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Marsden Street

Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:34 am
by malaymac
Does anyone know when this street and the others nearby (John Clay Street etc) were pulled down ?

I suppose this would probably be mid sixties but I'm not entirely sure.

A lot of new housing and Wawn Street clinic etc were built on the redeveloped land.

My mother grew up there and we're trying to help her piecing together some old memories.

Re: Marsden Street

Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:37 am
by baldy.smith
I left Shields 1966 and they were still standing then I believe.
The Dole Offices were in Wawn Street.


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Re: Marsden Street

Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 5:48 pm
by Axeman
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Yeah I used to walk up to the dole office from Chi Garage ( where I worked ) to sign on !! :lol:

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Re: Marsden Street

Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 8:59 pm
by Barney
Most of those streets in the Chi area were demolished in the late 70's/early 80s.
A few of them were left alone, especially near Chi.

I was born on Stephenson Street, where the The Cyrpus was (is?).
There was a great chippie on Moffett street, and an old offie on Stainton/John Clay.
The chippie was still there in the late 80's.

Great time as a scoy bout in that area!! :lol:

Re: Marsden Street

Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2008 11:36 am
by nesr012
I remember Marsden Street and especially Moffat Street fish shop which was only rivaled by the Sweet William and chips from John Clay Street Fishy. Barney, were you in the 22nd scouts out of Brownsea Hall off Imeary Street corner of East Stainton Street. I can remember the bus stop on Chi Road out side the Army recruitment shop and towards the end of the John Clay Street there were a couple of second hand furniture shops, a corner shop and further up the road a bookies and a fresh Grocers shop. the place was falling to bits in the sixties but had a definate community, I wonder were all those cobles went from the back lanes. The new houses look about ready for replacement themselves, definately another council planning blunder - still fond memories.

Re: Marsden Street

Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2008 11:56 am
by mr-angry
They started to demolish those houses in 1976 and it lasted about two year, I should know as I played in them as they were getting pulled down. (happy days)

Image

Re: Marsden Street

Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2008 5:52 pm
by Barney
nesr012 wrote:I remember Marsden Street and especially Moffat Street fish shop which was only rivaled by the Sweet William and chips from John Clay Street Fishy. Barney, were you in the 22nd scouts out of Brownsea Hall off Imeary Street corner of East Stainton Street.
Hi Nesr012 - I was in the 22nd Scouts of Brownsea Hall for four years. Brownsea Hall was an old baptist Church that was converted to be our scout hall - if ripping out the pews could be called a conversion!! :lol: Them were the days - 1968-1972. I was in C troop, we used to meet on Fridays. Almost every weekend was spent down at West Hall, just outside of Whitburn. Our troop leader, Dougie Palmer, was the warden there. Some great times there, too!!

Were you in the 22nd, Nesr, or just from the area?

Re: Marsden Street

Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2008 10:31 pm
by nesr012
Yes Barney, I was in the 22nd cubs and scouts around 65-68 ish.
I was in the cubs / scouts along with Paul Mars, Trevor Holland, Derek Cheeseman and Steven Casey to name but a few. We used play the piano in the girls tap dance hall and play footy using the old church pew as goals before dib dib dibbing - great days. The subs were a tanner at the time wich Trevor used to collect. Only attended one West Hall and remember someone was sick over everyone during the night along with someone falling from the assault net that used to strung up between the trees, seem to remember tales of a headless horseman that used to ride the grounds...............scared the s**t out of us at the time.

Re: Marsden Street

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 3:05 am
by Barney
hA-Ha! Yup - loads of stories about West Hall - like the warden who went mad and hung himself from the tree on campsite 13! Or the night the owls started attacking the tents and picking trhe eyes oout of the cubs heads!!!

Campsite 13 was, ever afterwards, The Chapel.

It was always fun mucking about on the assault course, but nowadays parents would never let their kids do anything so dangerous.

I remember being in gpoal for most of the footie in the hall.
And how about the "wide games" - like running all the way down f'ing Mowbray Road to get 12 grains of sand from thr beach!!
We must've been nuts!!!

Great days, though.

Incidentally, I was at the high school with a Paul Mars. Possibly the same guy? He was very tall for his age then. He and I were great rivals in the 100 yard sprint.

Re: Marsden Street

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:10 am
by malaymac
mr-angry wrote:They started to demolish those houses in 1976 and it lasted about two year, I should know as I played in them as they were getting pulled down. (happy days)

Image

Mr Angry,

Thanks for posting this photo, it brings back some treasured memories.

Although not in the picture, if you could imagine seeing may be the next ten doors lower down the street in front of the car, was where my mother grew up at number 80. During the sixties we often went back there to visit her mother. And just a few doors further down from that was where a few houses were bombed during the war and the houses (what was left of them) were demolished and an open space was left. A childrens playground was built in later years (to keep the kids off the streets).

As already mentioned in other posts, this was probably the best place in town for those liking fish n chips (2 great chippies within a minutes walk).

The corner shop in your photo used to have all sorts of sweets lined up in big jars and the shopkeeper would weigh whatever amount was wanted into little, plain white paper bags. No hi definition, illuminous, heat sealed packaging in those days !!!

Also, around the corner in John Clay Street (I think), was a pie shop where even just the smell of the pies could make you hungry.

We would often get a big plate sized pie, get the jug filled up with peas and gravy and enjoy this with some 'cut your own slices' crusty, bread n butter.

I think it's time to raid the fridge !!!

Re: Marsden Street

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:23 am
by anna
mr-angry wrote:They started to demolish those houses in 1976 and it lasted about two year, I should know as I played in them as they were getting pulled down. (happy days)

Image
Lovin this photo Mr A , =D> ,,have you any more ?
just look at the cars :D
there is not many in the street either ...nowdays your lucky to get parked ..

Re: Marsden Street

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 5:09 am
by Barney
malaymac wrote: The corner shop in your photo used to have all sorts of sweets lined up in big jars and the shopkeeper would weigh whatever amount was wanted into little, plain white paper bags. No hi definition, illuminous, heat sealed packaging in those days !!!
That's the shop I referred to as the Offie earlier on.
I remember it well because they had this poster showing the conversion amounts between between old currency and new currency. This was when we were being ripped off by decimalisation, and a ha'penny bubble gum became a thing of the past.

My parents had an upper floor two-room flat on the corner of Stephenson and John Clay. The windows looked out onto John Clay. There was six of us living in them two rooms before they moved us to Whiteleas.

I remember the gap where the bombed houses were - there was actually a couple of them - one not far from Moffett chippie.
The kiddies play park came very late.

Re: Marsden Street

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 9:15 am
by baldy.smith
anna wrote:
mr-angry wrote: Image
Lovin this photo Mr A , =D> ,,have you any more ?
just look at the cars :D

The nearest car looks like an "Avenger", then there's a "Morris Minor Traveller", then a "Mini",
the others are not clear enough to tell what they are.

and you're right anna it is an excellent photo and I'd love to see more like it.

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Re: Marsden Street

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 11:20 am
by malaymac
In the distance can be seen Dean Road and the surgery of Dr Welsh. As kids, when weren't feeling too well, we would be taken to see Dr Welsh and it was like visiting one of those old Victorian type places with wood paneled walls. A daunting experience for any kid, but he was a very kindly fella and would put us at ease.

Re: Marsden Street

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 11:26 am
by malaymac
baldy.smith wrote:
anna wrote:
mr-angry wrote: Image
Lovin this photo Mr A , =D> ,,have you any more ?
just look at the cars :D

The nearest car looks like an "Avenger", then there's a "Morris Minor Traveller", then a "Mini",
the others are not clear enough to tell what they are.

and you're right anna it is an excellent photo and I'd love to see more like it.

8)

Not only were not many cars around then, but just to make us feel even more uncomfortable, was when we would roll up in me dads pride and joy, his Ford Zodiac with white wall tyres (don't see them these days). I just cannot believe all the stares we used to get when visiting our grandparents at no.80

Re: Marsden Street

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 5:14 pm
by anna
Was it a mark 1 Mala
.
Image
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Or a mark 11
.
Image
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I think most people with cars ,were thought to be rich ,, :D

Re: Marsden Street

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 5:32 pm
by baldy.smith
I had a Mk IV


Image


It was a V4, a horrible petrol guzzling monstrosity, needless to say I didn't have it for long. :roll:

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Re: Marsden Street

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 5:34 pm
by baldy.smith
I had a Mk IV


Image


It was a V4, a horrible petrol guzzling monstrosity, needless to say I didn't have it for long. :roll:

I didn't think much of the tinny Mk III either.

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Re: Marsden Street

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 5:41 pm
by anna
it looks like a nice car Mr Smith ....but i have to say ,,i do like the white wheels on the other ones ..

Re: Marsden Street

Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 5:52 pm
by baldy.smith
I liked the Mk I, they were a very attractive car. They also made the cheaper Consul which looked
identical except for the radiator grill design. The Zephyrs were the Zephyr Four or Zephyr Six and
the difference was the engine size and the Six had more luxurious fittings.


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