Broadmarsh water wheels, Virgin Megastore & Wheeler Gate


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Hi. 2 things that have been bugging me so much and I can't find anything online. I'm new on here so sorry if it's been covered.

1) has anyone got pics or vids of the old water wheels in broadmarsh? They were by the escalators near wimpy.

2) does anyone remember what was in the shop that became virgin megastore on wheeler gate before it was virgin? What I remember is maybe the logo was a devil. Also the escalator that was in the centre of virgin was just on 1 level instead of going downstairs. So like they have in an airport. Also may have been a coffee shop bit at the back. I heard it was wh smiths at one time so maybe this was in between?

I was really young when both of these things were there so my memory is hazy.

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I think it was an HMV store before Virgin took it over. At the far back was a café, and I once saw Richard Branson in there. This area later became dedicated to classical music CDs.

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Boots was on the corner of Wheeler gate & Friar Lane, my sister worked there in the 60's, shows as Costa Coffee in Google view

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I'm new on here so sorry if it's been covered.

To be fair he did apologize for being new & was so sorry if its been covered!

MrRoadRage welcome to this big happy family! :glare: I'm sure you'll soon have thousands of posts behind you?

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Sorry, as I said I'm sure it would be covered before. Still though, does anybody remember the store I'm on about? It must've been between it being wh smiths and virgin. Boots was much earlier from what I can tell. The name temptations rings a bell but that could be my memory.

Also anybody have anything on the waterwheels? I definitely know they exist

I've got to say, the info on this site is amazing. I only found it the other day by chance.

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There might be confusion on the subject of Boots because there were two versions. The top photo is the earlier version - the "Night & Day" shop mentioned in the other thread; and the lower photo shows the later shop which was right on the corner of Friar Lane.

wheelergate_zpsar5hfqlw.jpg

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MrRoadRage, I remember the water wheels in Broadmarsh, I worked there in 1974. I think they were there until the glass lift was installed. I've never come across any pictures though.

As regards Wheeler Gate, I worked there for a couple of years from 1986 and remember Virgin opening day. Downstairs there were music books, in the days before t'internet guitarists like me had to get music scores or tablature to get songs right. Much easier these days.

As stated in the other thread link Cliff posted, before Virgin Megastore was W H Smith, there from the 1970s, before moving to Lister Gate. In the 60's it was the Henrys store, so I think the shop you mean must then have been between Henrys and W H Smith, datewise. Working in the area, I knew most shops but unfortunately I've no recollection of the one you refer to.

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MrRoadRage, I remember the water wheels in Broadmarsh, I worked there in 1974. I think they were there until the glass lift was installed. I've never come across any pictures though.

As regards Wheeler Gate, I worked there for a couple of years from 1986 and remember Virgin opening day. Downstairs there were music books, in the days before t'internet guitarists like me had to get music scores or tablature to get songs right. Much easier these days.

As stated in the other thread link Cliff posted, before Virgin Megastore was W H Smith, there from the 1970s, before moving to Lister Gate. In the 60's it was the Henrys store, so I think the shop you mean must then have been between Henrys and W H Smith, datewise. Working in the area, I knew most shops but unfortunately I've no recollection of the one you refer to.

Maybe I'm getting confused with virgin itself then? Did they used to have the escalator just going across the 1 floor? Like the airports? Sure it wasn't on though more a feature?

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#10

I believe the earlier photograph shows the building that was once the Oriental cafe. I heard a lot about this place from my mother who worked in the offices of Radio Rentals which was situated above Toby's shop on Friar Lane before her marriage in 1949. She worked there during the war years until she was finally conscripted. I remember her telling me that the word would go around the office that Toby's had nylon stockings in. Most of the female workforce would then leave their desks and race downstairs in the hope of being able to purchase some.

They must have been a crowd of absentees because they were often to be found drinking coffee in the Oriental when they should have been working and on one occasion were discovered doing just that when their boss walked in. He must've been a nice chap because he bought them all a cream cake and sat down and had a cup of coffee with them!

The Oriental cafe was a beautiful Building and I'm sure I read somewhere that stored within it was a much earlier pargeted ceiling which was taken from one of the grand houses in Nottingham.

Such a shame when you look at what was built on that corner after the original buildings were demolished because they have no character at all. I'm not old enough to remember the Oriental cafe but it was a place my mother and her friends all loved and she spoke about it whenever the aroma of freshly ground coffee wafted up her nose in later years. During her old age, we often went out into Derbyshire and would go somewhere nice for lunch. but to her there was nowhere to compare with the Oriental cafe of her younger years.

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#10 I believe the earlier photograph shows the building that was once the Oriental cafe. I heard a lot about this place from my mother who

The Oriental cafe was a beautiful Building and I'm sure I read somewhere that stored within it was a much earlier pargeted ceiling which was taken from one of the grand houses in Nottingham.

Jill you are correct ! This is a better photo showing the Oriental Cafe. You can see the bottom end of Friar Lane on the right.

wheeler%20oriental_zpsrwfuqxh4.jpg

Picture the Past also has several photos of the interior, including the plaster ceiling.

http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?action=printdetails&keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM004929&prevUrl=

http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?action=printdetails&keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM004927&prevUrl=

http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?action=printdetails&keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NTGM004925&prevUrl=

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I know we can't stop progress and can appreciate that it was probably damaged due to the activities of the Luftwaffe over Nottingham but who on earth would want to replace such a beautiful Carolean building with the trash that stands there now?

Some people have no soul!

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#19

Looking at the inside of the Oriental cafe, it's easy to see why mum liked it so much.

I can just imagine what she would say about today's generation wandering about with large cardboard cups of Costa Coffee. Mum liked style and elegance and, from what I can see, there ain't much of it about these days!

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And next door to 'Willerby tailors'..............remember buying a light grey pinstripe from there,the label on the inside said 'Tiger'..........aarrg,strutted me stuff in that for a while............lol.

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Did't the costa coffee used to be Ratners? bought a couple of Engagement rings there'..........and that Burtons a nice light blue American style suit.......about the same price of both rings........never even asked for em back either............

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