Medlam had a branch in Drayton and Waterfield and Stanford a branch in North End.
Tony F Newell Builder and Decorator of 3 Drayton Lane, I knew his brother Brian, Tony’s sales slogan was ‘You name – we do it, a bit of an inflated claim I would have thought! There was also the Builders Guild where I believe a young Steve Long started work straight from school.
Cawte’s Express Valet Service had shops all around the area as did Brunswick Cleaners, Chapmans, the Royal Laundry and the Snowdrop Laundry and the Convent of the Cross also ran a laundry service.
Norah’s Dress Hire in Arundel Street was the place to hire that special outfit or dress suit, whilst
U-Need-Us with their slogan ‘Goods for Fun’ was still going in Arundel Street for those who were into practical jokes and fancy dress.
Handley’s on Handley’s Corner in Palmerston Road, Southsea was an institution as was Will Brown’s on the London Road in North End and Melanie’s.
If you wanted to move house you had the choice of Charles Ellis, Ashley’s (I knew Peter Ashley for several years), Curtiss & Son, Manchip or White & Co. and of course the internationall known movers, Pickfords.
Furniture was supplied by, among others, Whitmore Jones, Marriot’s, White & Co and Mendel’s as well as the Department stores and the Co-op (PIMCO) , where your mum got her Divi. Who can remember their mum’s Co-op number? I can, not that it does me any good today !
For those with a sweet tooth there was Maynards in Kingston Road and the Chocolate King in North End and Commercial Road and any number of bakers shops; Campions, Greens, the Co-op, Smith and Vosper and Wilkins to name but a few.
Coach outings were undertaken by White Heather, Dons or Byngs and you kept what little pocket money you had in the Portsmouth Trustees Saving Bank or the Post Office. Talking of money there were several banks in town which have now long gone; Martins, National Provincial and the Westminster all now absorbed into much bigger conglomerates.
Then there were one off industries such as the City of Portsmouth Workshops for the Disabled where they made wicker baskets; Ruston’s on the Havant Road in Drayton who were bed manufacturers; Lindsays for Surgical Appliances; Dunns of Commercial Road specialized in making men’s hats. The Hants, Wilts & Dorset Bottle Exchange and the Southsea Bottle Company made bottles and there was only one chimney sweep, Western Electric Sweep & Brush who actually used a vacuum to clean your chimney. There were fifteen Cinemas listed and two theatres (the Kings and the Twyford Theatre). Taubman & Sons were Tripe Dressers and Parsons Portmanteau and trunk makers whilst Underwood concentrated on the typewriter trade. There were 84 Schools and Colleges listed and one Secretarial College, Underwoods and just one dance and theatrical suppliers, the Stage Door in Marmion Road.
One world that none of us knew about was the world of the Private Enquiry Agents. There were actually three in the area Bray’s in Southsea, Holloways in London Road and Silvesters in North End, a dark world I knew nothing about!!!
To buy a new car was almost unknown to us but a quality second hand one could be obtained from Lennox Motors, Gordon Motors or Henley Motors. Actually in my case it was Righton & Bennetts at the end of the Eastern Road where I bought my first car, a blue Standard 10 9295 BP a cat that I kept for just over a year.
I wonder just how many of the above business are still trading and if so re they still trading under their own names.
Keep in touch
Peter
DUSTYKEAT@aol.com
Pj.keat@ntlworld.co.uk
You Write:
Bobby Rydell writes that he is just back from an incredible tour in Australia. What amazing fans there, amazing audiences and wonderful people, food and country
News and Views:
Monday (July 12) was declared "Pat Boone Day" by the state of California. Pat was presented with the proclamation at a showing of his film, "State Fair" at a Senior Citizens Center in Hollywood
On this day 16th July 1960-1965.
On 16/07/1960 the number one single was Good Timin' - Jimmy Jones and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Rawhide (ITV) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 16/07/1961 the number one single was Runaway - Del Shannon and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Harpers West One (ATV) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 16/07/1962 the number one single was I Can't Stop Loving You - Ray Charles and the number one album was West Side Story Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 16/07/1963 the number one single was I Like It - Gerry & the Pacemakers and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was UK Ministry of Defence proposed
On 16/07/1964 the number one single was It's All Over Now - Rolling Stones and the number one album was Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Labour Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 16/07/1965 the number one single was Crying in the Chapel - Elvis Presley and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Mont Blanc Tunnel officially opened.
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