David Wardell follows the Laidlaw family through the rise and fall of fortunes, times of tension when their land was taken for rail improvements at Manors and various business exploits as one would expect over such a long term. The story is accompanied by numerous news snippets which illuminate particular instances of the lives of individual family members which were deemed to be news worthy and set in print for us all to read.
We’ve now reached Woolworths. One of the largest shops at that time and housed in what were possibly premises specially built for them around 1941 when they first appear in the phonebooks but probably built pre war.
Sit back and enjoy a wonderful walk along 1950’s Gosforth High Street!
Discovering Heritage are a team of specialist historical researchers with expertise in researching local history and residential history. As part of our community outreach we share some of our research through this blog.
This was Andersons, a general dealer and grocer. Here we could get a ‘cheap’ ice lolly after the cinema if money permitted for about 2d or 3d. These were called Jubblies, a watery orange ice lolly shaped like a pyramid about 3 – 4 inches in size and without a stick in a waxed cardboard covering. Tearing off one corner, you could squeeze the pyramid of ice up gradually as you enjoyed it. As you sucked away at it, the juice came out, leaving behind more of a pyramid of plain ice than a fruit lolly. They’re still available today for home freezing, but they are now only half their former size.
In my infancy I can just recall this Baker’s shop as Masons the bakers from where we would get our bread. Thomas Mason and his wife worked here making their bread in the rear of the premises. Around 1951 this shop was to become the very first shop of Greggs the Bakers. John Gregg and his wife started up the well-known chain of bakers from here with just this one shop and a van round.
The first in a series of beautifully evocative walks through memories of Gosforth High Street. Robert’s tiny sweet shop, Walls Ice Cream and Clarkson’s Dolls Hospital.
Discovering Heritage research on Davison’s Chemist shop. Undertaken in response to a Facebook poll conducted early in 2020.
It is the natural characteristic of the High Street shops that they come and go. Communities grow and develop and demand different things. Situations change, and during times of change, we can sometimes find clues to our High Street heritage.
The first most comprehensive history of Gosforth was published in 1879, namely “A History of The Parish of Gosforth” by Richard Welford. Join us for a snapshot glimpse into the life of this remarkable man who lived on Gosforth High Street.