Taverners Road in the 1960s

Looking up Taverners Road from the junction with Gladstone Street which, at this time and unlike today, had right of way at the crossing.

From our Facebook group ……

• Paul Woodlock Unless peter’s cleaners moved 🙂
• Sue Pearce My route to and from school from Walpole Street – first to St Mark’s Infants, then to Cromwell Rd Juniors followed by the County Girls.  I once got shouted at by a policeman for not stopping properly on my bike at this halt sign and he gave me a ticking off.  It frightened the life out of me because I thought he was going to come to my house to tell my parents!!!
• Donna Allen Does anyone remember the alarm that was sounded twice every morning from Baker Perkins ? Think it was about 7.25 am ….. Heard it in our house , Alexandra rd…  Fair bit away!!
• Sue Pearce Yes Donna, we called it ‘the buzzer’ which told the workers that it was time for work.  I think it sounded once at 5 mins before work and then again when they should have been at work – not only at 7.25/7.30 in the morning but also when they started back after lunch.  It sounded very loud in our house in Walpole St.
• Sue Kiddle Mamone There was a Peters Cleaners on Mayors Walk corner of Midland Road ?
• Sue Pearce I’ve also remembered Mundy’s cycle shop on the RH side of the road between the post office and Clarence Rd.  It was owned by Cyril Mundy who belonged to (I think) the Clarion Cycling Club.  He used to own a penny farthing bike and when he rode it he used to dress up in period clothes of the day.  I’m sure there are some photos of him.
• Stephen Mamone Yes, and also down Newark Rd (opposite Webb’s fishing tackle), Broadway and Lincoln Road (nr The Crown). I remember their Flash service in 2 hours! Peter Grist was the owner.
• Stephen Mamone Yes, apparently Cyril made a fortune repairing Baker Perkins workers who cycled en route to work from places like Willesden Avenue. A few weeks ago I posted an obscure photo of his shop with Jellings Builders in the picture as well.
• Sue Pearce I must have missed that – I’ll try and find it.
• Donna Allen There is still peters Cleaners on Midland Road , one of mine and Chris”s neighbours also belonged to the penny farthing bike club , his name was Mr Wright , one of his sons is Neville Wright who started a baby shop at the Triangle ( might of been called Rainbow?) … Who went on to grow and became Kiddicare !! Fairly recently sold to Morrisons!
• Chris Smalley Yeah didn’t he move Kiddicare to the old Co-op in Werrington after the triangle?
• Katherine Ashwell My Nan & Gramps Lillian & Hubert Aldridge ran  the post office in the ’60’s and Mum took over probably mid ’70’s for a few years. I remember the newsagent diagonally opposite being Howard & Kath Eagle. I went to Sunday School at St Barnabas and brownies in a little black and white church hall. All looks very different now!
• Donna Allen Yes he did Chris , it’s mahoosive now , near Hampton.
• Donna Allen I worked in the little black and whit church hall Katherine until it was knocked down and we moved into the church which was refurbished !! I work for Family Action …. However it has been bought by council now and school have it all ….. Very different times eh?
• Chris Smalley Yeah I passed it the other day huge
• Richard Morris I knew Mr Knights when he was Headmaster of St Marks through work , our department used to maintain his grounds and the old sports field on the side of Westwood Bridge , in fact afew later years my sister taught there , Mrs Shelagh Nightingale who then went on to teach at Longthorpe Primary .
• Jane Abbott Can anyone recall the big old clock on the outside wall of a house in Gladstone Street?  It was opposite English Street, and I’d love to know the history of it, if any knows?
• June Garth Wasn’t that close to the cobbler?
• Margaret Ellington It belonged to a family called Grumow. The father and son (Jim) both worked at Baker Perkins.
• Sue Pearce Yes, I remember it – the family were called Grunow. Their house was between Silverwood Rd and Windmill St almost opposite English St.  There was a Smith’s bakery and shop along there.
• Margaret Ellington Yep .
• Patrick Omalley I lived across the road from the clock house , I think I remember they were a german family
• Sue Pearce Yes Patrick, I’m certain they were.
• Stephen Mamone Just going off on a slight tangent but didn’t there used to be a wine-making/home brewery shop down Silverwood Rd? Was there for many years….
• Jane Abbott Thanks to all for the info on the clock.  I’ll try and find out why he put it up.
• George Meadows Yes that’s right Stephen, had a couple of goes at wine and beer making but decided it was better to buy it ready made, and it tasted better too!
• Stephen Mamone I think the clock was put up so people could read the time ! 😉
• Stephen Mamone Here is the wine-making shop in 2009. It’s says open but certainly not for business judging from the photo – a sad, forlorn sight…

• Margaret Ellington Before Peters Cleaners there was a Paddy Hopkirk shop – anyone remember that.
• Richard Morris Yes ,that was the corner of Midland Road/Mayors Walk.
• Claire Cade I should remember it margaret, as i walked past that shop,on my way to school for years,was it a flower shop?
• Margaret Ellington No he was a racing driver and sold car and driving stuff.
• Claire Cade maybe that was before 1968 then.
• Margaret Ellington Yes Clair you were just a twinkle. hehe
• Richard Morris He won the Monte Carlo Rally on several occasions using mini cooper’s and was very well known in the Town , his shop was there for some years when I was growing up in the sixties .
• Claire Cade margaret ,i was 6 then,quite a big girl 🙂 think i can only remember the cleaners, and your house,and the morleys home,where i wud pop in . 🙂
• Richard Morris Talking about West Town who remembers Rolph’s Stores on the corner of Mayors Walk and Nicholls Ave , Walter and his Mother who always used to thank you with a ” thanking you missus or mister ” , also I used to have my hair cut at Les Clipson opposite – anybody else??
• Claire Cade Rolph,s was our sweet shop stop every morning,on the way to the bus stop,and the reason for my fillings ,every sweet you wanted was in that shop!!
• Claire Cade i used to spend my paper round money in it 🙂
• George Meadows Yes, remember Paddy Hopkirk being there.
• Richard Morris Can you also remember the fruit and veg shop opposite Rolphs on Aldermans Drive corner ,what was it called just cannot remember at the mo .
• George Meadows It was Mervyn Stapleton’s shop in my day Richard
• Richard Morris Thats him , then round the corner was Freeman’s fish and chip shop who originally ran the one in Percival Street .
• Ruth Smith Peters the cleaners is still open,  fruit and vege shop is still there it’s called Caroline’s now still looks the same inside they took over from Merv Stapleton Rolphs  is run by an local Asian family the fish and chip shop is still round the corner , …See More
• Richard Morris George , did you supply all these Fish and Chip shops with spuds , another one I used to use was Millers in Gladstone Street , I assume now a foreign food takeaway !!!!!
• Ruth Smith Frank Tebs took the one over in Percival street from Freemans when they went to Aldermans drive then Linfords had Aldermans drive
• Richard Morris When I worked for the Council I dealt with several of the past head teachers one that comes to mind is Mr A. Byfield and I also knew Mrs T Durance and well before that Eric Sutton who went onto be the first head teacher of Thorpe School , did you know some of those ?
• Ruth Smith Mr Sutton was at west town when I was there as a child,  my brothers had Mr Byfield my children had Martin Creasy , and Thelma Durance my grandchildren had Nikki Cherry.
• Ruth Smith I worked for Martin , Thelma and Nikki
• Richard Morris I forgot about Martin Creasey , I did deal with all of them except Nikki with reference to their sports field requirements and grounds maintenance as I was a foreman on the Parks Department in those days and we did that job on behalf of the Education Authority .
• Judith Gow I worked at West Town school for 33 years.  Mr Byfield was the Head Teaxher when I joined in 1977.  He retired in 1980, moved to the Lake District and sadly died last year at the age of 93!  Mr M Creasey then became Head Teacher, followed by Mrs Durance. West Town School will soon become an Academy. The Head Teacher now is Mrs Dooley.
• Ruth Smith Thanks Judy just could not think of the new heads name
• Richard Morris I didn’t know he had died , I know he moved away as he did live in Longthorpe Village nr the Green , an Academy and new school planned , everything looking good.
• Ruth Smith Claire Cade remember this
•