Web Page 1198
9th November 2013
Top Picture: A Typical Corner Shop
Bottom Picture: That famous Hovis advert.
The Corner Shop
One of the essentials of our childhood
was the corner shop. Where I lived on the boarders of Drayton and Farlington we
were particularly well off for these as we seemed to have these in all
directions around us. Our nearest shop was over the Havant Road and down
Lealand Road, right opposite to Keith Conlon’s house, Mrs Barrister’s shop was
at number 17. Actually it was registered as Albert Bannister, grocer, but I
never remember seeing him but says he Keith does. We were all sent either
across the road or down the road for
various things that our parents wanted ranging from three pieces of sliced
bacon to Dad’s fags and a box of matches. Mr Bannister died in the 1960’s but
his wife carried on the business for several years afterwards with the shop
stop ever depleting until she gave up completely. This store, like the others
in this article were sited in one room of a normal house usually the front room
and were run for many years providing and essential cottage style service.
Also within striking distance of home
and south of the Havant Road was Mrs Clark’s shop in 28 Station Road. Now this
really was a front room which had been converted into a shop with things piled
high around the wall and in the hallway and very often when you went in the shop was empty and Mrs
Clark would shuffle through from her sitting room in the back to serve you.
Unlike Mrs Banisters, which I remember as being a fairly light and airy shop
Mrs Clark’s was the opposite, it was dark and somewhat foreboding.
Round the corner in Central Road but
listed as 30 Station Road was a shop that was a purpose built extension to the
main house to which it was attached. The Davies family, whose daughter, Anne we
were at school with, ran this particular shop that also was on the light and airy
side and always seemed to stock a reasonable amount of items.
Further down Station Road towards the
bottom were the two stores on either side of the road run and separated by Old
Manor Way. These shops were run by the Taylor family; the grocers being at number
83 on the eastern corner of Station Road and north of Grove Road whilst the
Wine Merchants was over the road at number 86 on the south west corner of the
Grove Road junction.
Looking north of the
Havant Road in my area I remember Mr Kent’s shop on the corner of Solent Road
and Portsdown Avenue. This had a strange step arrangement leading up to the
door which was on the corner of the building giving it two shop windows. Not a
shop I frequented often and it always appeared to be devoid of customers.
Further along Solent Road with an entrance in Highlands Road was
Mr Shaw’s shop. As kids we always referred to him as Old Man Shaw, he must have
been at least 40 then. This store was different as it was in the back room of
the house and spilled over into a lean to on the back. Being right opposite
Solent Road School this was the local tuck shop and was always full of junior
school children before and after lessons. He did a great line in home made ice
poles and cola. He also stocked toys and sweets for pocket money prices
everything from chewing gum, black jacks and fruit salads to cap bombs and caps
and cowboy outfits.
You must all have had local shops near
where you lived, I know there were several on the Highbury Estate and Pam
reminds me of the Chusan Stores which was on the corner of Roseberry and
Lonsdale Avenues.
Why these shops sprung up as they did,
I do not know most were house conversions of extensions but unfortunately none
of the above-mentioned shops survive today. Such is the power of the supermarket
and the end of the daily shopping routine but for a very long period of time
especially all through our formative years these little shops were essential to
our parents ways of life, and often a lifeline and the gossip centre for the
whole community.
Keep
in touch
Peter
You Write:
Anida Writes:-
Great pic of Uncle Tom's Cabin, strangely I didn't
remember the cottages between it and the Baptist Church. Interestingly
when I was doing my work on Cosham I discovered that the Widley Poor Houses
were situated directly behind UTC arranged in a horsehoe shape. I guess
they would have been very roughly built, probably chalk blocks, and soon
disappeared when they fell into disuse. It would be really great if at
some point we could discover a picture of this area. I am struggling to
remember the geography of it now, but I should think that it was incorporated
into the market (lately the car park of the cinema). I do remember
jumping over the wall at the back of the Baptist Church which brought you to
roughly the same place! anything to escape Miss Crocker's sewing class -
"Anida Folland I can see your stitches from the top of Portsdown
Hill!!" still 10 years later she was happy to buy our flat from us!
The thing that
struck me about the roadworks was the smallness of them just a wooden barrier a
bit of a hole and a couple of roughly made notices all taking up no more than
about 20 feet, not like today when we have to have miles coned off for days with nobody to
be seen! What a load of piffle health and safety is!
Somewhere in the
dark recesses of our loft I have a picture of the two cottages that sat back in
between the East Cosham Tavern and the Esso station, they were made of flint
and were rather pretty - all gone the same way as everything else.
Martyrs to the temples of consummerism, Iceland, Tesco and the like. I
will dig it out one day and send on if I can find it.
Griff Writes:-
"Note the
signal flags on the road works".
The first thing I noticed was that 2 men were digging the hole and
2 men were watching the process. Nothing has changed in 70 years when it comes
to road repairs.
News and Views:
On this day 9th November 1960-1965
On 9/11/1960 the number one single was Tell Laura I
Love Her - Ricky Valance and the number one album was South Pacific
Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was Psycho.
A pound of today's money was worth £13.68
and Tottenham Hotspur were on
the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of
the day was US places embargo on goods
to Cuba.
On 11/11/1961 the number one single was Walkin' Back to
Happiness - Helen Shapiro and the number one album was The Shadows - Shadows. The top rated
TV show was Sunday Night at the London
Palladium (ATV) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's
money was worth £13.25 and Ipswich Town were on the way to
becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 11/11/1962 the number one single was Telstar - The Tornadoes and the number
one album was Best of Ball Barber &
Bilk. 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 Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1
champions.
On 11/11/1963 the number one single was Do You Love Me? - Brian Poole & the
Tremoloes 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 Liverpool were on the way to becoming
the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 11/11/1964 the number one single was Oh Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison and the
number one album was A Hard Day's
Night - Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation
Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove.
A pound of today's money was worth £12.24
and Manchester United were on
the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
On 11/11/1965 the number one single was Tears - Ken Dodd
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 Liverpool were on the way to
becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.
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