South Shields Sanddancers Forum

Thoms at Laygate. Or was it Toms? It then turned into Pounstretchers when I was a kid. I remember going to the opening day and getting freebies. I'm not sure if the building is even still there

You're right. It's gone now. My earliest memory was of Allen's of Laygate department store. It occupied that site, which was later Thoms then Poundstretcher, and also the site across the road which has, more recently, been some sort of second-rate freezer shop. I had my very first Saturday job there before I left school.....must have been about....1964. Got paid 15 Shillings for it...Big Money!
I worked in the 'food department' where I had to wear a white coat and stock the shelves as well as cutting and weighing cheese, opening cases of eggs and 'sixing' them into the little cartons, and......worst of all....opening cases of bananas! That was soooo scary. You wouldn't believe some of the SPIDERS that would come out of those cases!

By, lad!.............this forum dosen't half bring back some 'orrible memories!

It does! I must be going back a while for Thoms!
Do you remember a shop I think was called TG Allens in King Street?

Yep. T&G Allens was the last 'proper' bookshop in the town.
It's now the X-Catalogue shop......full of cr*p.

I love all this 'do you remember?' Although I'm definitely showing my age!!

My contribution.......do you remember Savilles Record Shop under the bridge in King Street? Singles were 6/8 and you could sample them in a sort of phone booth by picking up a telephone receiver. The shop owner, Ivor Saville, would put the record on by request from behind the counter. Such an exiting shop to visit, at that time.

Ahhhh TG Allens happy memories.

I let off stinky bomb there one Saturday morning. I buy from man who sell magic tricks from Market stall, anyone remember him ?

Or the stinky bomb.It cleared place out tout suit.

Here.....I hope I not responsible for TG Allens decline !!!

I can remember before store was in Shields it was an old school

after reading this post a few other ones i think it might be a good idea if i add a history page to these boards

Great idea! It makes me feel really old though remembering past times.

eye...............and thoze stinkin public bogz at westoe........uzed tuh pass um afta skewl.....hey.......a`hm sure a seen that jawdj mye-kull.....
hangin aboot ..............lukkin 4 ee`z mate andy...............eh

You know in all my years in Shields I never once used those lavvies.

Says a lot for you though Gazza.

Where were they? Behind the busstop? Can't remember.

Ah, just seen Jimmy's post re the Westoe netty...........Gent's only!! And now I remember them, just round to the right as you turned into Chi Road under the right hand bridge. I call that area Westoe Bridges, Westoe being up at the junction of Imeary Street and Sunderland Road?

Am I really discussing netty locations here?!?

Found this on the net. Tells you all you need to know about the Westoe Netty

http://www.robertolley.co.uk/Westoe%20Netty/page5.html

Enjoy!

This thread beggars belief

Is someone taking the P iss ?

Westoe was always the area from the town Hall to just past the Westoe Bridges, Westoe Cemetery off Erskine Road was about the Center of area called Westoe.The area at the junction of Imeary Street/Sunderland Road was called Westoe Village. There was a part across the road from the town hall used to be called South Westoe which is the area most of my family came from for several generations back. Like Sandy when someone mentions Westoe I usually think of the Westoe Village area as the one being referred to. I also remember the less famous Netty at Chichester but no less popular among the men folk. The Netty at Westoe Village was below ground level; same as the one at the Nook; not sure if they are still there. I used the famous Westoe Netty for years when I worked around there.

Baldy, I too, in my day have used all the netties you mention and I'm afraid they are ALL gone now.
Sandy, Your mention of Savilles record shop is interesting. This was the one in King St next to the bridge. The favourite thing for us lads was the small instrument room upstairs. This was just the size of the front room in someone's house but was crammed with all sorts of guitars and stuff which none of us could afford. There was a chap there called Stan Smith who would demonstrate the instruments. I think he played in a jazz band. If you were a regular and didn't cause much trouble he would let you have a 'test drive' on some fantastic 'out of reach' guitar like a Black Bison or a Telecaster.
Great times! After that they moved to Keppel St next to the new post office. When Ivor retired the shop was taken over (records only) by Peter Edmondson the DJ who later went on to buy a string of wine bars in the town. I went to school with peter but he was a couple years younger.

Yes.....the Keppel Street shop was just NOT the same, was it?

Ivor was a great chap. My Dad bought his first 'stereo' in the late '60's. It came by mail order and he was clueless on how to set it up. He had a word with Ivor, who came to our house, set the whole thing up and didn't charge a thing!

Anybody remember the Handy Shop in Walpole Street where you could buy records cheaply. The singles were all in boxes and sorted under the record label. You mainly paid 3 shillings for them, most of them being ex-jukebox.

Yes, mate.
The Handy Shop was a must!!
Coincidentally, it was just round the corner to the original Saville Bros record shop which was in Frederick St. I remember the long wooden racks sloping back at an angle which held the 78's and LP's. Shortly after the little 45's came in they moved the whole thing down to King St. That was when the Handy Shop really came into its own!
The other 'major' music shop was Wiggs in Ocean Road, next door to Minchellas. Anyone remeber that?.......it was a bit posh, though!