Sign of Four Magic Emporium, Derby Rd

[OLDACE 196]

The first JetSki I ever saw was in 1963. It was in Macton Motors on Arkwright Street and was manufactured by Brierley Smith Ltd in the Meadows.

[taxi ray 170]

Mick is this the place you were asking about, its in the book that i mentioned earlier.The 4th photo along.

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Gone-forgotten-city-views-ugliest-street/story-12898596-detail/story.html

[Cliff Ton 10,450]

I'm a bit confused now. The photo above from the new book is a building - demolished in the 60s - which used to be at the top of Chapel Bar.

The mystery cafe was

On 04/07/2011 at 8:53 AM, mick2me said:

a little further down Maid Marion Way showing the 'Silver Knight Grill'? (As mentioned in Food for Thought)

The nearest old equivalent to the top end of Maid Marion Way was Granby Street, and there was a single-storey cafe on the corner of Granby Street and Mount Street which might fit the bill. The building with "Capstan" on the front, and seems to be called the ".....something.... Cafeteria"

[mick2me 3,033]

Re the shop, looking at a blow up, its not clear but it may be Prestons as the shop that was knocked down top of Maid Marion way?

Re your picture Cliff.

Is that the back of the ABC Cinema on the right?

Granby Street, I have memories of there being a Granby St in Nottingham, but its not on any map now?

That building looks very similar to the Silver Knight, but it was not on the corner when I remember it, it was about halfay up towards the junction with Parliamen Street on the right.

Whats the large building on the left of the picture?

Perhaps when this was knocked down the cafe was moved further up?

[mick2me 3,033]

There is Reference to a row of Buildings that were Granby St at

The picture shows Friar Lane/Maid Marion Way and says...

"The two older buildings on the left are remnants of Granby Street. This narrower road connected Friar Lane and St James' Street prior to the construction of Maid Marian Way."

[Beefsteak 305]

Kev that shop in the hole is an 'underground' bookstore now!

Going back to "The Sign of Four" there used to be another 'magic shop' on Mansfield Road, just up from the "International Community Centre" I used to peer through the window there most days on the 'Chip Shop Run' (Perk of the job ...not!!) when I was an aprentice ay "Automart"

[Cliff Ton 10,450]

On 07/07/2011 at 1:10 PM, mick2me said:

Re the shop, looking at a blow up, its not clear but it may be Prestons as the shop that was knocked down top of Maid Marion way?

Take a look at THIS picture, and look at the bit where there is a clock on the wall (towards the right side). You can see the same clock - at right angles - on the small picture from the book

On 07/07/2011 at 1:10 PM, mick2me said:

Re your picture Cliff.

Is that the back of the ABC Cinema on the right?

Granby Street, I have memories of there being a Granby St in Nottingham, but its not on any map now?

That building looks very similar to the Silver Knight, but it was not on the corner when I remember it, it was about halfay up towards the junction with Parliamen Street on the right.

Whats the large building on the left of the picture?

Perhaps when this was knocked down the cafe was moved further up?

Yes, that's the old ABC on the right.

The photographer was standing in the middle of Granby Street/early Maid Marion Way - where the traffic islands are - and the road going off to the right is the bottom half of Mount Street

The building on the left was apparently called the Midland Design Centre, and was only around for a few years

[mick2me 3,033]

Didnt the Midland Design Centre relocate to just opposite the Yorker on Mansfield Road?

"Something House"?

[denshaw 2,871]

Sandfield House.

[Mess 614]

I well remember The Sign of Four shop on Derby Road and the yellow cellophane stuck on the windows.

I bought a few thing from there as a kid and one of my pals bought some sneezing powder in a shallow cylindrical cardboard container.

It all seemed great fun at the time until some clown chucked the whole lot in my face! Took about an hour before the irritation subsided and my mum swore that's what triggered my hayfever. She rang up SO4 and had a moan but they weren't interested.

I read on the internet that sneezing powder is just pepper but back in the 50's before H&S kicked in they'd probably use any powdered irritant they could find. Private individuals just didn't sue manufacturers for negligence in those days.

I was exposed to some very unpleasant stuff in my earlier career in laboratories. We used to throw solvents around with gay abandon never giving H&S a second thought. My mate used to clean his motorbike with benzene which is a well recognised carcinogen these days.

Remember Thorpit the dry cleaning fluid sold in a ribbed bottle? It's carbon tetrachloride another well documented nasty. I used to love the smell but I'll never know how many years it took off my life.

[Mess 614]

Cliffs Picture shows that The depot was not that of Skills but Bartons Coaches.

Yes SoF did move to Goldsmith Street, But after Derby Road, What year did it move, and what year did it close?

I remember travelling on the 43 Trolly bus DOWN Derby road and straight across on to Chapel bar, stopped outside Pearson brothers and then routed via OMS down wheeler gate/Albert St/Lister gate/Carrington Street/Arkwright Street.

Anyone got a map showing Derby Rd/Chapel Bar prior to the change?

I remember making the same journey. If you stayed on the bus it then went over to stop by slab square and you could hop off and use the underground toilets. I think the bus conductor used to moan because slab square was supposed to be a pick up point only.

Remember the shiny brass and copper fittings in those toilets and the 1d in the slot cubicles? Big brass unit those slot machines.

[Mess 614]

corner of co-op...Ministry of food offices

Ah The Ministry of Food.

My mum used to take me there in the early fifties to collect free orange juice. It came in large screw cap medicine bottles and was quite thick and concentrated.

They also used to give out National Dried Milk for babies. It came in white cylindrical tins with lots of small blue writing all around it.

My primary school (Beechdale, long gone but never forgotten) used the empty tins to store pencils and rulers in.

This was the 50's remember when there wasn't much money around. At Christmas Beechdale school used to use the left over foil after the silver milk bottle tops had been stamped out as decorations in the classroom. They looked OK but used to smell of sour milk.

I guess they got them from Beechdale Dairy across the road.

Beechdale was a lovely school. I see they've built a retirement complex there but the old school railings are still in evidence.

I often wonder how many marbles they found in the playground drains when they dug it all up!

[Cliff Ton 10,450]

On 15/07/2011 at 0:32 PM, Mess said:

What a great picture!

I was at Peoples College 1966-69 and used to buy fag at the kiosk pictured. I'd quite forgotten about it till I saw the picture. Thanks for posting it

There's also another of the subject, but when it was still being built.

[mick2me 3,033]

According to http://www.nottinghamguildofmagicians.co.uk/

"The Nottingham Guild of Magicians... Founded in 1939 at the well-known theatrical store The Sign of Four Theatre Shop, which was located on Derby Road, the founding members were - Cpt Val Jackson, Stonewall Jackson, Bertram Millidge, Rev R. W. Lax West, Maurice Goldworth, G. Harding, Denis Gardner, and R. Richardson... The Sign of Four Theatre Shop was the Guild's home throughout the war, albeit on an "on and off" basis, due to a number of members being called up. Those that were not played a vital role in entertaining the people of Nottingham, and many visiting members of the armed forces."

[rob237 89]

...Bertram Millidge...

That is 'Fred' Millidge, legendary High Pavement Classics Master for more than 40 years...

Notorious for his pet phrase "Good Heaven's above!"

A character straight from the pages of a Charles Dicken's novel, who regularly 'held court' in the Gentlemen's Bar of the Vale pub on Thackeray's Lane...

Cheers

Robt P.

[Mess 614]

Just remembered some of my purchases from Sign of Four in the early 60's

A seebehindscope which sounded amazing but was just a small black plastic tube with an angled mirror in. Don't think 007 would have been impressed!

Potty Putty a schoolboy craze at the time. Funny soft plastic stuff that bounced and stretched. Bet the guy who wrote Flubber had some when he was a kid.

Finally my pal bought a brown plastic dog turd which really looked the business (no pun intended). I remember him leaving it outside peoples front gates to see their reaction. I came out the house after tea to see this little brown pile by our front gate so I kicked it. Guess what? It was real dog pooh!

Mum wasn't impressed.

Talking of schoolboy crazes anybody remember the Yo-Yo craze of 1962?

I think the Co-Op kicked it off with a Canadian guy called Don Rodgers who came into Forest Fields one breaktime and amazed us with some fantastic Yo-Yo tricks. That was it. All the 11-13 year olds went flying down to Parliment St on Saturday mornings to buy Yo-Yo's and learn the tricks and Don Rodgers would dish out competence badges.

Yo-Yo's were selling like hot cakes around Nottingham in the summer of 1962.

The ultimate Yo-Yo was a Lumar butterfly. Cost about 10/6 I think but was much sought after.

I had a red and black one but the string broke and my prized Yo-Yo went spinning across the schoolyard and smashed.

My dad bought me a replacement in blue and cream from Pearsons because I nagged him so much.

I've looked on eBay and Lumar Butterflies do come up every now and then. I've been tempted but resisted so far.

The big consumable item on Yo-Yo's was the string and for a while they were hard to find. No ordinary piece of string would do.A proper Yo-Yo string was a twisted loop so the Yo-Yo spun on it's axle when thrown hard downwards out the back of your hand. The technical term for this wasmaking the Yo-Yo sleep. It's the basic operation before performing other tricks

Sometimes if the string was too tight the Yo-Yo would shoot back up the string and give you a very nasty blow on the back of your hand.

You could always spot a novice because their hand was well bruised.

[bamber 128]

The picture of the shops at the top of Chapel Bar brings back memories of one of nottingham's more unusual retailers: The Rubber Supply Company. They had premises, in the basement if I remember correctly, of one of buildings.

You knew summer holidays were imminent when mum and dad went to the Rubber Supply to get you new plimsoles.

[Cliff Ton 10,450]

I've bumped this thread back to life because Picture the Past have got several new photos of the area in the 50s/60s.

They show the petrol station, the Barton's bus adverts, the car spares place, and what may be the Sign of Four (can't quite tell)

 

Pic1   Pic2   Pic3   Pic4   Pic5

[mick2me 3,033]

Thanks for that Cliff

In Pic 1 can I see the sign Morkel & Carnill?

What was Ingles? (Pic 3)

Pic 4 Coop house far right with Coop Car showroom next from right

But what is that tall building at the top of Toll Street?

On the roof centre "....... Hotel" Which?

NCS sign can be clearly seen on buildings centre.

This block also possibly owned by Coop?

Bartons? bus bottom left. F2 to Kimberley?

Is that kev sitting in the back?

[Limey 242]

It's the Albert Hotel - in pic 3 you can see the awning over the entrance!

Also notice the Bartons bus signs are advertising the "New Bus Station" - on Mount Street! Dated 1949 - it didn't last long, did it?

[Cliff Ton 10,450]

On 07/09/2011 at 2:08 PM, mick2me said:

In Pic 1 can I see the sign Morkel & Carnill?

And you can see it even better on this.

On 07/09/2011 at 2:08 PM, mick2me said:

What was Ingles? (Pic 3)

Describe themselves as "Motor Accessories". But wasn't that the place which some people also remember as a Chandelry?

And showing a different angle of the Albert HoteL.........and a great shot of an old Jag.

[Fynger 841]

Bartons? bus bottom left. F2 to Kimberley?

Is that kev sitting in the back?

Cant be Mick....I never saw Kimberley when it was Black and White. ( they'de painted it by the time i got here. )

[BulwellBrian 107]

I don't think Bartons went to Kimberley, proberbly Midland General, they used letter & numbers for routes.

[rob237 89]

Certain that is so...always MGO, never Barton's...

Perhaps most famously, on the route of the 'Ripley Rattlers' tram service - often written about by DH Lawrence - which became the A1 trackless (King St-Ripley), until 1953...when buses took over.

Cheers

Robt P

[Limey 242]

Yep, Bartons used a number-letter combination.

From Mount Street, a 5A, 5B or 5C would get me home!