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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Northumberland => Topic started by: HenryWood on Friday 29 November 13 14:09 GMT (UK)
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Does anyone with knowledge of Blyth remember a shop called "Golightly's"? I was talking to an old friend from Blyth and he suddenly asked, "Can you remember Golightly's shop and what they sold?"
He said the name had been bugging him for a few days and he couldn't get it out of his head.
As soon as he said the name I instantly thought I remembered it, but as this is going back to the 50s/60s I'm wondering if my memory is playing tricks on me.
Any information greatly appreciated.
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I have just seen it somewhere, i'll have a search :)
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Thank you very much. I look forward to hearing from you at your convenience.
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Can not remember any shop by that name nor can any members of our family, all Blyth folks. Only possibility is a bakery? Or small sweet shop?
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I will be very surprised if Locohodgetts does not know the answer to this.
The name does sound familiar to me but thats all, Dolly
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Sorry Dolly I have no answers for this one.
Census gives two families of Golightly, one at 44 Plessey Road, Blyth and the other 8 Rosamund Place, Blyth. Both head males of the families (I assume related) were Coal Trimmers.
Rosamund Place is set within the grounds of and along part of the old northern most Rope Walk. It was originally Newsham Street which connected with Folly Road, Stanley Street South and Horton Street.
March 1970 phonebook has a Golightly living on Cypress Crescent, but no mentions of other Golightlys, though no doubt there would have been others, surely?
The census is obviously pre 50s and 60s, and the phonebook is after. Maybe someone with a business directory could tell us more.
Golightly is a surviving surname in the town.
I shall be interested to see what other info comes to light. I shall also ask my dwindling crew of Blyth Moles and Informants. One of them passed away earlier this month. :(
P
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P, Thanks for all that, Golightly's of Ashington is going around in my head, but probably not the one! Sorry about the passing of one of your Blyth moles. Keep up the good work tho',
Dolly
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I'll post a request for info up on the Blyth Memories page of Facebook, that lot know quite a bit about Blyth :)
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There was a family lived on Brookside Ave, Cowpen . Inthe50s/60s.
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I've been scraping through my memories too and can't come up with anything . I lived in Blyth 1936 to 1959.
I keep recalling Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn.)
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Just had another idea - I think there was a a butcher called Gillespie at one time.
Perhaps the person who asked the question got the name wrong? The 2 are very similar.
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I have also searched through my various booklets about the town and shop[ etc. and there are no advertisements for a Golightly retailer in Blyth.
P
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From Stewart Anderson on Blyth Memories FB page
it was a bike shop opposite crofts sport shop
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I think that bike shop belonged to Mr. Mole (not the Wind in the Willows one ;))
Next door to Donkins newsagents on Havelock St.
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The bike shop that was on Havelock Street ( opposite Cropps ) was Spot-On decorators in later years, (I think ) - wasn't it something to do with the Ferguson family?
Anyway, moving sideways, and perhaps not the same family, but there were 2 Golightly families in 1897, both on Carlton Street, and in 1911 ( per census ) Golightly families on Plessey Road , Rosamund Place and York Stret but they were ( as stated above ) working at the mnes
Perhaps they or their families left the industry.
Talking yesterday to an acquaintance who is a long time Blyth resident I mentioned this , and he immediately said "Golightly's Bread Shop" , but he doesn't remember why he associates the name with a bakery. But, perhaps it may spark a memory elsewhere ...?
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A little more comment from one of my Blyth moles.
"The only bike shop in Havelock Street was Sep Mole & Sons. They were there from the early part of 1900 till about the mid 60's when it was taken over by Gary Ellis, and turned into a paint and decorating shop. The only other bike shop was on Plessey Road in front of the Masons pub, which was Trigg's".
You can see Sep Moles shop in Central Buildings early 1900s here;
https://www.flickr.com/photos/51893012@N05/14288439102/sizes/k/
P
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As ever spot on P H !
I knew you'd come up with the answer.. Dolly
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I don't think I have answered this subject, just added info that will hopefully, along with other peoples input, lead to an answer.
One of the things I have come across in my own family history and talking with my dad about when I was growing up and the mix ups of experiences and events that lead unwittingly to false memories. Once you get the facts and chronology ironed out correctly, it becomes clear in the end.
I just hope a definitive answer comes up for the Golightly shop, whatever it was selling.
P
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Hi PH Sorry , I was just agreeing that all the info you gave in that thread was correct, diden't mean to include the "Golightly " part was answered.
I stand corrected !
I actually dont think there was, in my 78 years anyway..a business called Golightlys .
Dolly.
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OK, I understand now, no need to apologise.
I love these little teasers popping up. Gets the little grey cells doing some overtime!
Off topic, but on a Facebook group someone has posted an image of all the Tailors from the town. I don't know if there was a Tailors Guild. I was able to tell the owner of the photo that the picture was posed outside the front door of Cowpen Hall. There are some real gems popping up out there on the WWW these days. A shame there is no 'central' point for all these to be posted to when they come to light. Though of course I am posting the best stuff I have to my Flickr page as per the photo of Sep Mole's bicycle shop in the link I provided.
P ;D
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Lovely photo Phil H. - I wonder when Sep. Mole's moved to Havelock St. ? He was certainly there when I was young, and his son Peter was in my class at school.
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Septimus and his brother Thomas were both enthusiastic cyclists in their young day. During the 1890s Thomas was making bicycles at his Cowpen Quay works and Sep joined him in the business in 1901. I assume this would have been the Station Street works that Thomas had.
By 1908 Sep had his own bicycle shop, the one we saw in the Central Hall at Waterloo. Prior to WW1 Thomas moved from Cowpen Quay to Regent Street.
Thomas had two addresses in the 1921 Trade Directory, 3 Station Street, Cowpen Quay and also 5 Regent Street, Cowpen Quay.
I have seen a photo of the Regent Street shop and works, and they were agents for, Rover Cycles, Star Cycles, Triumph Cycles and Meteor Cycles. As a side line in the business they also did Picture Framing. Hehehe. Odd combination.
I'd have thought Sep moved to Havelock Street after the Central Hall burned down in 1923, though I do not know that for sure. A bit of speculation. In the 1921 Trade Directory he was still listed as trading at 5 Market Place, Waterloo.
Alfred Septimus Mole born 1879 Horton, Waterloo, had a wife Ada nee Ingram and three children, James Henry, Edith Mary and Alfred. They lived at no. 13 Richard Street circa 1910. Sep died 16 October 1958. Probate details tell us that he was of the George & Dragon Hotel, Morpeth and he was a Cycle Dealer with his brother John and his estate valued at £2601 2s! Equivalent to £54,740.65 today (2014).
P
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Strange how things pop up. Re, Gillespies the butcher, we were talking about the very same shop just a couple of days ago. It was I believe on Plessey Road just opposite the Royal Tavern. It is now a convenience store. I remember it well but keep forgetting its name. It was next door to Massey's fish and chip shop, now a chinese takeaway.
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Golightly- not sure if it was a cobblers shop,near the bottom of Princess Louise Road.Crofton area.. Vi...
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There was a chemists called Golightlys on Park View in Whitley Bay, maybe they had a number of shops in the area. It was a big shop with wonderful mahogany cupboards full of medicines etc in those big glass jars. Hope this helps
Marion
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Thanks to all who have responded in this thread. I tend to think PH is about right when he writes of "events that lead unwittingly to false memories". I now seem to think/remember that there was a lad at Blyth Grammar School when I was there called Billy Golightly but again that could be another false trail. These things seem to happen more and more often as time goes by.
One thing I definitely *do* remember, and thanks for the memory PH, is Sep Mole's shop where my parents bought my first bicycle. It was a cracker, a Raleigh I think, but I definitely know it had Sturmey Archer gears *and* a dyno-hub. (A dynamo built into the rear hub instead of the usual tyre mounted dynamo and the dyno-hub powered a battery pack built into the main frame so your lights stayed on even when you were stationary!) The Rolls-Royce of bikes and it felt as heavy as a Roller trying to pedal it!
And remembering the Raleigh bike I also remembered the chant:
"Ride a Raleigh
Ride a wreck
Ride a Phillips
And you'll break your neck!"
And I'm not sure if I ever saw a Phillips bike! :-\
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Bikes.
My mother had a bike c.1952. Bought from Co-op at Blyth (CWS for Cooperative Wholesale Society)
Nicknamed " Copper, Wire and String" !
Michael
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Bikes.
My mother had a bike c.1952. Bought from Co-op at Blyth (CWS for Cooperative Wholesale Society)
Nicknamed " Copper, Wire and String" !
Michael
;D Yes, I remember that one too. There used to be a great deal of one-upmanship about bikes in those days.
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Golightly,s was a cobblers on the corner of Princess Louise Rd and Coomasie Rd next to Charlton's bakery
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Thank you very much indeed, kstocks! After almost 2 years you have solved the problem.
I just phoned the person who had initially asked me about this and his immediate reply was, "YES!!!"
As soon as cobbler shop was mentioned he says he now remembers his mother telling him off about the state he had kicked his school shoes into and saying to him, "Well, you will have to take them down to Golightly's and after he's repaired them he will have to put segs in the sole!"
He had completely forgotten about it being a cobbler's shop and had almost forgotten asking the question nearly a couple of years ago.
Thank you very much for your help.
Henry.
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That rings a bell with me too - we lived near there and I often went to Charlton's for bread and teacakes etc.