RETAIL MEMORIES : from times past in Newcastle and the North East

[GBDT]

Originally Posted by Graham56

Yes that's right George, but it closed 30-40 yrs back

That'll be right then. My family moved from Westgate Road area to Montagu Estate in 1966. i remember it then.

GBDT

[GrahamSoult]

I've just blogged about all I know of the Byker Woolies store that we've been talking about (recent photo above):

http://www.soultsretailview.co.uk/20...s-old-woolies/

Interestingly, we have a closing date (1 June 1985), as well as an opening date to within a month or two (August or September 1927)!

[Newcastle Historian]

Yes, 1984 / 1985 was a bad time for Shields Road, with Parrishes Department Store and then Woolworths, both closing down within about a twelve month period.

Still can't believe how two copies of that 'long lost' photo of Byker Woolies, turn up independently, within days of eachother!!

[GBDT]

Graham Soult, (or anyone else who can help)

as you are our local Woolies expert could you please help me to identify where this photo is taken? Some people think it may be Morpeth's Woolies.


http://www.facebook.com/pages/Old-Pi...50729531607278

Cheers
GBDT

[GrahamSoult]

Originally Posted by GBDT

Graham Soult, (or anyone else who can help)

as you are our local Woolies expert could you please help me to identify where this photo is taken? Some people think it may be Morpeth's Woolies.


http://www.facebook.com/pages/Old-Pi...50729531607278

Cheers
GBDT

Hmmm! I'm, pretty sure it's not Morpeth, but nor does it look like any of the others in the North East either.

I shall dig around and see if I can find an answer

[leauk]

It doesn't look like Morpeth to me either.

[WilfBurnsFan]

S Gibson has either 'Scotsman' (as in the newspaper) or 'Seedsman' to the left of his name. If the former, that implies we're somewhere north of the border.

[WilfBurnsFan]

Dumfries, perhaps?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ballysundriven/4675377397/

[GrahamSoult]

Originally Posted by WilfBurnsFan

Dumfries, perhaps?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ballysundriven/4675377397/

(Your image link is to Galashiels!)

Dumfries is on the right track, but still not quite right:



Source: http://www.soultsretailview.co.uk/20...er-wonderland/

[GrahamSoult]

Originally Posted by GrahamSoult

Hmmm! I'm, pretty sure it's not Morpeth, but nor does it look like any of the others in the North East either.

I reckon it's Richmond, Yorkshire:



The evidence is set out in my response to the Facebook thread!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...50729531607278

[Newcastle Historian]

Originally Posted by GrahamSoult

I reckon it's Richmond, Yorkshire:



The evidence is set out in my response to the Facebook thread!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...50729531607278

Excellent detective work Graham!

So, still in the North East then, at Richmond, North Yorkshire (just!)

[GrahamSoult]

Originally Posted by Newcastle Historian

Excellent detective work Graham!

So, still in the North East then, at Richmond, North Yorkshire (just!)

Funnily enough, Richmond is one of the Woolies stores I visited earlier in the year but haven't got round to blogging about yet - because it's not strictly in the North East. I think this has given me a prompt though!

Below is the more recent Richmond Woolworths that - we now know - replaced the mysterious one in the photo on Facebook:

[Newcastle Historian]

This is the new 'Polish' food place called pierogis, where O'Brien's recently used to be on "Seymours Corner" (see the small metal plaque on the building, shown below) on the corner of Market Street and Pilgrim Street.

PHOTOS courtesy of - http://www.facebook.com/pierogiplace






.

[alf stone]

Or Stan Seymour's as it was in my day:



Picture courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/newcastlelibraries/

[GBDT]

Originally Posted by alf stone

Or Stan Seymour's as it was in my day:



Picture courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/newcastlelibraries/

And in my days!

image hosted on flickr


Photo from P&T Image Archive, NCC

Cheers

GBDT

[GrahamSoult]

Originally Posted by GBDT

I'm sure that there was a Woolies in the Arndale Shopping Centre in North Kenton (Halewood Ace/Kirkwood Ave).

I'm trying to pinpoint the location of the old Woolies in North Kenton's Arndale Centre, so that I can pop over there and get a photo to add to the collection.

From what someone else told me, I believe it was where the Nisa store is today:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&...97.65,,0,-1.23

This echoes my hunch, which is that Woolies would have occupied the section that is set forward from the main parade - looking at other 50s shopping parades, my impression is that Woolworths tended to occupy the most prominent spot in such developments.

See, for example, the former Woolies in New Washington (Concord) - also an Arndale Centre - which opened in 1959:

http://www.soultsretailview.co.uk/20...er-woolworths/

Any more insights welcome!

[Deebex]

Originally Posted by Newcastle Historian

This is the new 'Polish' food place called pierogis, where O'Brien's recently used to be on "Seymours Corner" (see the small metal plaque on the building, shown below) on the corner of Market Street and Pilgrim Street.

PHOTOS courtesy of - http://www.facebook.com/pierogiplace




[.

I can understand why it's called 'Seymour's Corner' - i.e. there used to be a shop called Seymour's there.

But why has the 'Seymour' name been retained? There are a lot of corners in Newcastle city centre, and they are not named after all of the shops that used to be there.

What is the significance of Seymour's?

[alf stone]

Deebex, just Google Stan Seymour.

[alf stone]

I have searched but can't find a picture of the Felling Woolworths on here or Graham Soult's site but I came across this:



It was on this site:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?o.109492039068917

My apologies if it has already been posted.

[GrahamSoult]

Originally Posted by alf stone

I have searched but can't find a picture of the Felling Woolworths on here or Graham Soult's site but I came across this:



It was on this site:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?o.109492039068917

My apologies if it has already been posted.

That's a great find - well done!

I did post a picture of the store as it is today a couple of pages ago, but this is the first time I've seen a photo of it as it was then.

For comparison, here's today's view again (from almost the same position):

I hate to think what anyone was thinking by blocking up the upstairs windows - it looks truly dreadful.