Now I can remember this bit of Wilbraham Road in the late 1970s.
I shopped in Liptons, ate in the Asian restaurant next door and bought a couple of holidays from the travel agents and the rest of the shops are a blur although I think one was a Butcher’s and of course along the row was the toy shop.
And so it makes a nice contrast to Andy Robertson picture of the same spot in 2014.
There is more I could say but will just leave you with the observation that if you look closely you can see how the mobile shop and Rainbow trade from a building which was added on to the original house.
Nor was this unique on Wilbraham Road but that is for you to find out, along of course with the fate of the buildings where Liptons and the the Post Office now stand.
For the lazy the answer is there in the blog.
Location, Chorlton, Manchester
Pictures;
Wilbraham Road circa 1979 from the Lloyd Collection and the same spot today courtesy of Andy Robertson
The curry house was called Bharati. There was a butchers next to alley way that ran behind the shops to Thorneycroft butchers on Barlow moor road. The toy shop was Quarmbys and was next to an off licence. Was also a Clarke's shoe shop on that row
ReplyDeleteProper shops
DeleteAnd, further along there was the electricity board shop which sold small electrical goods and for some reason records (I bought my first albums there). At the back of the shop there were steps up to the cashier, in a bank style booth, where you paid for you purchases or settled your electricity bill.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Mrs. Gometsall’s small shop (I think a grocers)? And there was a barbers ( where I was shorn for school£!near the petrol pumps as well. Circa 1955?
ReplyDeleteWeren’t they the other side of Barlow Moor Road near Quarmbys? Used to often go in Mrs Gommersal’s and had head Shorn upstairs near there.
DeleteQuarmbys sold stationery and records downstairs and toys on the first floor. The owner was my Dad! H Sissons was the off license.
ReplyDeleteI still have a teddy bear from the toy shop (42 years old). He’s called Quarmby, my Dad got him the day I was born.
DeleteDickinsons was the butchers
ReplyDeleteQuarmbys was a legend in my eyes. The pens and stencils were amazing but the toys were another world. Seems a lifetime away. (I'm 58!)
ReplyDeleteMe and my old school mate used to work in Liptons in the mid 80s . It was out first jobs from school , there was a massive pile of Warlord comics in the canteen area. It was great I worked on the deli with a lovely lady called Betty… she was a lovely kind polish lady
ReplyDeleteI also worked at Lipton's in the 70s and remember Betty. She was lovely. Mr Lockwood was the manager at the time.
DeleteWe used to buy Clark's school shoes from Bletcher's shoe shop. The kids loved going there because of the big rocking horse.
ReplyDeleteThere was another small off license other side of Quarmbys. Turners?
ReplyDeleteQuarmbys was a treasure trove of great quality toys. I used to collect Brittons plastic farm animals from there for my model farm. You could get a little lamb for sixpence, a sheepdog for tenpence, a beautiful horse with removable saddle and bridle for two shillings. I’m 64, live in Somerset and I still have that model farm with all the animals and props - it’s what I saved up for with my pocket money. My grandsons play with it now. The fountain pwns Quarmbys sold on the ground floor were top quality. My dad bought me my fountain pen for grammar school there when I passed the entrance exam. It was a Sheaffer cartridge pen.
ReplyDeleteWould like to see some pictures of the farm animals.
DeleteCan I ask you if uou remember the layout of the toyshop in the 60"s
DeleteI recently visited chorlton and was looking in the charity shops along wilbraham road.. I went into one that had a 2 step up part of the shop at the back. and immediately thought of toys and a really clear memory flashback of being with my mum after a dentist visit! It was so vivid and I hadn't even been thinking about my childhood and the fact that our dentist was on Barlow Moor Road around the corner!
Was the toy shop 2 levels can you remember? Thank you.
Was the toy shop 2 levels , 2 steps up at the back of the shop.
DeleteWhen my Mum retired in '99,she was going to write a novel. So I went in Quarmby's and got her a beautiful Shaeffer fountain pen in a red leather box as a retirement present.
DeleteQuarmby's toy department was up a flight of stairs to the first floor. i think the charity shop you are referring to is the Oxfam clothes shop were I currently volunteer. It used to be "MABS" an ice cream parlour / refreshment room in the 1950s and 60s.
DeleteI remember a Rumbelows opposite... Where Subway is today ish? Recall rushing over there from work on 9/11 to watch the tv's thru the windiw
ReplyDeleteWhat was the ladies clothes shop called across from Chorlton baths.
ReplyDeleteHey, I remember all of it... Canadian Charcoal pit... Woolworths.. the Precent with Parker Bradburns and R S McColls and Low Cost. Happy times, my mum and dad owned Hilltop Bakery next the garage on Wilbraham Road, we then owned the bakers opposite the green grocers in the precent we specialised in wholesale greek food, breads, cakes, sandwiches, off-licenses it was all soo much fun. My mum got ill and couldn't handle the grind so we shut down and opened Spangles fashion shop but that was a shit show as my mum and dad have zero fashion sense. I live in Sussex now but remember Chorlton fondly
ReplyDelete