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Lewis's Department Store

Hello Stitcher,
I have searched through the old messages but can't find any mention of a pet shop on the top of Lewis's I am sure that I purchased 2 little chicks from the pet shop. They grew to be 2 large cockerels.Although my parents were not pleased with me, as used to keep hens, they said to keep them warm I would be allowed to keep them in a box in the airing cuboard until they grew a little bigger. (As they did not have any lights availabe in the pens.
I think the pet shop had to close down as they had Parrot Desease in the bird section.
Pam Carlton
On Saturday shopping trips, in the early fifties, my kid brother and I used to pester our dad to take us up to the roof of Lewis's, we used to stand fascinated, looking down at the traffic a hundred feet below.
In those days there was a menagerie/small zoo on the top floor but I don't recall the pet shop. One of the staff died of a lung infection he picked up from the bird droppings. (I can pronounce the name of the illness but wouldn't dare to try spelling it !)
 
My memory of the Roof Garden is the same as Baz that it was a 'Pets Corner' rather than a pet shop. We used to go up there with our Mom on our trips to 'Town'.

Mom used to buy a few things from the food store but almost dreaded being served by her Sister in Law who would undercharge. Mom was a born worrier and feared being stopped on the way out.
 
The pet corner was still there in the 60s, my great aunts used to take me to Lewis's and we had lunch in the silver service restaurant, also on the top floor I think.
I had my picture taken with a monkey there, as did my brother, but he caught measles the next day and when mom mentioned it at our next visit, she was told that the monkey was no longer there as it was believed it was responsible for the measles outbreak - laughable now as we know it has an incubation period!
And the pet keeper died of psittacosis, a lung disease transmitted via infected bird droppings.
Sue
 
Mom still has a John Bull printing set in the loft, probably came from Lewises at some point lol! And the girls got French knitting sets!
Sue
 
I do remember seeing loads of chicks now you come to mention it and I think they may have been on my favourite floor (the fifth).

No trip to Town was ever complete until we visited the Toy floor with me mum (early 60's) and a banana milk shake in the cafe on the ground floor. I was also the proud owner of one of the John Bull printing sets too ~ so thx Mary for that memory too.
 
In the photo on Muffin, the smaller present has got to be a John Bull printing set!
Mary

Ah, the John Bull printing set !
Those little rubber letters that had to be jammed into a groove in a wooden block with a pair of tweezers, then dabbed on an ink pad.
I don't know what caused me to scream with frustration more, the printing set or flippin' Meccano !
 
and didn't you always manage to lose the vitally important screw for the meccano? I can remember more than a few tantrums from my brother, no doubt not helped by me showing off my french knitting, because I hadn't lost any parts!
Sue
 
I remember that John Bull printing set.

Z
john bull.jpg
 
Hi

Yep those black fingers and if I remember a lot of ink got on the Paper but it
gave us a little ones an insight of printing. I suppose in its day it was our Laptop

Mike Jenks
 
And all those black fingerprints over the table cloth, the door handles, ink on the soap - no liquid soap then - and if you had washed in haste, over the towel = big trouble!!
Sue
 
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