Going Back In Time

[Pat Ayres]

Yea, walking to school through all weathers because your mum could not afford the busfare, having to call your name out when the teacher asked "who is having free school dinners?" to the amusement of your school 'friends', caddying on the local golf course to get pocket money, asking your friendly 'uncle' who your mum cleaned for, to let you walk his dog because you could pretend it was yours to strangers, wearing no underwear to school on days you didn't have PE because you only had one lot, plastic sandals and no socks during the winter, accepting charity from the local big-wig because it was the only chance of a decent feed over xmas, joining every organisation going so as to attend loads of xmas parties and leaving them in January, wearing hand-me-downs form your brother (or sister), fighting to be first in the queue on a saturday morning jumble sale, going on holiday with aunties to the new forest or Wales to "give your mum a break", stealing milk on the way to school and fresh bread from the window of the co-op bakery to take home for the kiddies.

Bloody wonderful life, innit?

[jagman]

Hard to follow that, skrappey. Sounds like you had it more than rough.

I was going to mention Frenchy's joke shop, Mad Mabel's second hand shop in Strand Street and The Book Centre which had the same toy - a kind of spinning top - in the window for years and years.

Anyone remember the sit-in Dalek in the old Coop?

[Gladys]

Yea, walking to school through all weathers because your mum could not afford the busfare, having to call your name out when the teacher asked "who is having free school dinners?" to the amusement of your school 'friends', caddying on the local golf course to get pocket money, asking your friendly 'uncle' who your mum cleaned for, to let you walk his dog because you could pretend it was yours to strangers, wearing no underwear to school on days you didn't have PE because you only had one lot, plastic sandals and no socks during the winter, accepting charity from the local big-wig because it was the only chance of a decent feed over xmas, joining every organisation going so as to attend loads of xmas parties and leaving them in January, wearing hand-me-downs form your brother (or sister), fighting to be first in the queue on a saturday morning jumble sale, going on holiday with aunties to the new forest or Wales to "give your mum a break", stealing milk on the way to school and fresh bread from the window of the co-op bakery to take home for the kiddies.

Bloody wonderful life, innit?

Mmm, childhood isn't always a cosy memory. The privations aren't the problem ....

 

My bessie mate in all the world for the past 35 years lost her Dad when she was very little, leaving four children and their Mum. They probably had to make do with hand me downs, and, I know, second hand bikes for Christmas, etc. But that was the best house ever to go into as a youngster, always some crack going on, guitars would be out, Monty Python recitals ... it was just great!

 

And why? Because they just loved each other (although if any of them read this now they would raise major objections) and each other's friends, and laughed so much; it was 'open house' to anyone that would join in the fun!

 

Now, times must have been terribly hard for their Mum, but did you ever get that feeling? Nah, not at all!

 

It wasn't the Waltons by any stretch, but some of my longest lasting memories are of that family and those times.

[lisner]

How about shops from a bygone era? There was Conibears fruit and veg on Market Hill in Douglas.Further up the hill where Spar is now was lewthwaites a stationary shop. Just next to the bus station was Coopers the sweet shop.On the corner of Duke street and Victoria street, where Garrey Corniel is was the original Boots when they were here the first time round. Going up Victoria street from there you had Todhunter and Elliot a hardware shop which sold parafin.and Elders the bakers up near Colebournes, which has always been there , I think, in my memory. across the road was Curtis the fish shop and they had a huge cat fish in the window.Opposite the entrance to M+S car park was the Star hotel and right where the car park entrance itself is now there was a little sweet shop which sold everything in jars.especialy midget gems.I can remember my Mother (long dead now) stopping and pointing things out to me. I was never interested.But now my kids trip up over me when I stop suddenly to point out where places were from my youthfull days.

 

Anyone remember the big cart horses with all the brasses glinting and jangling and the feather combs on their heads that used to pull the brewery carts from Drumgold Street?

 

 

Blakemore's music shop, later incorporated into Manx Radio Rentals

The Board of Ed library above Burtons

RC Cain's

James Lay's

The 59 restaurant

Victoria St church and youth club

Emmett's menswear shops (two corners of Duke St)

Quirk's grocers in Market Hill

The butcher on the corner by the Market hall

Hudson's cobblers

Gellings Foundry

Cubbin & Bregazzi furnishings

Bell's tobacconist

(Todhunter and Elliott were in Duke St near the Co-op)

 

.. for starters ..

 

 

This was from over 100 years ago:

 

1950s advert:

 

Lewthwaites advert 100 years ago:

 

Todhunter & Elliot metamorphosed over the years into Travis Perkins !

 

Edited to add that I see Todhunter and Elliot had telephone number 15.

 

Anyone offer who had telephone number 1?

[mama]

I stand corrected. Todhunter and Elliot were in Duke street.I must have been thinking of Gellings Foundry.

Don't know who had telephone number 1 but I do know that the phone number for the original Mount Murray Hotel was Port Soderick 220.

 

I had also forgotten Frenchies the joke shop must have spent a fortune in there, plastic dog poo and stink bombs. I must have been a horrible kid.

[Gladys]

And what a dour man Frenchy was! I remember buying fake cigs there where you blew to blow out some talcum powder "smoke". Also indoor fireworks, can you buy them now?

[teapot]

....and the Waverley Chippy (Broadway), and the Chippy at the top of Summerhill, Onchan - I'm sensing a pattern here

 

and the Tourist Board in Victoria Street, which was run by about 3 people when there were thousands of visitors! Not like now when there are loads of people in the office and 3 people on holiday!

 

and the rowing boats in Douglas Bay.

 

and the Lido - oh the Lido what a place - what a tragedy!

 

and the Dogs Home! and Fox and Lanes (Drumgold Street)................

 

and Craines the Pork Butcher

 

and that little tiny shop that used to sell tripe and cooked ham, where HSBC is now, on that little slip road up to the old police station. Almost opposite where the policeman used to stand on point duty in a black and white striped box - anyone remember the name of that shop, they were lovely people in there. Wood floors and sawdust - was it Crellin's. If fact, after that shop there was Sara's, then HSBC.

 

and the policeman on point duty at the bottom of Broadway

 

and in the winter to stop you getting a cold you would wear a campher bag round your neck.

 

and roller skates

 

and the "speed" boats on the lake at Glen Whyllin and that bowling machine thing.

 

and Sunday School picnics, going in "shara's" supplied by Corkills, Silverdale, Peel and Ramsey.

[jagman]

and the policeman on point duty at the bottom of Broadway

- my dad (quite often, anyway)

[Ripsaw]

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy do IOM Newspaper do it?

 

Tonights Examiner pullout (E2) has on its front page (p19) a cropped colour photo of the Douglas Head Incline Railway, so I excitedly opened the paper to page 24 and there is the headline "Wonderful illustration of what life was like" and the uncropped photo in dreary greyscale.

 

Cringle also has the audacity to tell us readers that the image is one of 25 photos (many in colour) from a 1937 copy of National Geographical magazine that he received in the post. Did he include any other photos? No!

 

I know that colour pages are more expensive to produce, but why do they tease us so? $%*!

[crazyorhythm]

"The coin slot " motorbike in woolworths it used to move about a bit, and the front wheel would turn when it was operated, but it was encased in perspex, so your candyfloss would not get jammed in it!! "happy days"

[mollag]

and that little tiny shop that used to sell tripe and cooked ham, where HSBC is now, on that little slip road up to the old police station. Almost opposite where the policeman used to stand on point duty in a black and white striped box - anyone remember the name of that shop, they were lovely people in there. Wood floors and sawdust - was it Crellin's. If fact, after that shop there was Sara's, then HSBC.

 

 

 

 

it was Clagues tripe shop, famous for its brawn, when you called with your mam they would give you a slice wrapped in paper to walk with, really peppery.

 

Frenchies shop was called Parry's and i think his sons still live on the Island,

next time your down check out that corner bay on the first floor, really cool style

[Tempus Fugit]

Anyone offer who had telephone number 1?

 

 

Quiggin & Co had Douglas 1 & 6

[lisner]

Correct answer!

 

It wasn't that long ago Quiggin & Co were still operating (early 90s?). Years ago there was a flat stone area where you could test your spirit level on.

_______________________

 

 

This photo taken over a hundred years ago had changed very little up to about 9 years ago

[mollag]

The corner building, The Grand View, was built in 1898 on what was called "Twemlows Yard"

[Gladys]

and that little tiny shop that used to sell tripe and cooked ham, where HSBC is now, on that little slip road up to the old police station. Almost opposite where the policeman used to stand on point duty in a black and white striped box - anyone remember the name of that shop, they were lovely people in there. Wood floors and sawdust - was it Crellin's. If fact, after that shop there was Sara's, then HSBC.

 

 

 

 

it was Clagues tripe shop, famous for its brawn, when you called with your mam they would give you a slice wrapped in paper to walk with, really peppery.

 

Frenchies shop was called Parry's and i think his sons still live on the Island,

next time your down check out that corner bay on the first floor, really cool style

Clague's used to sell trotters! Lovely, once you get over what you are eating! But I have always liked a good chew on a bone!

 

I think you are right about Parys, I am sure at least one of his sons still lives here.

 

Can anyone remember wher ethe Picture Hosue was? The Strand Cinema as where TK Maxx is and the Picture House was further towards Woolworth's but so was the Maypole and I can't remember where exactly each was.