BIKE SHOP

rusty · Post by **rusty** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 11:50 pm

any one remember the bike shop oppisite Atkinsons the paper shop just before Westoe bridges ?
And what happened to La strada the Night club by Mill dam ?

baldy.smith · Post by **baldy.smith** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 7:32 am

I remember the bike shop, quite a big one. It was on the corner of Victoria Road and Westoe Road.
Atkinsons paper shop is now a stationary and art materials shop, I think it is called Greenwoods now, they used to have a place on Laygate Lane before they moved to Westoe Road when that part of Laygate Lane was demolished.
The other bike shops I recall were; Browns on Fowler Street, another at the back of King Street (Waterloo Vale I think it was called) and one at Laygate.
As a keen cyclist when I was in my teens; I had occasion to use all of them at one time or another.
As for La Strada, someone else will have to fill you in there, I was not a night club person and I think it was stil there when I left Shields but moved later.

Thinking about the art shop has brought to mind the cost of sheets of drawing paper that I used to buy. I used to pay one penny per sheet (in the old currency), that worked out at 240 sheets for a pound. These days a pound will buy two sheets if you are lucky.

Delilahcat · Post by **Delilahcat** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 9:25 am

La Strada has now been demolished. There is a landscaped space where it stood with an art installation of a table with bottles and glasses. I had many a convivial drink at La Strada and had the dubious distinction of being 'barred' for a number of weeks. This was down to the conduct of my friend who chose to attack her husband when she spotted him with another woman!
Greenwoods has now been taken over but still sells art materials. My local cycle shop was in South Eldon St. It was originally owned by a Mr Deputron( not sure of spelling) who was I think Belgian.

Cisco · Post by **Cisco** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 5:31 pm

I remember Browns bike shop Baldy, little dingy shop selling second hand motor bikes.

Cisco

baldy.smith · Post by **baldy.smith** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 7:00 pm

When I knew it Cisco it sold bicycles, he was well know by the cycling clubs world. Did a lot for the cycle racing fraternity.

Don't ever remember any motor bikes being sold there in my time.

You were right about it being dingy, the shop front was painted a dirty looking brown/maroon colour and always looked in need of a repaint. He had workshops in the back of the premises (entrance at the rear) where he repaired and set up bikes for racing etc.

I think it was a father and son business.

gtirbri · Post by **gtirbri** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 7:08 pm

the worst cycle shop was the little one on stanhope road, more or less opposite the flats

Cisco · Post by **Cisco** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 7:18 pm

Might be my memory playing tricks Baldy but I thought I remembered motor bikes, about 1963-1964.
He was opposite Derek Thorpe lighting shop a couple of shops down from the back lane.

Cisco

baldy.smith · Post by **baldy.smith** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 7:30 pm

I'd left Shields by then Cisco. I do remember the business had a bad time when the bike shop in Waterloo Vale got up and running as it was a much bigger operation. Possibly they decided that they had to diversify in order to survive, but I don't think they lasted too long after that.

baldy.smith · Post by **baldy.smith** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 8:04 pm

Below is a photo taken in 1939 showing the bike shop, on the left through the bridge. It was named John Hornsby, which I believe was the name of the shop in Waterloo Vale when it first opened, maybe they moved down there when the area was redeveloped. On the original photo (which this is a copy of) you can see the name on the shop clearly and the bikes in the window.

Pooter · Post by **Pooter** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 8:34 pm

Harmers (I think that's how you spelt it) was the bike shop in Frederick Street. Many a two tone blue Palm Beach or Lone Star was bought there.

baldy.smith · Post by **baldy.smith** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 8:44 pm

Just been looking at another phot of the same view taken in 1993. Shows the bike shop still bearing the name John Hornsby but the shop is empty. It was around the time that Westoe Bridge was demolished.

rusty · Post by **rusty** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 12:36 am

Good photo of Westoe bridge,i presume the bridge was demolished as the railway line to the pit was no longer needed ?
Bought my first bike from the shop mentioned waterloo vale quite near the police station next to Binns.
i think a famous cyclist came from Shields used to put on demos at a track near the Regent cinema think the name was harrison ?

jimmywizz · Post by **jimmywizz** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 9:56 am

just to side track you for a moment in the above photo you can see 2 large white blocks in the road, they were put there in the 2nd world war to stop german tanks from getting out of the tyne area and moving further inland

baldy.smith · Post by **baldy.smith** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 1:51 pm

Obviously jimmy, I did say in my post that the photo was from 1939.

Delilahcat · Post by **Delilahcat** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 4:05 pm

Baldy is your picture from the South Shields Then & Now book? Thought I recognised it.

Jerry · Post by **Jerry** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 4:28 pm

Just a guess, but the famous cyclist sounds to me like the great Reg Harris, a hero of the '50s.

baldy.smith · Post by **baldy.smith** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 5:08 pm

Correct Delilahcat, but it also appears in a couple of others as wel. I'm sure I have seen the same photo on this site as well. I copied this particular one because it fitted my scanner better that the others.

baldy.smith · Post by **baldy.smith** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 5:11 pm

Reg Harris was famous during that period and he promoted "Claude Butler" bikes which were the elite bikes of that period, a damn sight better than rhe "Rudge" which was my first bike and pride and joy.

My first bike "Rudge" was bought from the bike shop at Laygate, which I have just remembered was called "Youngs"

Jarrow Pete · Post by **Jarrow Pete** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 5:50 pm

The bike shop in Fredrick Street was definetly Harmers. Got my first bike from there in 1954 a Hercules.

rusty · Post by **rusty** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 7:55 am

MY FIRST BIKE came with the part time job for the Colonial grocery shop
Prince Edward rd.with the proceeds i then bought a Raliegh hub brakes
dynamo lighting,battery back up chain case and heavy as hell oh yes
three speeds and a nice leather seat.used to cycle from shields to durham city most week-ends.Top speed was down the hill at Houghton !
i think it cost about 30 pounds in 1952

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