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Lewis's Department Store

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kandor
  • Start date Start date
I have just watched the repair Shop on TV and there was a Rowland Emmett model brought in for repair, now I won two prizes in Lewises, one when they had a model railway layout and we children were allowed to send an overlong express around the circuit and stop it in the station and I got the prize because I stopped it moved it along the platform and stopped it again. The prize was because I had let the passengers out of the rear coaches. Fluke, my finger slipped on the controller, goodness I am glad I got that off my chest. The other prize was for something to do with a Heath Robinson or Rowland Emmett layout/display, can anyone remember which it was
BOB
 
Bob Davis said:
I have just watched the repair Shop on TV and there was a Rowland Emmett model brought in for repair, now I won two prizes in Lewises, one when they had a model railway layout and we children were allowed to send an overlong express around the circuit and stop it in the station and I got the prize because I stopped it moved it along the platform and stopped it again. The prize was because I had let the passengers out of the rear coaches. Fluke, my finger slipped on the controller, goodness I am glad I got that off my chest. The other prize was for something to do with a Heath Robinson or Rowland Emmett layout/display, can anyone remember which it was
BOB
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I remember the railway layout in Lewis's,but sadly, don't remember which layout it was. I can remember it was quite a large layout.
 
Bob Davis said:
The other prize was for something to do with a Heath Robinson or Rowland Emmett layout/display, can anyone remember which it was
BOB
Click to expand...

I remember seeing working Emmett models. I know Heath Robinson only as a cartoonist not as someone who actually constructed models. Emmett's models worked, or at least they had moving parts which appeared to work. Heath Robinson's designs were completely impracticable and would never work e.g. steam engines powered by a candle under a kettle.
 
DavidGrain said:
I remember seeing working Emmett models. I know Heath Robinson only as a cartoonist not as someone who actually constructed models. Emmett's models worked, or at least they had moving parts which appeared to work. Heath Robinson's designs were completely impracticable and would never work e.g. steam engines powered by a candle under a kettle.
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I think you are right as you say Heath Robinson was only drawings, so it must have been Emmett, it is funny how words etc can awake your memories, whilst I remember exactly what I did with the train, I cannot for the life of me think what the Emmett one was all about. Thanks for the reminder though.

Bob
 
Lewis's was the treat for me in the early 50's.
I remember loving walking on the wooden slatted path on the roof and looking at the view across the city rooftops.
Early haircuts in the childrens section, with wooden animals for seats.
That part of town was a great adventure for me at 5 or 6 years old. The number 9 bus out to its Terminus to see Aunt Maude Dowding in spies lane, Quinton, on Sunday. And on returning to the centre in winter at evening time, the spectacle of hordes of starlings wheeling and forming fantastic shapes around the church at Temple Row?, i think.
Are they still there?
Simple pleasures, always looked forward to.
We were easily satisfied!
Just took my (Thai), wife's 10 yr old grandaughter to visit relatives, 2 flights by airliner via Bangkok, to Andaman islands, over the most stunning scenery and coastline. She never flew before, but was glued to some alien zapping game on her phone for most of the trip!
Asked if she enjoyed flying, "yes Papa, now i am level 4 Space Trooper"!
Are we the last generation who will retain childhood memories of wonder and amazement?
 
Yes, John. your last sentence is sadly correct, and we've all experienced this behaviour and wondered where we went wrong. Personally, I shudder to think what the world will be like in fifty years time, if it still exists, but I know that it is a battle that I can't win, and at this stage of my life I am not going to bang my head against a brick wall any longer.

Maurice
 
I remember the starlings in there 1000's, in Temple Row, and catching the West brom bus outside, Snow Hill station to see my Aunty Kath in Handsworth, visiting Santa,s Grotto at Lewis's, yes it was all very magical for an 7, 8 year old, we of that generation were the last to be awed by our experiences in the Great City of Birmingham, so glad to have been born and lived then. Paul
 
My memories of Lewis's as a child. Punch and Judy on the roof. Pedal cars on the roof. Queuing on the stairs that went round the lift shaft to see Santa. Loving the complete floor of tents, fully erected, and ready to be explored. [It fascinated me how they got rooms inside them. Still does, actually.] The two halves at ground level, which were majically joined on other levels. Santa landing on the roof by helicopter and absailing down the outside to turn on the Xmas lights [Sometime in the 80s, I think]
The building previously occupied by Lewis' has now been converted to contain magistrates' courts.
 
I don't think the old Lewis' is a primark. The old primark was on New street, and the new one has taken over the Pavillions shopping center. Neither of these is near the old Lewis' store - unless there's another Primark that I don't know about.
 
impis said:
I don't think the old Lewis' is a primark. The old primark was on New street, and the new one has taken over the Pavillions shopping center. Neither of these is near the old Lewis' store - unless there's another Primark that I don't know about.
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Sorry for any confusion. I was talking about the old Lewis's in Bristol.
 
So I am sure a true Brumie must havea a story or memory of Lewis's the whole Christmas thing and roof just passed me by but I recall when going to town with me mum and sister a trip into Lewis's was always involved when I fist got married I bought a Chesterfield couch and chair along with a double bed that had a radio alarm built into the head board all bought on the drip I remember waking up one morning to here John Lennon was dead also on the same radio waking up to here Walking Back From Your House Walking On The Moon by the Police Lewis's department store for me just brings back good times as I recall the merchandise was pretty good
 
A trip to Brum began with my mum and I meeting my aunt and cousin in what we called the Glass Ouse,The entrance in the minories where it was nice and warm on a cold day, more happy memories for my cousin and I looking what blingy bits might have fallen off the hats in the hat department ,lunch was always a big treat in there too and ofcause Christmas wouldn’t have been Christmas without a long wait and climb up the stairs to Santa’s grotto with Uncle Holly, Not sure how many mums would do this today, Thanks mum and thanks Lewis’s,Happy days
 
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