A Road that Had Everything - Mansfield Rd


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There really was no need to visit Mac fisheries or co- op food hall- Mansfield Road had it all...certainly in my time living right in the city centre.

You had Boots the Chemist on the corner of Shakespeare st.for all your pharmacy needs( not an all-night like Wheeler Gate),but useful.

Amplitone for batteries and earpieces and cheap Alba radios.

Clerks of Retford cleaned me Dad's Sunday suit.

Dulux paint centre( me old man never visited!)

And furniture dreams in The Design Centre which made Habitat look like County Sales!

The Mansfield Arms at the side of the crossing- great Irish pub,run by Mick Leonard who then moved to The Wilberforce.

BSM for the learner in your life.

The Olympian Cafe next to Jolleys Taxis did glass cups of the frothy stuff.

The Peacock pub with Dennis's radio Nottm cronies stood opposite the Yorker- and still does,probably the Rose of England now.

Len Barnes did huge gigot chops- nice with a dollop of ' Mary had a little lamb'.

Judy's hardware stood between Lancaster & Thorpe and Daley's sweet shop.The York house blocked my view of Nottm Vic- but The Queens Fish Bar and the smell of battered cod made its way to my third level bedroom.

31A was a social workers office,most minded there own kids well in those days!

Noor Jahn with the distinctive doorstep fed the adventurous diner.

Next door was a "youth" outfitters/Bullimore & Parkers- they did a nice window pane check.

Across the way was the original Roebuck- a lipstick les ran it..with some determination I might add!!

Two puffs ran Sven Books next to nearly new.

The first bank sat on the corner of Major st. below a large estate agents.

Hot fresh bread courtesy of Judges or a congress tart..be quick the toffs from Bluecoat school would be in!

The DAF showrooms swooped the corner with a National garage attached to the rear.

A small bit of bunta sandstone then The Children Society shop..bargains galore!

Smack opposite was Sills Motors and the Saint Johns ambulance depot.

Ciders the Mengle of the dentist world had his torture chamber adjacent to the wonderful Mayfair Chinese.

Classical and jazz could be had along with guns from Mick Longs.

Bill the Barber did your wool for dirt cheap and if the queue was big- nip in The Fleece for a swift half.

The coin-op seemed to have most of Burns and Arthur Street doing there smalls( or larges) in there

Ironmonger Danny Leyburn..( gay and wigged!!) for your Croydex tap swirls!

Dave Mann would sell you a nice set of super Slinky's- but the greasy smell from the Blue Marlin fish Bar wasn't nice.

The Bendix Laundrette was more upmarket.. though bedding washers often popped over to The Nags Head whilst the witneys were on long cycle.

Mr.Love' his shop was orange,sold big eggs and crumbed ham. He'd warm you a basket loaf and slice it!

Ace records with a Ted selling 'cut corner' LPs from a very purple outlet.

The Bamboo- only sold coffee in my day- some on here know more!!

The washerette did tramps and bedsits pissy sheets- The Elbow next door for a serious fry!

A portly man ran the 'offy' on the junction of Hunto- one would drool over the newest Kawasaki to the rear.

A mini co-op market on the corner of Chatham Street sold all the tinned provisions you needed,including my Puffin pilchards!

Another Boots faced Corporation Oaks as did Flewitts and some dusty but intriguing book shops,another butchers with coloured tiling- TGWU offices were just below the Bass Forest Tavern.

Neales auction house sat near Villa rd. And a "Sunday only" church.Antique shops came and went,Wally Ingles sold the kitchen sink and it's brother.

And it was only a short stroll from hangman's hill to the children's hospital.

Everything and Anything.. and come to think of it Anybody... even the odd streaker... my mam nearly got a stroke...well she couldn't reach with two full shopping bags!!

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I found a dead body on Mansfield Road once. It was in the early’70’s – times of great industrial unrest with three-day weeks, strikes, persistent power cuts and such.   It was a Saturday, mi

This thread had a lot of photos which were ruined by Photobucket's ransomware. I've just repaired most of them.

A quick run through PTP brought out a few examples from the 70s / 80s.    

When was your time Ian?

Recognise some, but by no means all of those.

I remember an 'Akins Oyster Bar', an antique shop called Onion's on the corner of Forest Rd. Dave Mann still there I think.

My brother said the Mayfair had gone but there was a new sign up last week. Of course for many years it was the far more exotic sounding 'Ma Fa', due to somewhat shoddy sign maintenance.. :) It was our favourite 'after DJ gig' eating house.

Place called 'Exchange and Mart', absolutely rammed with everything from tools to musical instruments and all manner of fascinating stuff.

Golden Key

Col

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Very nice Cliff,my house is 2nd after the arrow point.strange to think that the car park and entrance to Tesco and H of F is where the second bridge is now!

The Clinton and the chip shop next door on Shakespeare st.

With the radio and valve shop with the sun blinds.

Moons and then the Adult education Centre and then the 'YM'...where a decent Harry Worth could be pulled in the glazed tile windows.

Sven books,Roebuck,Paraphernalia can be seen leading to the Yorker,no shell garage and York house in this photo!

At the top of union road there was a large building- opposite to Sytners,say.It was a Family First furniture store/PDSA? in it's time- what was it originally?

I notice Wrights graphics hasn't been built either on Hunto.

A long long time ago- and I had an en-suite.....( an Addis bucket with a splash chloros).

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I was about to ask 'Is Woodborough Road to the left off the picture', but then I spotted the Rose of England so saved me asking but I hadn't realised that there was a road bridge over Victoria Station just there. Or perhaps it is just because I have never seen a picture of it from that angle.

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My next question was going to be - Was Skynner Street off Peachey Street? Rover 2000 appeared in October 1963 and his was an early one.

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On 07/07/2016 at 1:01 PM, The Pianoman said:

I hadn't realised that there was a road bridge over Victoria Station just there. Or perhaps it is just because I have never seen a picture of it from that angle.

I think the angle is the answer ! This is on the bridge (Union Road) facing towards Mansfield Road, seeing the brewery from the back.

2i9GjiH.jpg

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Remember the valve/radio/electronics shop in Shakespeare St. Used to buy odd bits in there. Also, IIRC, they used to stock some of the classic 'QUAD' amplifiers, which I could only gaze longingly at back then.

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There was also a shop smewhere in that general area which appeared to stock only expensive Ferrograph reel to reel recorders.

Col

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#10 is just a pearler Cliff,looking back from The Old Forrester's pub!

I hope Tompa comes in on this as he is a Union roadite.. his stamping ground?

Brewery looks a mirror of Shippo's?

When I was a kid- huge areas around here were screened off with huge more o' Farrel poster hoardings,lovin this!!

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The one near the peacock?

Many shops I omitted- fancy light shop next to what became NJD,2nd bank next to Judges,horse & gun shop,a small car sales place opposite York House with concertina doors.

Cheshire antiques?

My minds eye sometimes needs a drop of optrex- thanks for that RR...the old memory is still good...only when returning a loaned £10 does it fail!!

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Ian - you are a true son of Nottingham!

You certainly are Ian,..........i recall some of the places on Mansfield road, i said somewhere else that all it takes to start a thread is a couple of hundred yards of a road and your Mansfield rd typifies that,..........the few places i recall on this busy road are,

Peacock and Rose pubs with the Ivor thirst sign

Having late night fish/chips after missing last bus...........Kingfisher ?

Dentist,where i had treatment at 2 in the morning

Farrands,corner of Fulforth st,working with the late great Jock Brown

Northern Dairies,part of Marsdens,think its now/was the book shop,and my 1st encounter with the spirit world

Elbow Cafe and its fine breakfast

Johnsons Motors,buying my 1st car,/van ford Thames,still got the receipt £150

and oh yes chasing a Shoplifter up the hill from Farrands,completly 'cream crackered' when i finally lost him in the Cemetery.........

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To my eye photos 3 & 4 don't look a right lot different today. Must be the same slabs on the pavement!

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