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Rag Market

H

harley

Guest
every saturday, the rag market was my favourite, i once had my bag cut off my shoulder in there, i looked down for my bag after scrambling around this one stall ,and it was gone, all that there was were the strap. just hanging on my shoulder i dont know how i didnt feel somthing wrong.and another time i was with my little sister and i looked down and she was gone. she had walked off ,then i contacted the market wardens and they found her ,she was picked up by market inspector and taken to the police station, it was the most frightening time i was only sixteen at that time. i didnt bother much going to town after that to the markets.harley.
 
i remember the old rag market and the one stall with a lady shouting "get your cadburys"
 
We visited the rag market on Tuesday as I wanted some curtain material. The array of materials is wonderful I bought some beautiful material at a fraction of what it would cost in a local stall. I also bought a quilt cover the quality is excellent and half the price of the last one I bought. There is still an array of stall's selling all sorts bought some blingy earing's for £1! The meat market was a bit quiet we studied the prices and its a shame because now it's not much cheaper than the supermarkets. We did buy some chicken and steak from A. P. Doughty which so far has been good. We parked at the car park by Silver Blades £1.50 for four hours but there is no lift. I go and fetch the car and collect Michael at the ground floor. I enjoyed the mooch around but then I am a woman:)
 
Now this would be frowned upon today, but I bought a second hand fur coat in the Rag Market in the 70s. Lovely quality. Someone told me it would most probably have fleas, so I was taking no chances. I bought flea powder from Boots and gave it a good going over with the powder. Spent the first few weeks sneezing but it was well worth it. Not the done thing to have real furs now, but at least it was a re-cycled fur. Viv.
 
Wedy, I love the rag market too, haven't been for a while as have only been in town on their closed days!
Was a bit disappointed last time I went though, despite the numerous haberdashery stalls, couldn't find any navy petersham or elastic 2" wide - my belt needs renewing!!
Sue
 
Hello fellow marketeers, could you help me, regarding the crock man in the rag alley, I believe his surname was Lees, which means he could be a relative of mine, does anyone know anymore about him, or have a picture that I could print off and show to my aunt. Thanks
 
Hi matahari
i can recall your relative as clear as yester year but sadly i do not have any pictures he was good and he was and talent the way he juggled those plates throwing them around and very highly competitive prices what happenened to him his he still with us
mr lees was the number 1 markeeter in that alley there for donkeys years he must have made a good living out of it
best wishes astonian
 
hi jean
yes mr lees as been there for years probaly before i was born he was at the very botom of the hall in the rag alley and he had his big banner across the wall
with his name in big letters stating his wares and he used to be standining high on a platform shoutinmg and juggling up and down high is plates
and i think it was is wife whom was with him but some times as a gimmick he would drop a couple of odd ones that was mixed in as part of his act so you would buy the last of a set of plates i think it could have been the end of the seventyshe was last there he was a thin middle age chap and short and he was on that platform higher than anybody in there all caould
see him and hear him from the back of the hal and in fact in the sixtys i hink it was the sunday mercury done a article and his picture was in there
oh by he way hope you are both well best wishes give my regards to pete alan astonian
 
My dear wife, as a little girl, was terrified of the stall where they whacked a big leather cushion with a big stick to get the shoppers attention. It could have been the crockery stall. Anyone know ?
 
Sorry Doug but I guess Astonian will know?. Alan do you remember Brian the watch who ran the pots and pans stall prior to that?. He's Pete's brother. Jean.
 
I remember when he would balance whole tea services on his arms and never remember him dropping a thing. Good luck with your search John.
 
hi jean
yes he did bang a stick quite loud to draw attentions to the punters and he would stand up on a high platform shouting and juggling the plates
i also remember your brother inlaw the pot man and hen the watches i also remember cow boy the fruit and veg guy jack kelly the hawker
i can actualy recall alot of the guys old granny mrs birdsecond hand clothes and her grand son sold lady perfumed and before that he sold house hold cleaning materials
there ues to be a very smart looking woman blonde hair she spoke posh selling antiques she as been there for years last year even thou she is older but still looked after her self and still good lookng she was worknig in the house of fraziers on the make up department making up ladies faces and demostrating the products and i actualy spoke to her
she used to live in a flat in harbourne as i remember nice lady we spoke about the old markets and the way its gone the good old days
i can recall sid clegg the fruiteers when he first moved into the markets and when the hawkers lined with there carts calling out and saying try this my love come on love try it
and they would hand you a banna or a slice of there one time huge jaffas take care jean give my regards to pete alan astonian
 
Alan I have a photo of Brian with his brothers at his leaving party with half the market traders young and old there. My cousin Arthus Evans and his wife Eileen ran a stall for many years and retire to Spain several years ago. Unfortunately Arthur passed away five years ago. Will go sort the photo out. Jean.
 
Brian the watch is in the dark suit third from the left. Does anyone remember Rose who had the pots and pans stall before Brian and her daughter Janet used to help out too. Jean.
 
hi jean
yes many thanks thats the lads i remember very well any idea where the picuture taken any ideas
a very good photograph what year was it
speak to later alan astonian
 
Nice to see a photo of Brian thanks Jean it seems ages since they were down in Wales.
 
I was taken there by mom, and I loved it, such a treat, small stalls with, beads, frilly dresses, you nme it it was there, shame we don't have those places these days. all full of electronics and no culture!!!!!!!!!!
 
lorz do you mean the old Rag Market - that was a real Aladdins cave, nan took me a couple of times and my Aunty Win - it was not up market enough for my great aunts though!
Sue
 
I must say I have had a few bargains in the new market and always go there for curtain material and bedding.
 
I agree Wendy, got some lovely sequined voile to make a screen for Kates window in Chester - now she's moving out and of course the windows are a completely different size, so may be there again for more. Have you seen the fabric stall on Tamworth Market on Tuesdays, she has some nice stuff on there.
Sue
 
We were all punks in our youth and the Rag Market was a mecca for second hand and unusual clothes. I think we all bought 'grandad macs' from there. It was so dark and dingy but exciting. Oasis too was just so great in it's day...it was a maze of brilliant little shops with a goth hanging out glaring at you from every corner...they sold brilliant shoes, so pointed and high it was impossible to wear them and my boyfriend loved the Route 66 shoes (I think they still do them).
 
I think that the old place, on the left down Jamaica Row (gone) would be more appreciated by me now. You entered through an arch and high open doors...dragged in by your mom who relished visiting the place. Arrgh reams of old bloomers and comments like..."that would fit you". Jeeesh. I love these places now...flea markets they call them here. Gosh..it't the only place that you can see the things that you grew up with. Don't tell anyone.
 
I loved going to the old Rag Alley. I purchased my first leather coat from there which I saved for a long time to get in 1965 and only threw it away a couple of years ago it was still like new but sadly to small for me. There used to be a seller in there and he used to shout get em down and try um on um. Then when you had walked up and down the aisle's for a good tme I used to go into the old cafe at the entrance can't remember the name of it to have a roast dinner.
 
i used to go in the rag market when i was a little boy, went with my mom and i hated it, it was the noise and the bustle that scared me, i remember the fella who stood with a line of plates balanced on his arm and he would throw them a little way up in the air and catch them again, our radio packed up and one of the valves burned out so off i went to freddie ingrams and asked him if he could repair it and after a search through his books he gave me a number and said go to the rag alley and see if you can buy this particular valve . which i did. i took it back to him and 2 days later our radio was working again, you could buy anything and everything from thre rag market
 
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