Oh my - thank you Phodgetts! That's really made my day. And thaks for that Jool - I hadn't spotted the scroll bar - doh!
Here are a few memories of Cowpen Quay in the late 50s early 60s. As I said we lived in Salisbury Street, which runs up from Regents Street linking up to Durban Street at the West end and parallel to the other terraces, each named after 19thc politicians (although I was oblivious of that fact until much older). The street was divided into blocks by Stephen Street and Balfour Street. We were in number 72, which was the middle block near the junction with Balfour Street. From the front door we had a fine view of hulking great ships under construction as they slowly emerged above the shipyard wall. I'm trying to think of the shops we had, there seem to be so many of them. An earlier thread mentions Mathers newsagents and I remember that well, on Regent Street. I think, you turned right towards the town centre from the bottom of our street and it was close by on the right. Also mentioned is a Butcher shop on Regents street near to Mathers. That would be Frails. They had huge carcasses hanging on hooks and sawdust on the floor. Herons jewellers was on the opposite side of the road. The corner shop we used was always known as Nellies. I think it was Parnells or maybe Parnley, - but always Nellies to us, and was on the North corner of Salisbury and Balfour Street. Although very small at the time, my Mam would send me to Nelies to do a "message". Another memory triggered on here and a phrase long forgotten. Over the road, on the South corner of Salisbury and stephen Street there was a Vaux off-licence where my Dad would buy be Tudor crisps displayed in an array of open card board boxes opposite the counter. On the opposite corner there was another shop that I struggle to recall much about except that it seemed dark and forboding, and there was an old woman who would sit behind the counter always next t a paraffin heater. I think she sold newspapers as there was one of those blue enamel signs outside with the News Of The World logo. I vaguely remember she sold things like brushes and pails and clothes pegs, things like that. On the end of Hamilton street on Balfour Street looking up towards Hodgeson's Road there was another general dealer called Lovatts. We rarely used that shop though so my memory of it are thin. There were also regular door to door tradesmen. A baker whose face i can see but whose name I can't remember, came round with a van which you mounted from the back where there was a small counter and the various pies and cakes were displayed behind. It had a very distinctive sweet smell, which modern bakeries don't seem to have. My favourite was the Greengrocer Lance Armstrong who would sell his wares from a horsedrawn van. The horse was called Beauty, and Lance would give us a ride from outside our house to his next stop up the road; so exciting over the bumpy cobbles for us kids. Enough for now but I might do another post with some recollections of the house itself if anyone is interested, (or just for my own nostalgic amusement - ha!)
