Shops of yore

When we were kids, we saw what we thought were flick knives for sale in the window of Exchange and Mart. We thought "Let's have one of those", and the man in the shop replied "FLICK KNIFE? You'd get locked up in prison for 20 years if you had a flick knife. Those are LOCK knives." So I bought a lock knife, which proved to be a very useful tool. It's interesting that, according to the police programmes on telly, lock knives are now illegal in this country.

I remember Anslows furniture shop. I think that was the furniture business that was the victim of a daring robbery; might have been an inside job, thinking about it. Whilst the manager happened to be away on annual holiday, and a (presumably) relief manager was there, a large furniture van pulled up in broad daylight, and three blokes in overalls loaded tons of expensive furniture into the van. Nothing suspicious about delivery men in a big furniture van going about their jobs. Turns out they were nicking the stuff. Don't know if they were ever caught.

Yes, K, I remember the Church Bookshop in Hertford Street, rh side from Broadgate, near or next to the Geisha café. Dark and poky it was, with a musty, dusty smell, a spiral staircase to the stockroom upstairs, and a lady shopkeeper with black hair done in a bun, and always wore a button-through floral overall. They sold nice children's books (many of which I had for presents) and hymn books and music copies for organists and pianists, which may be was the reason for the title. I expect there would have been a theological section too though in my boyhood I was probably not aware of it.

My brother started a job there in the camera section but he later moved to Harrison's Opticians, High St, as manager of the photography department where he stayed for several years.

Charabanc, you are right about the split level in Timothy Whites (& Taylors) but are you confusing the cash overhead wires with the branch of Owen Owen on the same side of Trinity St, corner of New Buildings, where they certainly had that system - linking to a central cashier.

I worked in John Manners, men's outfitters, first as a Saturday job in a temporary shop next to Harrison opticians in High St, where my brother worked. They moved to a premier site in the Precinct with a shop on the higher level above the ground floor shop. I served at the counter but when the cashier was taken ill I was persuaded by the temporary manager called out of retirement to look after the cash office, with Lamson tube vacuum system from the counter in both shops to the cash office at the top of the building. I loved it up there in a little world of my own.

Does anyone remember a business known as "Charlie Bell's shop", in Gosford Street? I never went there, but my father told me about it, describing it by "well, it was that type of shop! ".

In the 1935-6 directory there's a Bell's Ltd., herbalist at number 101. This is in Gosford St. and would be on the same side as the Sir Colin Campbell.

It's the jutted timber building immediately beyond Chambers' in this picture. It was destroyed in the war and partially rebuilt as a paint merchant's.

Thanks, Heathite and Dutchman, that would be Bell's, a "herbalist". I'll tell you what made me ask. During the war, my aunt (dad's elder sister, who had yet to meet her first boyfriend, despite being in her early 30s), got knocked up by a big, older, north country man who had been sent down to work at the Renold Chain, where my aunt also worked. He disappeared after a couple of months, and it was such a disgrace in those days, that my aunt's way of dealing with her pregnancy was to mentally shut it out. The whole family knew nothing until the evening she dropped. My father made it his business to sort the bloke out, and soon found out where he was living, in Coventry, with he family - yes, he was married with kids! I asked my dad, surely, in those days even, rubber goods were available to prevent unwanted pregnancies, and his answer was "Yes, there was Charlie Bell's, it was that sort of shop!".

Does anyone know of a photo of Lynes Stores, Well St, say in the 1950s or later before it closed? I've seen the derelict store but would like to know if it was as I remember with two shop windows and a central (pillar?) window you could walk round and behind it the shop door.

That's how I remember it, in the 1960's. When I'd spent my bus fare on sweets I used to walk by there on my way home from school and would admire all the gadgets in the windows.

So far no-one seems to have come up with a photo of Lynes in Well Street alas. I was interested in their window displays too!

Hi Prof there's a photo of Lynes store on page 21 post 302 on this topic posted by Midland Red unfortunately it's boarded up awaiting demolition.

It's not the original building though as you can see from this grainy blow-up of an aerial view of Well Street taken in 1931 before the gas and electric showrooms were built: