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Barts for Darts

F

Frantic

Guest
I remember when I was going to Birchfield sec mod, catching the 33 or 51 or 52 outside Barts dart shop in the High St nearly opposite the 'Orient' They used to have miniature sets of darts "Matchbook' or something like that, and I used to think "One day, I'm going to buy a set of those". But I never did. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that is all that they sold......darts. Only in England could a shop stay in business just selling darts. I can't remember what other shops were along that particular stretch of High St. Any memory joggers out there?
 
here you are Frantic 1950's if you want another year let me know all that's missing is Parsons the pop shop
 
steady on John, that was a year before I popped onto the planet :) how about 1960?
 
hello frank,you know i lived at 88 but even me can only remember the pawn shop and the chip shop,but on my side was the orient ,the malt shovel,the scrap metal place where my mate teddy downes (from denmark street)worked before he tragically got drowned(no more trips to percys the tackle shop on corner of lennox st and gerrard st),manky old book shop,the grocers,arthurs the butchers,where mickey cartwright from whitehead st lived,sweet shop,haberdashery shop(help with the name)barbers,fag shop,izons the chemist,becketts the cleaners ,US ,the junk shop,hawkins the jellied eel shop,rowleys the fruit shop,reenys the hair dressers,burlington hall,kitty parrys wallpaper shop,wood shop,coffin makers,few houses,cant remember whats next,kepples (sinks and plumbing) handbag shop,mitchells the news agents and the bartons and finally the horse trough wher i spent many a miserable time being put in so as as to distract the horse and cart of the milk man while everykid around nicked a bottle of milk and legged it up potters hill,missed a few out but hopefully someone will fill in the gaps
 
That is what I was just looking at Dennis. The 'Kelly's' that John kindly posted, doesn't show a 'Barts' but the bike shop is where it would have been.
Hey Pete, how do you manage to remember all of those places.......do you also remember all the fags that you 'pinched' off me when I was in the eye hospital :2funny:
 
yes,hundreds of em,just read your post on when you came off your motor bike ,it was me on the back,what you didnt say that i was allright till your mom(who was near by)tread on me trying to get to you ,who was more concerned about the bike,i had a fractured skull and multiple stilletto heel marks,afraid my andy capp hat was no protection at all,but didnt we look trendy at the time,LOL ;D
 
I remember Barts for Darts very well, my then husband was a keen darts player he was in the team at The Swanpool (Swan & Mitre) in Lichfield Road, just across from Aston Station, and often asked me to fetch him some new darts or flights - exact instructions on what to get.

To fill in a couple of names of Dolly's post - the Wood Shop was Hockley Woodworkers, owned or run by Conrad.

The coffin factory was Ingall, Parsons & Clive - I think they used to make shrouds too.

Bill Mitchells newsagents was previously run by Lamberts, and Pearl the daughter was in my class at Burlington Street School.

Fox the newsagents opposite the Orient was owned by the parents of Valerie Fox and her older sister whose name I don't know as we only knew her as Miss Fox and she was the leader of the Girls Life Brigade based at Christchuch, Six Ways, Aston.
 
I used to work at Hockley woodworkers Sylvia. Every night after school and all day Saturday. What a fire hazard that place was, I don't think it had been cleaned properly inside for years. I remember Conrad well, he was OK but his mom and dad who owned the place were a bit miserable.
 
Thanks John, it's funny how the memories come back when you read the names of the shops & businesses.
 
thanks also john,those names certainly brought back memories,could you please continue down the high street so we can saviour every memory as i read them out to mom,cheers mate
 
Dolly, do you remember the brown tiled cafe opposite Burlington Hall?
When I was about 7 or 8 years old I had chicken pox and my friends mother Mrs. Clarke bought me an ice cream from there, it was the first one I can remember having as I was only l8 months old when the war broke out. I don't know how she got it home without it melting.
 
if any one would like to walk down a street let me know but you will have to pick from one of Kelly's directories hurry up as we are going into the dark nights candles not allowed (health and safety :2funny:
 
That was a good walk John, I did it many times when I was a kid with my Mom. Newtown Row was our shopping area, so we used to walk from Frederick Rd. Mom would then drag me down one side of Newtown Row and up the other to "Check the prices" and then we'd go round again to do the shopping. Then lug the heavy bags back to Frederick Rd. No shopping trolley, or car, or pram. No shopping.....No pocket money. :)
 
hi slyvia,i think the cafe was called iommies(but my moms having one of those very senior moments,so could be a mile out).i used to hide in ther and watch my mom go work ,then i slip back in the house as i didnt like school,and get out again before she got back from work.next door ,up the entry was a family called flores(spanish),they bought their old mother over with them,always dressed in black,never spoke any english at all(nowt changed then),i would buy her loads of sweets and ice creams as she was very lonely,and just stood at the entry all day,i almost killed her as she was a diabetic ,which meant nothing to me at the time,and allways wondered why she kept having these funny turns and collapsing.
great walk down the high st remembering those places i had forgot,its good they are kept alive as once we have gone,there will be no more to be added,to the story.i doubt whether the present astonians will care about it as much as we do
 
Thanks for that Dolly, Ican't remember ever seeing a sign over the cafe.
Must say I'm glad you joined us as some of your posts really amuse me.
 
I remember passing a lot of those shops as I used to ride on the 5A into town. Walking back from town one day I went into the junk shop opposite the Orient, it was a first for me then, but happily not the last. :)

John will you walk us by the shops past the Witton Arms pub toward ICI and  Brookvale Road, in the early 50's. My mom and her sisters ran a shoe club and always went to Smiths for the shoes. I just can't think where it was, it could be there. :)
 
I wonder if 'Iommies' was related to Tony Iommie (Black Sabath), I think that he used to live in Park Lane at one time.
 
your right frank,tony iommi lived just below me in park lane in a sweet shop i think.he also got the sack from hunt and turners in alma street because the gaffer was looking for him and his mate and spotted them coming out of the cafe up the road,when he asked why they said they fancied a bacon sausage so he sacked them on the spot.i bet they were really worried about that
 
John thank you so much for my walk down Witton Road. So many memories there and names I had forgotten. I also know I wasn't dreaming about Smiths shoe shop, it's there on Witton Circle. :)
 
dollyferret said:
hello frank,you know i lived at 88 but even me can only remember the pawn shop and the chip shop,but on my side was the orient ,the malt shovel,the scrap metal place where my mate teddy downes (from denmark street)worked before he tragically got drowned(no more trips to percys the tackle shop on corner of lennox st and gerrard st),manky old book shop,the grocers,arthurs the butchers,where mickey cartwright from whitehead st lived,sweet shop,haberdashery shop(help with the name)barbers,fag shop,izons the chemist,becketts the cleaners ,US ,the junk shop,hawkins the jellied eel shop,rowleys the fruit shop,reenys the hair dressers,burlington hall,kitty parrys wallpaper shop,wood shop,coffin makers,few houses,cant remember whats next,kepples (sinks and plumbing) handbag shop,mitchells the news agents and the bartons and finally the horse trough wher i spent many a miserable time being put in so as as to distract the horse and cart of the milk man while everykid around nicked a bottle of milk and legged it up potters hill,missed a few out but hopefully someone will fill in the gaps
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I know this is quite an old post, but percy of percys tackle shop was my father in laws dad. Unfortunately my partner never got to meet his grandad so if anyone has any memories of or knows anything about Percy and his shop we'd love to hear about it
 
Kez0401 said:
I know this is quite an old post, but percy of percys tackle shop was my father in laws dad. Unfortunately my partner never got to meet his grandad so if anyone has any memories of or knows anything about Percy and his shop we'd love to hear about it
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Oh Kez0401, this brings back memories to me of the wonderful kind man who ran the Fishing Tackle shop Lennox St/Gerrard St. I was telling a friend about him recently; I feel ashamed of myself now but 59/60 years ago I was a skint street urchin. One time I was in the shop and the man asked me what i wanted "maggots" I said, "but ive got no money" (which was true) and pretended to cry ! he kindly said "here you are son have these and get yaself down to the reza" and he handed me a small bag of maggots. I hate to admit but did that another couple of time over the months till I managed to start getting some money. How kind that man was I will never forget, and thinking about it now, I think he saw through the pretend tears and just wanted me to enjoy fishing. God Bless him.
 
Harry Gower said:
Oh Kez0401, this brings back memories to me of the wonderful kind man who ran the Fishing Tackle shop Lennox St/Gerrard St. I was telling a friend about him recently; I feel ashamed of myself now but 59/60 years ago I was a skint street urchin. One time I was in the shop and the man asked me what i wanted "maggots" I said, "but ive got no money" (which was true) and pretended to cry ! he kindly said "here you are son have these and get yaself down to the reza" and he handed me a small bag of maggots. I hate to admit but did that another couple of time over the months till I managed to start getting some money. How kind that man was I will never forget, and thinking about it now, I think he saw through the pretend tears and just wanted me to enjoy fishing. God Bless him.
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Thank-you so much for this lovely memory. That would have been Percy or his son Norman as think Percy would have unfortunately already passed away 60years ago.
Thankyou for sharing this with us
 
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