RootsChat.Com

Back in the days before we all had a supermarket nearby that used to be a pub, families relied on the corner shop to get their vittals. I have read on here about Mrs Air's shop that stood at the top of Beecher Street (where I lived), and Murray's (or Lily's, or the top shop) on Cowpen Road. I have many happy memories of both shops - and a few others.

Mrs Air's
Anglo Bubbly, penny ice lollies, small, chubby bottles of Storey's pop that came with a crown cap, which Mrs Air's daughter, Eileen, would gladly open for you, Everlasting Strips, Black Jacks, Mojos and my first ever Twix. Many memories. I believe this shop was called Harper's before Mrs Air took it on. 

Charlie's Shops
The daddy of them all. Charlie once appeared on the David Nixon show (prime time national TV, no less). He used to sell an ice cream lolly called New Yorker and when I lifted the lid of the freezer to get one out, I remember there being a message written in marker pen on the underside of the lid:

KEEP OUT THOSE WITH LONG FINGERS

The bus stop on Briardale Road still carries the name 'Charlie's Shops', decades after he died.

Murray's
Where the aforementioned Charlie lived on Cowpen Road. There was a row of sweet jars on the counter that held such a range of goodies, a young boy's head would spin trying to choose what to get. You could buy a single cigarette and a match here, apparently.

Archibald's (with an 'i' I think)
This shop stood alone at the Bella. If you cross the covered bridge from the Cowpen side, and continue down the hill, Archie's was on the right side just before the colliery rows. Long since demolished.

Ted's
I don't remember too much about this shop. If memory serves, it was about half way up Claremont Terrace, and it is where smokers at St Wilfrid's school got their tabs.

Gaffy's
I'm digging deep into my memory vault here. My grandparents lived on Beaumont Street, and when I was there I'd sometimes be asked to nip to Gaffy's for something or other. I think the shop was on a corner of Wright Street, just up from the school. It was quite dark inside, and I remember they sold bottles of pop that were actually called POP on the label.

Violet's
On Hodgson's Road. I live nearby, and this is still a shop, and I still call it Violet's, although I would think that Violet is now pushing up daisies.

Mrs Taylor's
On Renwick Road. Garnett's roofers used to call in here for food before setting off for work.

Do you remember any of these shops? Have I got anything wrong? Which ones have I missed? Are there any photos out there?

When I was a kid growing up in Cowpen Newtown, close to where Aldi's car park stands today, our street games would sometimes be interrupted by the haunting wail of an air raid siren. This came from the fire station on Union Street, and I'd say it droned on for about a minute. On hearing it, we would troop to the top of Beecher Street in the hope of glimpsing a speeding fire engine tearing along Cowpen Road, blue lights flashing and bell (not siren) sounding.

I'd forgotten all about this until playing Silent Hill with my girlfriend, and a siren sounded in the game. My questions are:

1) Do you remember such a siren?

2) What was its purpose - I suspect it may have called volunteer firemen to action.

3) Was it Blyth's air-raid siren from the war years being put to use?

4) What happened to it - is it still in-situ in preparation for future conflict?

Answers on a postcard