[Netherfield Shops growing up in the 1970's]

The name of the road that forms the corner with Chandos where the current Doctors surgery is (Vets now actually I think)is Morris Street.

The third doctor at that surgery when I was growing up was a female doctor called Dr Buck. I used to prefer Chisholm though. I remember him as a real mumbler though with terrible hand writing,. but I suppose that could be all doctors really.

I was quite ill with asthma as a kid and used to have my fair share of home visits. My Mum used to wince if it was Dr Buck making the call as she was quite a dominant lady,.. She used to to march into our house,.."Radio off Mother !!" Ha Ha,......

Another couple of shops have come swimming into the memory. The cheese and Bacon shop was the first in the run after the Coop on Victoria street, a strange wood fronted little shop painted white as I remember it with a long glass counter to your left as you went in stocked with bacons and hams,.and a smaller glass counter forming an L shape at the top with a cheese display,..Gorgonzola, Stiltons, Edam. All very sophisticated for the 70's.

A little further on was Armstrongs the grocer who always put out a really good front. he was sited next to Linda's babyland. My most striking memory of that grocers was a plaque he had on the wall in the shop of his family crest. It was a muscular coming out of a wreath holding a sword with ARMSTRONG underneath it.

There was another shop across the road on Victoria Road, sort of opposite the top of Forester street. It was general store, but i always remember it for being one of the few open on a Sunday daytime. The thing that was a little different about this shop though was that the man who owned it was a

herbalist and would make up remedies for you. I cannot for the life of me remember what his name was though.

The shop was adjacent to an ironmongers. I remember going to that shop carrying a blue can for paraffin for the heater for my bedroom.

[Netherfield Shops growing up in the 1970's]

I would like to share some of my memories of shops in Netherfield as I grew up during the late 60's and 1970's.

I was born on Midland Grove at the bottom of Chandos Street just before you go over the rise that runs over the dyke.

last week I took the time to visit the whole area for a day as I enjoy distance walking. I now live in Leicester, so took a day out to come over. I covered 16 miles around Bakersfield,Netherfield, Gedling, Carlton, Burton Joyce and Stoke Bardolph.

One of the things that stuck out was the demise of all the shops I remembered.

Growing up on Chandos Street, the nearest two shops to us were Appletons off licence,. just past the school. It had a red telephone box outside and one of my earliest memories in being sent up there by my mum with a new (Old) penny in my hand so must have been pre 1971 so I'd be about 5. Unsure when, but that shop changed hands and became Mr and Mrs Norths.

The shop I remember most in the early days though was the bright red one owned by Mr and Mrs Malt on the corner of Chandos and Belvoir Road which ran down to the Annexe field as we knew it.

Mr Malt was a lovely man. He taught me how to wrap a present when I was about 8 as it was my Mums birthday,. every present time when I have to fold down the corners of paper on something I am wrapping I remember Mr Malt with his grey shopcoat and pocketful of Pens.

Mr Malt also used to buy runner beans off me,. there was a scrap of spare land alongside our house,. Only about a foot wide that my Grandad showed me how to grow runner beans in when I was about 10 or so.Mr Malt said he'd buy all I could give him,. I was a bean baron aged 10 !!

Come report time, I was always promised a qtr of Midget gems from Mester malts if I got a good write up,. I'm sure I always got a few over the 4 oz though if my mum told him it was particularly good.

When I was 11, we moved , very adventurously up Chandos street to the white house,. No.53, which has now been demolished in some land grab to build more properties. I am still devastated about this. Luckily, I think it was a railway house and there is a carbon copy next to Burton Joyce station. If I win the lottery, its mine !!

Anyway,.across the road on the corner of Festus street was a delightful corner shop run by Bill Ashurst. he was a great fruit and veg man and did a delivery route round Stoke Bardolph in his little van too. He always told me that his Dad played for Notts and England !!

We were latch key kids back in the day and we were allowed to go and get something from Bills for tea,.. my Mum paying on tick. Those were the days.

The state of that premises now is awful,. and Bill must be spinning in his grave. It seems that it is up for auction so maybe some hope for it in the future.

My old school mates Mum and dad ran a shop round the corner on York Street. Barhams offy. It was open late as they most were and you could always hear the TV in the back. Mr Barham used to pick out Green sports mixtures and wine gums for me as he knew they were my favourite,.. sometimes leaving the shop with a full bag of greens. Again,. this shop has met its demise also.

The chippy was run by the Theakers on the corner of Bailey street and was a regular stop of for me for a pot of peas (7p and 14p) on the way back from scouts up at the methodist hall near Jackie Bells. Proper newspaper and a huge queue on a Saturday. Again,. It is no more.

I meant this thread to concentrate on the shops near my house, the ones I was familair with as a kid, but no write up of a 70's childhood in Netherfield would be complete without a mention of Linda's babyland in the row of shops past the Coop. There was a little backroom that you took a step down into,. On the left at full stretch hieght for a 10 year old was a big stack of subbuteo teams. the hours I must of spent pulling those down and looking at the world of strips available. If I had known then what I know now as they command a HUGE price in good nick on ebay !!

On closing (for now) I would like to pay homage to my two nemisis's. Namely Ron Porter and (Norman?) Cliff. The Barbers. As a small boy I was taken to Ron Porters next to the Post office,. I hated having my haircut,. always have and he put up with some full on small boy tantrums, especially when that plank seat came out that the small boys had to sit on over the chair arms to be elevated to operating height.

Mr Cliff had the little shed of a barbers near the Fox and Hounds and I had to go there for his 1940's short back and side special during my early teens at my Dads command which was doubly horrid as I was really tring to grow it long at the time but never got a look in.

[The Thurland Hall Pub]

I am positive that the Bass manager who was moved up to the Thurland in 1992 was Colin from Fagins. (Old Spread Eagle)

[Record & Music shops]

Way ahead started out at 2 Hurts yard just below Robs Record Mart. It was managed by a gentleman called Dave Brett.

Dave corned the market in Rock Trips,. I still remember the original wipe clean board he had for trips including coach fare to see bands.

You could go to see bands like Saxon, Def Leppard and Iron maiden with Rock trips for about £8 all in then,. usally at The De Montfort Hall in Leicester or over at D*rby.

I did a couple of stewarding trips on buses to very early Donningtons for Dave in exchange for a ticket !!

Way Ahead also flirted with the management of a couple of promising Local bands,.. firstly Paralex from Newark and later Nottingham Glamsters Deuce.

Dave eventually sold up after the move to St James street,. he did very well out of the whole thing and is now retired to Switzerland.

[the greek chippy]

The Greek was brilliant,.. Remember all the outside signage and lettering being in Green and White during my time,.. and they did fantastic Gravy!!

[rock clubs/pubs]

The first Rock bar I went into in Notts was Morts. It was a Saturday lunchtime. A guy called Parf, with a big blonde tash was the DJ. This would be about 1982/83 as I was about 17 at the time.

Morts on a Saturday dinner was legendary,.Faith healer by Alex Harvey was a staple and I still get transported back to the place every time I hear that track.

We used to appear bleary eyed and blinking into the sunlight before heading down to the Market Square to drink a bottle of Aussie wine,.....and wonder if the Mods would come up from their haunt at Broad marsh Bus station !!

I frequented most, if not all of the Rock clubs that sprang up from 1982 through til about 1992 when I left Nottingham. I DJ'd in a few and played in most with various bands.

The Yorker,. when Jon was the DJ was always one of my early faves. Mobile disco unit (which I think he used to call Pandemonium Disco,...something beginning with P anyway) that you could get your earholes right next to. I remember it being the time of Def Leppards pyromania album,.. A classic.

Metal Mickey was usually playing somewhere most other nights,. Saw Mickey at The Cavalier,The Cavendish, The Mardi Gras, and of course ath The Palais.

[Ayup]

New member here,.. Love this sort of stuff.

Should have a bit to add to some threads that I hope will interest some people.

Born in 1966 in Netherfield.