Sign of Four Magic Emporium, Derby Rd


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I worked for IBM from 1970-72 and we were in the tower block on the island on Maid Marion Way, [Tesco on ground floor] not at the bottom of Derby Rd.

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Derby Road/Chapel Bar Nottingham C.1963 As a kid I was fascinated by this this shop, spent hours in there looking in the glass cases. Now this picture has some stuff in it I just dont rememb

No your not http://nottstalgia.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1819&page=2#entry485214

Following recent comments in another thread, I've now repaired most of the missing photos earlier in this thread, so it makes a bit more sense.   There is also a separate thread specifically

  • 2 months later...

Has anyone got a photograph a bit lower down Derby Road, before the Main Marion Way roundabout was built? This would be pre-1963. On the cathedral side of the road was a car showroom occupied by Morkel and Carnell - which was on several floors and cars had to be moved by lift between the floors - something I found fascinating as a small boy when I went in with my Dad to buy a Morris 1000 Traveller! When the demolition was announced Morkel and Carnell moved to the premises between Talbot Street and Wollaton Street - where they remained until the early to mid 1970s.

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Lived through the era but can't recall those shops houses etc despite being taken to the cathedral many times by my mother who had leanings towards the religion preached there, There were also "route wars" as regards NCT trolley buses in our family and relatives, one side favouring the 43/44 route the other the 41 one! guess such dated back to their childhood when each side lived on one or the other! As we then lived on the latter (with 36 & 37 also) that route was mostly used into town so less seen of Radford Rd/ Hyson Green/ Alfreton & Derby Rd's etc till freedom came in the shape of a push bike 1960 on! The "route wars" also in my case affected preferences in other things, choice of favourite cinema,s, parks we played on, shops in town we went to even I think my choice of railway stations and companies! funny what you think of isn't it! lol

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  • 6 months later...

Sign of Four....loved that shop.

Some times our bus(no 39) would stop outside this place comming back from my grandparents (late 50s)

I can remember the arms moving(changing colour) wasn't there a dolls hospital somewhere near? or was that somewhere else.

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  • 4 years later...

I'm confused....

I'm sure I remember a 'Sign of Four'somewhere in the Shakespeare St area. It had all the theatrical and joke stuff I think, but also sold records. As I recall it was a two storey building and the main record bit was upstairs. Also, it was on a corner, not in a row. I still have a Bert Jansch EP I bought there. They used to have singles hanging up outside, such as things on the Red Bird label. Loads of Ska etc., which may well have come from Chris Blackwell's early days flogging Island etc., records out of a van.

Or maybe I'm just even more confused than I thought.

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On 04/07/2016 at 0:24 AM, DJ360 said:

I'm sure I remember a 'Sign of Four'somewhere in the Shakespeare St area. It had all the theatrical and joke stuff I think, but also sold records. As I recall it was a two storey building and the main record bit was upstairs.

Sign of Four on Goldsmith Street.

pZiZhhd.jpg

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The camera never lies Cliff, but I don't recall that at all. The one I recall was on a corner. I bought a Bert Jansch and a Django Reinhardt EP from there but sadly they have no dealer stamp on them. Place also sold lots of rSka etc., upstairs and was well supported by the local West Indian community as well as Mods. Maybe it wasn't a Sign of Four.

Col

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Not sure what I'm thinking anymore Hippo G..

I suppose it could have been Selectadisc but that name rings no bells from that time, though I did hear of it much later.

I was pretty convinced the place had a sort of vaguely magical/occult type name.. maybe something to do with playing cards.. Aces or clubs or something. Dunno now.

The place I recall wasn't as smart as the shop in Cliff's pic, it was on a corner and IIRC it had rendered walls. It was generally a bit shabby.

Col

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The Sign Of Four I remember, about 1966, was on the opposite side of the street as Cliff Ton's pic. I also seem to have a vague recollection of records, but possibly a separate shop next door? Not the Selectadisc though.

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Who removed my comment in reply to Freckles?

The sign of four I remember was under the snooker hall at the side of the old hotel by the Theatre Royal that was demolished around 1980.
That picture seems to be on the opposite side of the road near The Mogul E Azam!

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Red that is brilliant!!

Thank you so much.

You see, I'm not losing it after all... You won't get me in that home just yet... :)

Col

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Cliff #82 looks like the place. I thought it was maybe freestanding, but that may be a distortion of memory caused by single story next door.

Col

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~17. Feel sure that the garage, or rather car dealership, was named Mitchells. They were main agents for Standard cars. On the other side of the road was a pub (forgot the name) whose landlord was a Transport Command pilot during the war. He flew Avro Yorks and flew Churchill to Yalta for his conference with Roosevelt and Stalin. Went there to see him and he showed me his log book.

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Following recent comments in another thread, I've now repaired most of the missing photos earlier in this thread, so it makes a bit more sense.

 

There is also a separate thread specifically for Sign of Four on Goldsmith Street.  https://nottstalgia.com/forums/topic/11909-sign-of-four-joke-shop-goldsmith-st/

 

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

 

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

Re PIC4

(On page 2)

 I followed this thread through and couldn't find an answer to this. My guess is Talbot House, Talbot street, the art deco offices ex Experian, now refurbished.

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On 02/07/2011 at 0:24 PM, Cliff Ton said:

I must've been along that road loads of times in the early 60s but I can't remember it at all now. Here's a slightly different angle on the same location, with a wider view and the other side of the road

Kko8e5P.jpg

 

And I don't remember Sign Of Four being in that location, but as Ashley has mentioned, I remember it being somewhere around Goldsmith Street near the old Selectadisc.

pZiZhhd.jpg

 

Now the pics are restored, the SoF that I remember is on the first one from Mick. It looks pretty much like it's closed there.

 

I remember the Three Horse Shoes now, as well. It had completely left my memory - as had the Albert Hotel.

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