Front Street East - for Canny Lass

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

@Canny lass - following on from the discussions within Andy's new albums though I would clagg together a Google Street View image of Front Street East so we could attempted to map on what the old shops - 1950's & 60's - were.

This is the current view within Google :- 

And this is with a couple of the old shop names :- 

[Canny lass]

That's what I call a nice bit of claggin(g)! After a fair bit of observation - which involved a fair bit of zooming in and out, comparisons with other photos, counting windows, inspecting chimneys  and facade details, delving into the corners of my mind and even a visit to Google Earth I have to say that I'm no further forward as to the where-abouts of the off-licence. There's an interesting door (Borgia's entrance) tucked in between Feasters and Carrs which I hadn't noticed before and there's an interesting mosaic floor in the entrance to Premier (formerly part of Carr's). However, I'm sure it's not the mosaic 'arcade' floor of Molden's/Feasters as that was next door to the left but I know I bought my Lambrusco some where there.

92 and 96 combined used to be Walter Wilson's and Meadow Dairy. I don't know if it was the same shop with just a change of name. My mother always called it Walter Wilsons even when it had Meadow Dairy on the sign. The first half of the grey building adjoining Premier was Millne's gift shop. I don't know what was in the half nearest Walter Wilson's.

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

@Canny lass & @Andy Millne would the building (with the bedlingon .co.uk logo on) on the far right of my clagged up image, after Wm Ward's, have been Dunn's Outfitters or was Dunn's old building completely demolished?  Or could it have been the building to the left of Dunn's - I can't make out it's name for it.

Edited June 12, 2021 by Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

29 minutes ago, Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) said:

@Canny lass & @Andy Millne would the building (with the bedlingon .co.uk logo on) on the far right of my clagged up image, after Wm Ward's, have been Dunn's Outfitters or was Dunn's old building completely demolished?  Or could it have been the building to the left of Dunn's - I can't make out it's name for it.

Had another look and the name on shop sign left of the Dunn's Outfitters also starts with the letters DUN - did Dunn's use two buildings?

The next shop to the left, with the Walter Wilson shop sign, I'm guessing could be numbers 96 (Chinese Take Away) & 92 (Ward's)🙂  

[Andy Millne]

Dunn’s was demolished in the 90s after a fire. The building with the bedlington.co.uk logo is number 90. Dunn’s was the next one 88. 86 is now also demolished (was Dennis Todd’s music shop)

[Andy Millne]

I’m not sure of the history of 90 before it was the British Gas showroom. 

[Andy Millne]

The building with the ?? In your image is currently being fitted out as a bathroom showroom. I think that was Millne’s gift shop with Meadow dairy to the right. 

[Andy Millne]

Yes this photo seems to confirm the gift shop as ?? Next to F.C. Carr and son. 

 

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

@Canny lass & @Andy Millne Front Street E 'Now & Then' image updated

 

[lilbill15]

58 minutes ago, Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) said:

@Canny lass & @Andy Millne Front Street E 'Now & Then' image updated

 

Where was Feasters and Moldens in that lineup please? x

[Canny lass]

Now Lawson and Thompson solicitor. I think Eggy may have named them in the wrong order. Should be Moldens to the left and Feasters to the right.

[lilbill15]

9 minutes ago, Canny lass said:

Now Lawson and Thompson solicitor. I think Eggy may have named them in the wrong order. Should be Moldens to the left and Feasters to the right.

Yup. Thank you very much, and yes, definitely Moldens to the left, that was my feminine apparel shop xx

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

2 hours ago, Canny lass said:

Now Lawson and Thompson solicitor. I think Eggy may have named them in the wrong order. Should be Moldens to the left and Feasters to the right.

I haven't got a clue - I can tell you the names of the shops at The Oval in the late 50's and early 60's, where I lived on the estate behind them, but I have very little idea about those of the West or East Front Street. 

This is the comment + pic that @John Fox (foxy) posted :-

 

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

3 hours ago, lilbill15 said:

Where was Feasters and Moldens in that lineup please? x

Corrected me spelling - Feasters not Fewsters

[lilbill15]

Yes, but, I have vivid memories of that shop being called Fewsters, phonetically. x

[Canny lass]

Feastens or Fewstwrs - what's the odd letter or two between friends? However, I, and @lilbill15 definitely bought our knickers in Moldens on the left of the 'arcade'.

[lilbill15]

3 hours ago, Canny lass said:

Feastens or Fewstwrs - what's the odd letter or two between friends? However, I, and @lilbill15 definitely bought our knickers in Moldens on the left of the 'arcade'.

Ye brazen hussy, ye @Canny lass! I never mentioned my knickers! However, on a similar note, d’you remember a shoeshop towards the Neil called Ninettes? Josephine mentioned it but I have no recollection at all xx

[lilbill15]

6 minutes ago, lilbill15 said:

Ye brazen hussy, ye @Canny lass! I never mentioned my knickers! However, on a similar note, d’you remember a shoeshop towards the Neil called Ninettes? Josephine mentioned it but I have no recollection at all xx

See neuk!

[Canny lass]

Well, I know you didn't mention them but as I recall there wasn't anywhere else in Bedlington you could buy them - unless you had a penchant for the Co-op's navy blue fleecey variety. So, I felt I was safe in assuming such purchases were made at Moldens by your good self as well.

Ninettes, however, doesn't ring any bells with me.

Edited June 13, 2021 by Canny lass

[lilbill15]

28 minutes ago, Canny lass said:

Well, I know you didn't mention them but as I recall there wasn't anywhere else in Bedlington you could buy them - unless you had a penchant for the Co-op's navy blue fleecey variety. So, I felt I was safe in assuming such purchases were made at Moldens by your good self as well.

Ninettes, however, doesn't ring any bells with me.

Oh, frustrating! I have no recollection either but Josephine is adamant, she described the Post Office and a fruit and veg shop which she is sure was “Barnes”. My memory of Barnes was @ the “white house “, behind which was the doctor’s surgery ( John brown, Mulligan etc). This was at the top of the “Cut” leading down to Nana Graves in Shiney Row . Anyone else out there help with Ninettes?? There was a hairdresser in the market place where I had my hair done for Auntie Eileen’s wedding to Barry Shell, given time I can up/down load a photo xx

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

@Canny lass - this one - Morgan - for No 90 was probably before your time. 

I'm sure I have sen another photo that probably shows who had the shop after Morgan - I'll keep an eye out when I'm trawling through Facebook photos of Bygone Bedlington

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

On 13/06/2021 at 22:17, lilbill15 said:

Oh, frustrating! I have no recollection either but Josephine is adamant, she described the Post Office and a fruit and veg shop which she is sure was “Barnes”. My memory of Barnes was @ the “white house “, behind which was the doctor’s surgery ( John brown, Mulligan etc). This was at the top of the “Cut” leading down to Nana Graves in Shiney Row . Anyone else out there help with Ninettes?? There was a hairdresser in the market place where I had my hair done for Auntie Eileen’s wedding to Barry Shell, given time I can up/down load a photo xx

Found a couple of photos with J. E. BARNES shop at the Market Place and I think that is the Post Office in the top photo, left of J E Barnes as you look at the photo. Don't know the year these two photos were take.

I spotted a postcard of the Market Place that John Ashford had posted on the Bygone Bedlington group and he was asking if any member could date it. All the estimates for the year were late 1950's to early 1960's.  Enlarged the postcard and there was the Post Office next to Barnes :- 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 16, 2021 by Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)

[lilbill15]

Correction- maybe not boots, possibly knee socks. But skirt length definitely well above the knee, suggests? at least 60’s for the John Dawson photo? Of course, I’m frequently wrong 🙃 x

[Canny lass]

5 hours ago, Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) said:

this one - Morgan - for No 90 was probably before your time. 

Yes it probably was but this one was definitely in my time, 1957 Brown's Furniture Shop

(Courtesy of Evan Martin, Bedlingtonshire Remembered (publ. 1999) The People's History Ltd.

There's no doubt that it is number 90. The finials of the neighbouring shop, Fletcher's, are exact.

So, the Meadow Dairy has, at some time, been Fletcher's which I'm assuming, because of all the white tiling, is a butchers or a fishmongers.

It's not the best of reproductions but it's the best I can do.

 

Edited June 16, 2021 by Canny lass

[lilbill15]

Is Fletcher an old word for butcher? I’m looking at the moon again x