South Shields Sanddancers Forum

SICO was just off Ocean Road, my aunt worked their all of her working life.

They started mainly as a tea company but branched out by providing a wider range of provisions.

The photo below is from the 1920s

Mr Smith, you are a never ending source of imformation, you amaze me. nice to meet you last night Phil.

Thanks to Mr. Smith for the photo of SICO. Sidney Coston was the owner, hence the name. I worked there in the 1960's before moving to Southampton. As I mentioned to Mr. Smith a couple of years ago, I worked with his Auntie Lil but didn't know the connection.
I have plenty of memories from my time there. SICO was known for its own-brand names. Lestan (less tannin) was on his tea labels, while Winnu (we will win you) was the name for the loose provisions such as dried fruit and sugar which were packed from larger sacks. I'm sure some of you remember the groceries being packed in blue bags. The butter came in wooden barrels to be cut up for the corner shop traders. Likewise the cheese was cut from large blocks. These and the bacon were prepared in the cellar under the building. Sides of bacon were taken to Dicksons in Fowler Street to be smoked, before being cut into smaller sizes. We used to 'fight' over whose turn it was to buy the 'hocks for making soup. A tanner a time in those days. For tea break we were allowed to open any damaged biscuit tins; you know the square ones. An odd tin was sometimes 'accidentally' damaged. While I am typing this most of my workmates names are coming to mind. Happy days.

I was thinking of you when I made that post Gilly, I was wondering how you were doing.

Hi Mr. Smith,

We were up home over the Bank Holiday, but didn't get to see many people. We went on a nostalgia trip to some of our old stamping grounds, but most places are long gone, including SICO. That's a great photo of the building.
Thanks for asking how I am. Like a lot of people it is thanks to modern medicine that we can live fairly normal lives. Obviously there are odd niggles, but on the whole life is good.
This weekend is a time of celebration. Sat. is our 45th anniversary and Sun. is Maggie's 66th birthday.

Congratulation to you both, got my 45th on 1st December. =D>

i can remember a shop on havlock street called florries i thought it was one under your house mr smith. the door was across corner of palmeston/havlock street but like mr smith said there was one on every corner its that long ago now i cant remember for sure where but i do remember name and my nan sending me to florries i was brought up on taylor st it could even have been the one on taylor street if thats the one she lived in big house facing the shop she had a daughter who would be in her 60s now

Mr Smith wrote:Congratulation to you both, got my 45th on 1st December. =D>

Beat you it's our 45th tomorrow

brian c wrote:

Mr Smith wrote:Congratulation to you both, got my 45th on 1st December. =D>

Beat you it's our 45th tomorrow

Congratulations Brian. I didn't realize than anyone had been suffering longer than me.

geordielass wrote:i can remember a shop on havlock street called florries i thought it was one under your house mr smith. the door was across corner of palmeston/havlock street but like mr smith said there was one on every corner its that long ago now i cant remember for sure where but i do remember name and my nan sending me to florries i was brought up on taylor st it could even have been the one on taylor street if thats the one she lived in big house facing the shop she had a daughter who would be in her 60s now

i remember her name now it was florrie steels

There is a good DVD for sale on e-bay called William Clavery A Man and his camera with loads of photoes of laygate area in the 50's and 60's

thanks for that ive just bought one i think theres only 2 left now

Hi,does anyone know of a Grocer & Provision Merchants that was in Laygate. My great grandfathers birth certificate is held together by some tape.On it is written John T Martin,Grocer & Provision Merchant,Laygate,South Shields.Noted for Irish Roll Bacon. Thanks

Probably a load of useless info but i remember my dad telling me about his ganny who married a grocer. Shop was known as greens in the mid 50s and was At laygate somewhere. His ganny incidentally she was called isobelle green (previously Harrison) off seymour. Very astute woman by all accounts. She owned and ran the Albion pub on green lane where me da was born

Wasn't there a sico wharehouse off dean road behind dean tce.One of my relatives worked there he was called John Thompson.

happy times visiting the reading rooms , following my dads ship in the papers ... where the laygate clock is etc . and what about the fish and chip shop on the corner ... called ?

shieldslad wrote:happy times visiting the reading rooms , following my dads ship in the papers ... where the laygate clock is etc . and what about the fish and chip shop on the corner ... called ?

Was it Hansons?

hansons fish shop was on , laygate lane op, laygate flats my mam worked there when we lived in laygate flats in 60s

anitag wrote:Hi,does anyone know of a Grocer & Provision Merchants that was in Laygate. My great grandfathers birth certificate is held together by some tape.On it is written John T Martin,Grocer & Provision Merchant,Laygate,South Shields.Noted for Irish Roll Bacon. Thanks

John T Martin was at number 46 Laygate.

Mr Smith wrote:

anitag wrote:Hi,does anyone know of a Grocer & Provision Merchants that was in Laygate. My great grandfathers birth certificate is held together by some tape.On it is written John T Martin,Grocer & Provision Merchant,Laygate,South Shields.Noted for Irish Roll Bacon. Thanks

John T Martin was at number 46 Laygate.

I was born above Halls fish and chip shop at 33 Laygate Lane, it was just up the road from High Shields Station around where the mosque is today.