el-stano
Ex-lurker
Hi All!
Having followed the discussions about the Forum's direction/content, here's an attempt to start a historical-type thread.
I was born in Foxton Road, Alum Rock in 1948. We moved away when I was about 7. One abiding memory is of an old chap called - I think - Mr Erskin (or possibly Hiskin). There may even have been two brothers. They had a sort of hardware shop although the only product I can remember is paraffin. There also might have been I pavement petrol pump. It would have been perhaps the third or fourth shop along Alum Rock Road from the Foxton Road corner and the snooker hall (i.e. towards the pub). One reason I remember this is the fact that their garden ran all the way from behind the shop on Alum Rock Road, at right-angles to the back gardens of Foxton Road as far as number 27 and parallel with the Brook (a foul stream from which Brookhill Road and the pub got there names, presumably). We lived at number 29 so our garden was longer by the width of Erskin's garden, as were those of the houses beyond ours.
From Google Earth it appears that the garden remains. I remember lots of trees and there seem to be even more now.
Anyway, I was wondering if anyone here has memories of the shop and perhaps can fill in some details for me.
Cheers,
Stan
Having followed the discussions about the Forum's direction/content, here's an attempt to start a historical-type thread.
I was born in Foxton Road, Alum Rock in 1948. We moved away when I was about 7. One abiding memory is of an old chap called - I think - Mr Erskin (or possibly Hiskin). There may even have been two brothers. They had a sort of hardware shop although the only product I can remember is paraffin. There also might have been I pavement petrol pump. It would have been perhaps the third or fourth shop along Alum Rock Road from the Foxton Road corner and the snooker hall (i.e. towards the pub). One reason I remember this is the fact that their garden ran all the way from behind the shop on Alum Rock Road, at right-angles to the back gardens of Foxton Road as far as number 27 and parallel with the Brook (a foul stream from which Brookhill Road and the pub got there names, presumably). We lived at number 29 so our garden was longer by the width of Erskin's garden, as were those of the houses beyond ours.
From Google Earth it appears that the garden remains. I remember lots of trees and there seem to be even more now.
Anyway, I was wondering if anyone here has memories of the shop and perhaps can fill in some details for me.
Cheers,
Stan