Old Basford late 50's

[Rose 0]

Ashley: I can't remember any pub on Nottm rd, and the only one I can think of close to Whitemoor rd was the Barley Mow, but that was more on Basford rd.

The Old English Gentleman was on Browns Croft, see pic NTGM000261 on Picture the past it shows the pub on the left, halfway up.

[This was in the 60's]

Can you remember 'Martha' the washerwoman who lived on B-Croft ?

Had a huge mangle in her back yard, there was a bit about her in the Basford Bystander recently, brought back memories.

I saw a cow being killed at the Church st slaughterhouse when I was a kid, really upset me, and yes it was close to where the meter firm was, opposite the Masons Arms.

I remember Martha, I used to live at 16 Browns Croft when I was a child, I lived there with my Mam and Dad Mavis and Ray Evans,

My name is Rosemary and I was born there in 1954 and left there in1965 when they started to demolish the houses.The Old English was knocked down before we left.I have so many chidhood memories of Basford.I went to Old Basford Primary School too.I had a sister Carole and a brother David,and when we moved to Bestwood Park in 1965 my Mam had my youngest sister Julie.

[Owdtite 2]

I found this topic very interesting indeed, I just wish my memory was not so poor! I was in the 44th Scout Troop that met at the top of Cowley St and I used to go from Bulwell to Ellis school everyday either by bike or 44 trolleybus alighting at the Basford Crossings and walking up Cowley St. In 1960 I was spending more time around there than I was at home in Bulwell cos I had so many mates from school who lived in Basford. The only shop I can remember in Lincoln St was the chippy which we used to go in most days with our school dinner money..it was run by the Baxter Family and their Son Graham was in a year lower down than me at Ellis. I cant remember the name of the old lady with the sweet shop on Vernon Rd that used to sell us fags in 1's and 2's with a match. Or Domino's which were 4 for 6d if I recall.. Happy days for me, I just wish I could remember more about it!

Owdtite.

[Ashley 288]

Was that sweet shop on corner next to vernon cinema? seem to remember you went through the door and downsteps? I remember it being flooded at sometime but still open!

[Owdtite 2]

Was that sweet shop on corner next to vernon cinema? seem to remember you went through the door and downsteps? I remember it being flooded at sometime but still open!

No Ashley, it was just round the corner from Vernon Ave,I thought it was Nellie Bisby's but I have read somewhere on here that she was on Arnold Road/Southwark St area.....Its that Memory, keeps letting me dowm I'm afraid...lol

Owdtite.

[Ashley 288]

There was/still is a row of shops on vernon road near junction with nottingham rd, though I think some now converted to houses? Spent a memorable afternoon virtually opposite them sat on the old railway footbridge watching part of sketchleys burn down! In later years one of those shops was s/h motorbike one ran by a guy named Bryan who lived somewhere off park lane

[Owdtite 2]

There was/still is a row of shops on vernon road near junction with nottingham rd, though I think some now converted to houses? Spent a memorable afternoon virtually opposite them sat on the old railway footbridge watching part of sketchleys burn down! In later years one of those shops was s/h motorbike one ran by a guy named Bryan who lived somewhere off park lane

I remember the footbridge Ashley and the row of shops but this shop was just a little further up towards Bulwell on its own, all the kids from Ellis used to go there for their fags with their dinner money. No wonder I got hooked on nicotine at 11 years old and have spent the last 52 years still hooked. Just down from there on Nottm Rd on the corner of Scotland Rd was a shop run by Jack Carless who had 2 lovely Daughters called Carol and Susan....(Some things I never forget)..lol

Owdtite.

[Fynger 841]

I remember ( as i went to school on the bus evryday that way ) past Basford crossing and heading to Henry Mellish.. on the left hand side just before the bend where the houses start there were ( and maybe still are ) some little tiny buildings that were all boarded up ...I assume these were shops at some point ....even tho they were so small.

[Ashley 288]

Can't think where that Jack Carless shop was? unless you mean the one Torville's had Scotland Rd/Valley Rd junction? I know Jack Careless had the shop on Valley Rd in later years just before the railway bridge, Re the 2 little shops on Vernon Rd Kev, about 20 odd years ago I rented them, they were joined as one place and had at one time been a greasy spoon cafe, closed only when double yellow lines arrived and no lorries etc could park, after that used as storage for years, I wanted them as music rehearsal studio, did one side up and rented other out, "Auction Mick" from Hyson Green was going to open that one as s/h shop, stocked it all out etc then night before due to open someone broke in via roof my side and nicked all his stock! after that I let it out to a stripper (he stripped paint etc off old doors,furniture etc) shops still there boarded up and empty last time I went by (sept 2009)

[nnsc 131]

This group of shops were just around the corner from the Vernon on Southwark St. As you can see from the picture it appears that you had to go down a step or two to get to them. I do remember one of these shops being the very first that I went into on decimal day to get the new coins. I lived in Hyson Green at the time but used to get off the bus at the crossings and walk up to school.

[rob237 89]

Weren't they the shops where the roofs leaked?

BTW: Nellie Bisby's shop was some distance up Arnold Road, not far below the Barlock Road junction and adjacent to some long defunct works entrance.

Cheers

Robt P.

[katyjay 5,091]

I remember those cottages, but can't recall shops being in there. There were one or 2 shops right on the corner of Vernon Rd/Southwark Street. Wasn't one a shoe shop in the 50's? Many more shops on the opposite side of Southwark St though, from the Leen on Vernon Rd round the corner and up a ways up Southwark St.

[Ashley 288]

I think all those "shops" in the pic were houses except the extreme left one, the "shop" being the room at the front, it was that one I referred to (the steps being inside the door) The shoe shop was to right of these, angled back as I recall? was it one of Stevensons? if not some other local "chain", Can't recall any other shops on Southwark St other than those still there

[katyjay 5,091]

Yes, it was Stevenson's shoe shop. The shops on Vernon Rd from the Leen onwards, the first one was Steve Clarke's paint and wallpaper, he only had that one when he and my aunt married in 1954, then they gradually bought the next and the next as they came empty and had quite a good size shop in the end. He didn't reach the corner though, and I can't remember what shops where there, I'll ask my big brother. He's 7 yrs older and remembers a lot more of old Basford than I do. All during the war, my mam worked at Burton's under the arcade, so he lived with my grandparents on Cheltenham St, Mon-Fri. He was at Southwark St School when my dad came back from Burma, and dad went to the school to collect Dave, and the teacher told him, 'your daddy's here to get you' and he said he went off hand in hand with a total stranger.

[taxi ray 170]

hi, katyjay you mentioned that you lived on cheltenham street my wifes grandparents lived on that street during and after the war, the house was demolished in the 70s there is a picture of the house on picture the past.

i think the grandfather had a wedding car and did some outings i was told they were the only on the street with a car at the time.

the family name is foster, they were quite a large family and all lived in basford and bulwell.

the house was also used as a lodgings house around about the same time.

[katyjay 5,091]

Hi Ray

It was both sets of grandparents that lived on Cheltenham St, my parents were on the Bells Lane Estate. One set actually lived on the street, moving around in at least 3 houses on there, the other set lived in Bell Terrace. Long gone now, Peachtree Court now sits on that site.

[Ashley 288]

The corner shop you memtion Katy and next door bashed into one was a DIY shop in 1970 and for many years later, it moved to new purpose built place now a snooker hall up the road towards Barlock Rd, think a bad idea as it didn't last that long after? Anyone remember going to the DHSS (or whatever it was back then on) "office" in St Aidan's Church Hall, Honest, I kid you not, I got something in my eye one day and got bad reaction, eye hospital etc, (only one of 2 times I've ever fainted, other was in stan boswell's chip shop! but I digress) went there to "sign on" and nice young lady took her time and explained to me I could claim industrial injury benefit (more £££'s) which I didn't even know about. Last time I had to visit such a place the interviewer I saw hardly spoke english!

[katyjay 5,091]

I got a reply from my brother in Rise Park, regarding the bottom end of Southwark St/Vernon Road junction. Below is his reply to me.

I remember very well what that area looked like when I was young, before it changed, though it hasn't changed that much.

If you stood on the corner of Vernon Road/Southwark Street, with the cinema on your right looking up towards grandma's, there was (still is) an alley going down the side of the cinema. On the other side of the ally was a pawnbrokers shop (actually just in the alley) and Stevensons was next to this on the corner. From there there was a row of cottages (think they had small gardens in front of them). At the end of the row was a separate shop that sold sweets, etc. The shop came up to the pavement whereas the cottages were set back. After the shop is the Midland Electro-Plating Company,(still there). The other side of this is the river Leen, and going up the hill nothing has changed.

On the opposite side of the road there was (still is) the row of shops where Steve Clarke had his shop. No shops there now, just residences (up for sale). Then there was (is) the back alley leading to the rear of the premises, and then a single-story, low roof greengrocer's shop, Simkins (still there I think but almost derelict). There might have been another business there also, bikes, I think, but maybe this was also Simkins. Then the Leen. Simkins later set up his business in Cinder Hill (Embassy Autos) selling motorbikes and for years the business has been selling tyres and batteries. Still there up the bank on the opposite side of where Fowler's Pond used to be - entrance at Bells Lane crossing. Going along Vernon Road past the cinema there were no shops, just the library near the entrance to the park.

Stevensons, the cottages and the sweet shop are the only buildings that have been knocked down.

[philby 21]

i used to get my school shoes from stevensons,this would be in the early 70's i went to school at southwark, i well remember the chap (mr stevenson i imagine) being a really nice and friendly chap, the grocers opposite i also remember from going down there with my gran, the diy place was called V.L.S. DIY, they had a little corner where they sold model kits, not the familiar airfix, but japanese ones, riko i think was the name. but most of the time to get my kits i would go across the crossings to buyrites, whose shop was in two sides, one where he sold wallpaper, paint and diy stuff, the other was basically an aladdins cave with the full airfix range of models around the walls, and in the middle a big glass case full of dinky die cast stuff. mr buyrite was a jolly chap, who smoked a pipe and would ask me how i got on with the kit i'd bought the previous week.

happy days!

[Ashley 288]

yea I remember him, though from taking John and Ian for matchbox cars etc, he had another shop on hartley rd and sold the lincoln street one, was open for a bit after but empty for about 10 years now (like the rest)

[philby 21]

its been turned into a couple of flats now ash, the buyrite sign was still there right up until they were converted about four years ago.

[Basford Bill 0]

This group of shops were just around the corner from the Vernon on Southwark St. As you can see from the picture it appears that you had to go down a step or two to get to them. I do remember one of these shops being the very first that I went into on decimal day to get the new coins. I lived in Hyson Green at the time but used to get off the bus at the crossings and walk up to school.

The first house to the right of the shop, (where the 'Walls' sign is) I remember a man who lived there and had a 'Huge' black Great Dane named Captain, he used to let me take the dog for a walk...or rather he let the dog take Me for a drag, LOL.

The last house on the right of the picture, which was next to Stevo's, I remember a girl named Christine Culley lived there, used to join our gang playing on Billy Bacons and Basford United football ground.

[nnsc 131]

The first house to the right of the shop, (where the 'Walls' sign is) I remember a man who lived there and had a 'Huge' black Great Dane named Captain, he used to let me take the dog for a walk...or rather he let the dog take Me for a drag, LOL.

I'm sure I remember the dog you are talking about. I used to go on Vernon Park a lot in the early sixties and come across a big dog named Captain - would this be from that period? As I'd be 5 or 6 at that time I may be wrong.

[Basford Bill 0]

Yep, it would be the late 50s when I used to walk Captain, sometimes on the park, and I'm sure he was still around when I moved from Basford to Bulwell in the mid 60s.

His owner was disabled with a very bad leg, (possible accident/war injury?) and a lad about the same age as me (17 at the time) lived with him, dunno if it was his son or other relative, he was often out with the dog.

[BARRIE-M 0]

No, can't recall the washer woman as I am not from Old Basford, Dad lived on Vernon Rd Mum at that Bungalow etc, I was always New Basford 1946-1970 till I moved to Western Boulevard but as a kid took to Old Basford visiting friends etc of parents. The pubs I mentioned were favs of maternal grandad so pre 1939 possible well before? Was told of them by mum and sites of such seen on old maps when I was researching for a book I wrote, the Nottingham Road one was on the right heading towards railway after an old bakehouse that stood there till 1990's (?) I got the name wrong re Old English Gentleman

The slaughterhouse on church street was part of the Cinderhill co-op,I used to work there with John Farnsworth, John Pollard and Eric jones we used to slaughter pigs sheep and cattle every Monday,there was also a bakehouse and meat product preparation unit behind the shop. Just up the road from the shop directly opposite the Masons arms there weas a row of terraced cottages occupied by the Cockayne family Irene Cockayne was a lovely young lady keenly courted by many of the local lads (including me)

[Ashley 288]

Would that be John Farnsworth of later music "fame"? lived on Basford Road?