Listergate 1950-60's


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This was on the Nottingham Facebook page recently and got a massive number of comments. Let's see what happens here.   

Cracking picture, worrabart those lamps on the island?    

Walter Fountain, RR.

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I remember Woollies being on the corner,am I not right in thinking that? God how many times as kids we have walked down Listergate, to the Meadows & beyond.

Trying to picture the pub, can't really say I remember it?

Of course having a closer look at the pic i can see the pic & Woollies,Mmmm will have to rack my brain now obviously age is playing games with my memories!! :(

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Ok that's better,zings are becummin clearer my dear :P

I am absolutely positive Woollies was on the corner,as to the name of the pub?

I'm off now to see the rellies, they are all from Nottingham so hopefully later today I can post some interesting snippets.

bu99er the rellies we had a lot of fun reminiscing but no one remembered what the pub was called :( but Woollies was definately on the corner, that we do know.

Caz

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With persistent delving and investigation.. cross reference, allied to dogged perserverence, coupled with tenacity to the quest, it transpires that the pub was the... Sawyers Arms..

and yes Woolies was on the corner.. don't think they had always been there though, I seem to recall they expanded around the early 60s to incorporate that corner position..

ilko..

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It must be a difficult job being a double glazing salesman in Ilkeston!

Indeedy Ilko is right, it was indeed the Sawyers. This being one of my Watering Holes in the late 60's early 70's. Being close to Peoples College. Though for the life of me I can't remember what it was like inside?

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I have absolutely no recollection of this pub at all. Lister Gate I remember,C & A was there & I got a lot of clothes from that shop to wear to Sante Fe'!!

Marks & Spencer & British Home Stores were there too.

The Town Arms was more familiar to me as we hung out on the Trent Embankment,though I didn't drink as I was still too young ;) It all looks so small today,& even when I go back it even feels small.

Caz

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Guest smithylass

yes the sawyers arms...now u may well ask how i know seeing as i am oh so much younger than u lot...well as my sis caz may be remember..my first job on leaving school was at dolcis in the broadmarsh center,and that was our watering hole after work...of course only being 16 i drank coke :lol: is it not there now ?? if not when was it pulled down.

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Woolies was in a V shape around the Sawyers Arms, This pub was very tolerent of younger drinkers. A used to work as a shelf filler in Macfisheries in Broadmarsh in the mid 70's. And after work a few of us would have a quick pint in the Saywers, this was also the first Pub I played the Video Game 'Pong'. Not sure if it was the first in Nottingham, but a few people did come in just to play the Pong Machine. If this sends you all retro try going to Bar 7 at Canning Circus ( formally the Royal George ) as they have Space invader and similar machines.

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and the tree is in both pics !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you believe that anyone would stand there for 4 years, with a camera?

Waiting for that old guy to return with is missus! :o

THanks to SFisher for Clarifying the Fact that woollies was in both places,

Video Games now heres a new thread... :)

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  • 4 months later...

I remember Wollies, you are all right. The original shop was to the right of the Sawers Arms, later on they built an extension on the corner to the left of the Sawers Arms but the two shops were linked across the back. You could go in one store and come out of the other. When I was sixteen, god what a long time ago, I worked in Burtons Taylors which is the corner shop on the right of the first picture. I remember when I worked there that there was a river running underground under the shop. When it rained hard the water would flood the basement. I also remember when I was little there was a car park infront of Wollies opposite the Electricity Showrooms, this would be where the BHS store would be now, if it's still there.

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  • 3 months later...

When we moved from Hyson Green to Wilford in the late 50's, I used to travel from Wilford to the Windley School on Forest road - on my own - on the bus. On my way home, I used to "drop off" the 43 trolleybus as it slowed down for the junction in the overhead outside Brurton's where the 40 and 47 turned off to go dowm Greyfriar gate to Wilford Road.

I used to hit the ground running, slowed down and dived down Broadmarsh to get the 14 to Ruddington. I only recall coming a cropper and going ar$e over tip about twice................

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  • 3 months later...

I dont think its changed that much since the 1986 picture on page one.

To take the same picture today you would need to be in the cafe at British Home Stores.

Gawd has Woollies been gone that long?

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When we moved from Hyson Green to Wilford in the late 50's, I used to travel from Wilford to the Windley School on Forest road - on my own - on the bus. On my way home, I used to "drop off" the 43 trolleybus as it slowed down for the junction in the overhead outside Brurton's where the 40 and 47 turned off to go dowm Greyfriar gate to Wilford Road.

I used to hit the ground running, slowed down and dived down Broadmarsh to get the 14 to Ruddington. I only recall coming a cropper and going ar$e over tip about twice................

This isn't Brian Draper by any chance, is it??

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Woolies was actually either side of the Sawyers and they both met at the back. Wonder where they chucked the empties out? Sawyers, I mean. British Home Stores was up a bit after Woolies Two and C+A was opposite BHS. Dunn+Co gents outfitters was on the corner of that street which led to Broad Marsh. It was a street which was called - strangely enough - 'Broad Marsh'. Pub called the 'Eight Bells' was down there. Probably named after what the locals' liked to knock out of the GIs in there during the 2W war. pieinface

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  • 1 month later...
With persistent delving and investigation.. cross reference, allied to dogged perserverence, coupled with tenacity to the quest, it transpires that the pub was the... Sawyers Arms..

and yes Woolies was on the corner.. don't think they had always been there though, I seem to recall they expanded around the early 60s to incorporate that corner position..

ilko..

Had I have seen the pic earlier I'd have known straight away that it was the infamous 'Sawyer's Arms'...

I often walked by, honest, to collect something or other...

Notoriously rough pub, with much clientele drifting across from Nottingham's former no-go area of Broad Marsh!

The original 'bring your own sawdust' place.

Cheers

Robt P.

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Here is Listergate in 1907

The obelisk in the 1907 picture was known as 'The Fountain'.

A Crimea War or Boer War memorial?

IIRC, it was demolished late 50's/early 60's.

Cheers

Robt P.

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With persistent delving and investigation.. cross reference, allied to dogged perserverence, coupled with tenacity to the quest, it transpires that the pub was the...  Sawyers Arms..

and yes Woolies was on the corner.. don't think they had always been there though, I seem to recall they expanded around the early 60s to incorporate that corner position..

ilko..

Had I have seen the pic earlier I'd have known straight away that it was the infamous 'Sawyer's Arms'...

I often walked by, honest, to collect something or other...

Notoriously rough pub, with much clientele drifting across from Nottingham's former no-go area of Broad Marsh!

The original 'bring your own sawdust' place.

Cheers

Robt P.

There was another pub across from the Sawyers, on the way to Broad Marsh. The name I have forgotten?

Both were renowned for being frequented by American servicemen during WW2

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Reckon Redmayne's & Todd had their original sports shop, just down from the beginning of Carrington Street.....sizeable place it was too.

Do they still have a shop further down Carrington Street, or are they only in Trinity Square?

Cheers

Robt P.

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Yes, Redmaynes once stood on the corner of Carrington street, and on the opposite corner was Enfield Standard Power cables, where I once worked shortly after leaving school..

part of my job each morning was to go outside and sweep traffic dust off the ledges, and I would often nip across to see what Redmaynes had in their window.. a cunning maneuver which offered brief respite from the hoardes of trolleybus commuters, all of whome would be intently staring at my endeavours whilst the bus was waiting at the lights...

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I remember Woollies being a Y shape with a great cafeteria upstairs where we used to go every saturday in the 50,s. It encompassed the Sawyers Arms which had a right reputation as the Yanks based at Ruddington used the pub and the local lasses went there to get their silk stockings and anything else they could get their hands on.

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  • 2 years later...

Re yanks at Sawyers Arms and The Tower, yes that was true during the war and years after but not sure they were based at Ruddington? I know they were at Langer as I have several letters from a GI written to my aunt around 1943/44, one containing great line "am I right thinking nine and a half inch is your nylons size" (naughty but nice as they'd be sheer fully fashioned!) Not sure what happened to "Sgt Jerry" (had his full name service number etc but USA even 50 years after end of war refuse to give details) a later envelope bore red stamping "USA Red Cross" etc with contents stating he was in hospital but not where or what problem was. Outside woolworths was the Walter (Water?) memorial, I think erected by some businessman as tribute to his son who was killed in WW1? (not sure of last facts) Do know though that a trolley bus pole came off wire and hit it, the lump of stone it knocked off hit a passer by and killed him!

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Also told me the more adventurous yank frequented The Alma & The Spread Eagle on Alfreton Road , because this was where the more promiscuous of the Nottm ladies hung out .

Damn! I didn't know that, I wondered why my missus never made much in The Flying Horse! Only joking, she actually worked there but was asked "how much?" once, told him 10/- same as his sister charged, in mid 1960's The Alma was a Lesbo Pub I recall

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I've just found this thread.

The ground at the bottom of Stanford Street, prior to the construction of the Woolies extension, was used as a burial ground for a chapel situated just north on Castle Gate.

I clearly remember watching the excavations on one of our Saturday morning trips into town, and I reckon it must have been in the mid 50's. My father had purchased a rather large bag of pork scratchings from the Pork Farms shop on Parliament Street and we stood next to the site scoffing these while the excavators unceremoniously shovelled up folks's mortal remains and dumped them into lorries. I know that there were and are rules refering to the removal of human remains, but it depends on their age and living relatives. When I worked years later for the Diocesian Architects, I learnt the rules, which even then were somewhat 'manipulated'.

I still think of that day when I have a decent bag of scratchings now, it was also a combination of smells, pork, fresh soil and that fusty smell you get from old bones.

As I recall the new Woolies was built on the steel frame principle with massive great concrete foundations, it didn't seem to take long to build. The record department was situated at the end of the vee, probably right on top of some ardent Baptists, I doubt whether they got them all out.

Wollaton Park was developed as a transit camp for US troops prior to the invasion at D-Day.

Later it was used to house Italian prisoners of war, with British guards, the Yanks were advancing through Europe with Patton, too valuable to waste, besides the Italians were pretty benign and were allowed to work locally.

During the time of the American build up, my father as a member of the Royal Artillery was removed from Norfolk to Larkhill, given a promotion to senior sergeant and was a lecturer on all sorts of technical gun ranging mathematics, as well as radios.

Meanwhile my mother was constantly harrased by US troops on her trips up Trowell Road to the Co-op in Wollaton village, what saved her was my brother, a lovely bouncing baby in his pram that the Yanks doted on, to be fair, she said that they were lovely blokes, I'm dying to ring her but she's got her mate Sheila round for tea, not allowed.

Sorry, having a moment here, Radio 2 are playing Halleluhah by Jeff Buckley, if you've never heard it, get a life, yes, I know it was written by Leonard Cohen, but it gets me every time I hear Buckleys version, I don't know why, but it makes me think of my late dad.

Anyway, the said great late dad came home on leave to find Wollaton overrun by American troops, not that he had a problem with them, he loved the blokes, some of his later combat experiences with them were legendary, British RA sergeant and his pals the US 82nd Airborne, fuelled by several bottles of Johnny Walker attacking Waffen SS in Holland, don't take me there, it would make a great film.

Anyway, the old boy went to the Admiral Rodney to find it full of US troops, no problem with that, except that he asked for a glass of whisky and was told they didn't have any, no problem, warm watered down bitter will do. Trouble is, when the GI's wanted whisky, they got it, consequence, massive row with landlord, 'I was strafed by German aircraft in 1940, don't take the p###'. He was very reluctant to go in there for years afterwards, even when it was my stag night in 1977, you could tell, he felt uncomfortable.

I'll get more info off my mum when I ring her tomorrow, daren't upset her day, she's 92 and an absolute gem.

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