Middlesbrough Remembered
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Excuse me but where is Middlesbrough?
Walk from North Ormesby
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Only a Short Time in History
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Don't Mention the War?
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An Ayresome Childhood
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Round and About King George Street
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Shops in Newport
I was born in Fleetham St where my Dad had a joiners shop. We moved to Newport Road in about 1950 and my Dad opened his Hardware Shop Cecil Parker 331 Newport Road near Severs St,neighbouring Carter's Chemist and Appleton's Grocers. We moved to Linthorpe later and the Shop moved to where Nardone's Ice Cream shop was. I can remember living there as a child. In particular I remember Newport Road being flooded one year and I think there was a visit from the Queen while I attended Fleetham St Infants school.
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Newport Shops
Because of my Dad's hardware shop, Cecil Parkers, we knew quite a few of the shopkeepers on Newport Road. We all helped in the shop from time to time. As well as our shops there was Bernard Jones shoe shop opposite Stockdales garage and further down was Nimans clothes shop who made suits for my Dad! There was Agnes Marshall the florist who now trades on Linthorpe Road although not owned by the original Agnes and Johnny who delivered flowers on my Mums birthday. There was Carters the Chemist at the corner of Severs St. Sadly Nick Carter died quite young but his wife continued to run the shop for many years after. Miller's Fruit shop was next to Carters and then my Dads hardware shop next to which was T. Appletons Grocers where George Croan was the manager. My Mum continued getting her groceries delivered by them even after we moved to Linthorpe. There was Harold Gills Newsagent shop opposite Appletons
where we bought our newspaers.Our shop moved to larger premises opposite the Acklam Hotel next to Durkins Sweet shop and Shipmans Bakers next to that. Mr Turner ran a home made sweet and toffee shop at the other side of Newport Road and Ryders Butchers was not too far away where we used to get delicious meat pies. Then, of course, there was Pickerings Pawn Shop which helped to make ends meet! Our second shop was on the corner of Walker St where Dr Lamballe had his surgery. At the top of Walker St Cannon St, was Jackie Knaggs food shop which sold the best gammon you could wish for.
Interior of Dad's Shop
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A Trading Community Destroyed
Many people probably do not realise that many of the small private shop keepers got nothing like the value of their business or property or indeed compensation for a life's work and early retirement under the compulsory purchase scheme. I know my Dad didn't although he didn't realise it at the time. Indeed many of them were nearing retirement when Newport was allegedly improved and never really came to terms with what had happened to them.
I always remember an incident after it became clear that the Newport community was to be destroyed and the shopkeepers compensation would be the minimum that could be paid. Bear in mind that many of the shop keepers were in their late fifties or early sixties (i.e. not quite old enough to retire but not young enough to start again) and had spent at large chunk of their working life building up businesses which made a living but weren’t that profitable. Anyway a young and keen (and no doubt politically correct) health and safety officer went into Jackie Knaggs shop and started telling him how unhygienic and filthy the place was – not fit to serve food in etc etc and how much he would need to spend to improve things and make it all legal even though it would be all knocked down in the next two years. Mr Knaggs, who was a large chap but usually very docile, mild mannered and friendly decided enough was enough and picked up a large carving knife and advised the official to remove himself from the premises before something very nasty happened to him. I believe there was quite a lot of this sort of official (and legal) intimidation to get the shop keepers to accept the deal and go quietly. No doubt such activities were left to the trainee officials to perpetrate as they knew no better because they didn’t fully understand the situation and what they had really been sent out to do.
I still remember some of the people that used to come into the shop and some of the amusing incidents that used to happen. The people were proud of their houses in Newport. We used to sell them Dulux Cherry Red and County Cream paint to keep them spick and span and all sorts of other things to keep them up to date and clean. They weren’t all angels but the majority were decent and hard working people who made the most of what little they had in life.
I can’t believe what a mess Newport Road is now!I always think when I drive down Newport Road now if this is an improvement I hope things never get worse!
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