Riddo 47 Posted January 13, 2014 Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 Hello everybody on Nottstalgia. I've just signed up today having had a bit of a look around the site. Unlike some others, this seems to have a more friendly, community feel to it (fingers crossed!). I've been doing some digging around, trying to find information to add to some photos I've been taking around the streets of St Anns where I was born and lived as a kid. Even after moving away to Clifton, I was back every week visiting my grandma in Ridding Terrace (Wellington Street) during my lunch break from Trent Poly. OK, enough for now - what I'm really looking for right now is whether anyone can help with details of a couple of shops that were on Union Road in the period 1966-68 (at least). The first one was on the right hand side as you walked away from Huntingdon Street. It was an Art Materials shop and was quite near the Huntingdon Street end of Union Road. There's a faded "Bookbinders" sign above what's left of one of the old buildings opposite the new Aldi's, and I'm pretty sure the place I'm looking for was in that area. The other shop was further down Union Road, on the left, and sold records. I think it specialised in Ska/Reggae music, as they're the sounds I remember blasting from the doorway as I walked past. Any help gratefully received, especially a photo or two (there are some on Picture the Past, but none show what I'm looking for). I've got lots of memories, but they can wait until I've found my way around here. Thanks for your time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Commo 1,292 Posted January 13, 2014 Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 Ay up Riddo,welcome to the Forum, there's lots of stuff on here about old St Ann's and you should find a lot of memories to jog your own. I think that the art shop was run by the Dobbs family, it was there for quite some time, next door to a sweet shop on one side and a shoe shop on the other, but afraid I can't help with the record shop, that would be after my time, but there are others on here who may be able to help. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,464 Posted January 13, 2014 Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 what I'm really looking for right now is whether anyone can help with details of a couple of shops that were on Union Road in the period 1966-68 (at least). The first one was on the right hand side as you walked away from Huntingdon Street. It was an Art Materials shop and was quite near the Huntingdon Street end of Union Road. There's a faded "Bookbinders" sign above what's left of one of the old buildings opposite the new Aldi's, and I'm pretty sure the place I'm looking for was in that area. Welcome to the site Riddo. Could the bookbinding company be the same people who also sold Art Materials? And they were clearly called Allsop.....as this demonstrates. http://goo.gl/maps/4AElA Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rob.L 1,088 Posted January 13, 2014 Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 Allsopps are still around, but moved to Ilkeston in 2007. 1960s Allsopps becomes one of the UK’s major manufacturers of school exercise books, and moves to Union Road in Nottingham after Maid Marion Way is widened. http://www.allsopps.co.uk/about/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cliff Ton 10,464 Posted January 13, 2014 Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 Re: the Art Materials shop. Are you thinking of John E Wright who are on Huntingdon Street, just up from Union Road. They are still in business and have been there since at least the early 1970s to my knowledge. And the place hasn't changed much in the last 30 years. http://goo.gl/maps/lQOi7 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted January 13, 2014 Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 Hello Riddo. Welcome and have fun. I'm not from around that area but it is part of my home city so I do have an interest. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Michael Booth 7,364 Posted January 13, 2014 Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 Welcome to Nottstalgia, Riddo. I look forward to reading your posts and sharing your memories. Some good replies within a couple of hours shows that you've come to the right place... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Pianoman 1,532 Posted January 13, 2014 Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 Welcome Riddo. This is the premier Nottingham Site, - especially for those born around St. Anns. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
catfan 14,793 Posted January 13, 2014 Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 Welcome Riddo, I lived on Union Rd at that time and feel sure it was Allsops, can't remember the name of the record shop, sorry. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mudgie49 401 Posted January 13, 2014 Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 Hi Riddo, welcome to Nottstalgia P J Robinson owned the record shop,around 1964/65. Never knew it as anything other than 'PeeJays'. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Riddo 47 Posted January 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 Hi all, and thanks for the comments so far. DOBBS seems the one to follow up for the art shop. A quick google revealed there's a Dobbs picture framing shop in Sneinton, so I can follow that up, thanks. WRIGHTS I know about 'cos I've bought stuff from them in the past, so unless they moved from Union Rd to where they are now I'm discounting them, but thanks for the suggestion. The photo showing Allsopps is similar to one I took a couple of weeks ago & I'll check that too. I have a feeling that the exact place I'm looking for was in the big gap that now exists between the old bookbinder (Allsopps) and the Purico office block on the corner with Huntingdon St. Great work so far! Happy!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
catfan 14,793 Posted January 13, 2014 Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 Def not John E Wright. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Riddo 47 Posted January 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2014 Thanks Mudgie, looks like you posted at same time as me. Any idea if PeeJays were a Caribbean music specialist? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mudgie49 401 Posted January 14, 2014 Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 Yes, they were very Caribbean,they also sold American imports,on lesser known labels. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Riddo 47 Posted January 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 Well thanks again to Mudgie, I think that clears up the record shop! I'll follow up on the Dobbs name for the art shop. I've now found out that Allsopps were a stationery supplier, especially to schools (as Rob L indicated) and also that Sisson & Parker worked out of the same building as Allsopps at one time. I'll post again on this subject once I've found out about Dobbs. In the meantime, thanks for all your comments and welcome messages. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FLY2 10,108 Posted January 14, 2014 Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 I was told very many years ago that the record shop mentioned was often frequented by unsavoury types who's main interest was not in the records, but the sale of illegal smoking materials and certain pills also illegal. Saturday afternoons being the main time of activity. This would be late 60's probably to early 70's. As I was a non smoker and certainly not a pill popper, I avoided the place. I preferred beer, whiskey and rock music. Certainly not reggae! Ugh. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted January 14, 2014 Report Share Posted January 14, 2014 I'll post again on this subject once I've found out about Dobbs. A picture framer in the 70s called Dobbs had part of these premises in Basford near the Leen....connection? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley 288 Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 Sisson & Parker schools supplies was a very well known firm, wasn't a shop as such more a warehouse but they did have a trade counter as I recall being sent there on my pushbike to collect a tin of blackboard paint in 1962 when I worked at Blackburn&Starlings Previously S&P had a big mill type building on I think Mount St. New Basford, hard to recall exact location as it burnt down one Saturday night I think in 1959? much to the delight of local kids who myself included helped themselves to the masses of books, talking of great big bales of them mostly undamaged that were removed from the from the building! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 They had a large book shop on Wheeler Gate too, got all my text books from there when I was doing my apprenticeship. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley 288 Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 Yes, that was a "public bookshop" are they still there? were about 15 years ago as they stocked my railway book, think the union rd and new basford places just did schools supplies, exercise books, jotters, graph paper type of stuff plus of course pencils, crayons, chalk etc, not sure if they did "tutorial books" from there, the sort either issued to you or got from front of class and shared with your mate, only recall one, "Pendleburys" which I think was a maths book? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rob.L 1,088 Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 After S&P, the Wheelergate shop became one of Waterstone's bookshop chain. They moved out a few years back, and it's now one of thousands of Sainsbury Local supermarkets. Still got the original curved frontage, though, thankfully. Even the bottomless pits of supermarket chain money couldn't change that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Riddo 47 Posted January 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 Thanks to all who took the time to help in my original request. I've been down to Central Library today and checked the Nottingham Trades Directory for 1967/8 and now know that the art shop was indeed Dobbs Picture Framers (Commo #2). They're now in Sneinton. They occupied No.18 Union Rd and must have stocked art materials as part of their business. F.F. Allsopps (Cliff Ton #3) are listed in the Commercial section as Bookbinders (as the photo above confirms) but there is no number given in the address. No.14/16 was W.Woodhouse (Drapers) and at No.20 was Ernest J Wood (no trade listed). There's a gap in the street no. list - it jumps from 20 to 26, so I'm assuming this was Allsopps, as it is double-fronted in the photo. That being the case, then I was right in my post #11 that the art shop was in the present gap to the right of Allsopp's old building. Interestingly, John E Wrights (#5) were on Huntingdon Street even then, at No.115, where they stand to this day! I looked for PJ Robinson, the music store, but that name wasn't listed, so maybe it changed hands between '64/5 and '67/8? But Mudgie 49's memories in #10 confirm my own, so I'll settle for that. Job done! Thanks again. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Commo 1,292 Posted January 22, 2014 Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 That building which shows as Allsops was in my days there a Marsdens grocers shop. I have a feeling that No. 20 might have been a bakers, there certainly was one somewhere in that row at the time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mudgie49 401 Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 If memory serves me right, I'm sure there was a bakers/confectioners, and a sweetie shop,painted black and white,pretty sure they were next to each other. There were a pair of old wooden gates,leading to a coal merchants yard. No idea of the names or numbers. The 'Union'pub was a regular 'stop off' to purchase 'medicinal'baccy in the late 60's early 70's,as I recall. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trooper Kerry 3 Posted February 28, 2014 Report Share Posted February 28, 2014 My grand parents, Francis & Tom Roberts lived next door to the Union Pub on Union Rd. Grandad played the piano and grandma sang. If you lived on the rd you may remember Tom as he had a glass eye, he was badly wounded in WW2. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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