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Shops In Gleadless


Athy

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As a boy growing up in Gleadless in the 1950s and early 1960s I used to walk around the local area and also, like most children at that time, was often sent by my Mum to do some shopping. I remember three local shops in particular, all of which are now gone as far as I know.

At the end of my road, Gleadless Avenue, on the corner of Gleadless Common, were two shops side by side. One was Jenkinson's the grocers, where several members of the Jenkinson family worked. The other, known locally as "the fruit shop" was a greengrocers which, about 1960, became Quirk's. Their son Jack Quirk was at Gleadless County School with me, perhaps one year below me. But I can't remember what it was called before the Quirk Family took it over. Last time I visited the area, about ten years ago, both buildings were still standing but had become private houses.

Perhaps 150 yards away, on the right hand side of Gleadless Common going uphlll, was The Bungalow Stores which, in modern parlance, did just what it said on the tin. It was a normal looking bungalow of which one room happened to be a shop, once again a grocer's I think/ I have a memory of it being run by two ladies (I would have said "old" ladies, but at that age anyone over 30 looked quite old to me). My Mum did not seem to like them, describing them as "last penny types" though, as I never saw her go in there, I wonder how she formed this view. On the occasion of my last visit I could not find where it had been , so I guess that it too has reverted to being a private dwelling.

Any further details on the history of these shops would be of interest.

Though it didn't look like a shop, there was a further retail premises a little way down Gleadless Avenue from us, in a house on the corner of Gleadless Drive (I think that was the road's name). This was occupied by Mr. Fulford who was a photographer. I'm sure that he did the usual weddings and so on, but I knew him because Dad used to get his films developed and printed there. Mr. Fulford probably did them cheaper than the local chemist's, and Dad always did like a bargain.

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Guest Jean_Helen

I too was often sent shopping by my Mum. I remember the Bungalow Stores, the shop at the end of Gleadless Avenue was known by us as Browns, I dont know if this was before or after the time of the OP. We also had Schofields, further up Gleadless Common, almost opposite the top of Chatsworth Park Road. The other place, a little way back down the Common, on the same side as Schofields, was Mr Fisher the dentist, where we were dragged kicking and screaming by our Mum every 6 months, like clockwork!

Occasionally, I went down to the shops opposite Gleadless Church, where I remember Davies supermarket, Plumbs the newsagents, and Armstrongs chemist, with opticians attached

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Well remembered, Jean! Yes, Jenkinson's did become Brown's I remember now. I left Sheffield in mid-1962 and it had been Brown's for a year or two by then.

Plumb's I certainly remember - what boy would not remember a shop which sold comics and sweets? Mr. Plumb's son Geoffrey was at school with me at Gleadless County, not sure if he was in the same year or a little younger. Also I recall the chemist's and the opticians, I was tested for my first pair of glasses there. The supermarket would, I think, have been a later addition.

I too went to Mr. Fisher a time or two. I was later told that "he died with a bottle in his hand". But I don't remember Schofield's at all.

If you went to the bottom of Gleadless Common and turned right, walking past the New Inn, I think there was a small shop on the same side of the road. Its main appeal for me was that outside it had a chewing gum machine which, on every fourth or fifth coin inserted, gave you an extra packet of gum free. I hardly ever won this "prize"; I reckon there must have been a neighbouring kid watching the machine from behind his net curtains and counting, so that he could dash out and get his two packets for a penny or however much it was.

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Guest Jean_Helen

I dont remember that one, but the church at the bottom of the Common was a bit of a second home to me. I was a member of the 1st Sheffield Girls Life Brigade. We met there on a Monday night, the Captain was Miss Law and other officers were Miss Murray and Mrs Clarke. Of course I had to attend Sunday school there, and I was also a regular at the church socials and field days. The Whit Walks were a highlight for me, when we marched the streets and sung hymns, accompanied by a portable organ which 2 boys pulled around on castors! On Whit Sundays we did our longest march, down to the Rex cinema, from there up to Manor Top and then down Ridgeway Road to the park.

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I remember most of these shops as i used to walk up gleadless common to school,hurlfield,the fruit shop was also owned by the hunt family,i went to school with the son,richard but cannot remember if this was before or after quirks.There was another shop on corner of hollinsend road and kirby road called shipstones,this was run by 2 sisters who lived opposite us on seagrave crescent.I have 2 main memories of the methodist church at bottom of common,1 going to youth club in early 60s and 2 of getting married there in 1971!

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I recall shopping at the Bungalow Stores with my mother in the late 1960s and early 1970s and it seemed old-fashioned even then. I recall a counter down each side and one across the back. A throwback to the old days. I also remember an old lady who served there and my most vivid memory is looking at cardboard tubes of Smarties through a glass case. I recall my mother bought me a tube and sat me on the wall outside while she continued shopping. Probably because I was misbehaving. The Bungalow Stores was eventually demolished, probably in the late 70s, and replaced with a private dwelling which is distinguishable for having pillars outside. With a twist of fate I eventually bought the bungalow next door which, I'm informed, was occupied by the owners of the shop. As I type this I'm in the exact position of the the original main door to my house which led the short distance next door to the Bungalow Stores. The door was switched to the other side of the house presumably when the Bungalow Stores was flattened. In the years since I've found an old Walls Ice Cream sign while digging the back garden which was most likely from the old shop. The only remaining feature of the shop was the dividing wall at the front which I sat on in a lifetime past. With a heavy heart I had to have this replaced two years ago as it was in danger of collapsing.

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On 17/06/2014 at 20:19, jackanne said:

I remember most of these shops as i used to walk up gleadless common to school,hurlfield,the fruit shop was also owned by the hunt family,i went to school with the son,richard but cannot remember if this was before or after quirks.There was another shop on corner of hollinsend road and kirby road called shipstones,this was run by 2 sisters who lived opposite us on seagrave crescent.I have 2 main memories of the methodist church at bottom of common,1 going to youth club in early 60s and 2 of getting married there in 1971!

Hunt's doesn't ring a bell - perhaps they came after Quirk's, who were there when we left Sheffield in 1962.

I rather think that the people before Quirk's were the owners of Major, a friendly boxer dog which used to walk down to our house as he knew he's get made a fuss of and be fed some table leftovers. But I just can't think of their name at the moment.

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To my delight, found a photo of Brown's Stored "somewhere on the internet" a couple of weeks ago. Now, when I come to try and find it so that I may post it on here, I can't!

   What id did show was that, whenever the snap was taken, Brown'sa had evidently taken over the fruit shop next door and the Brown's sign extended cross the frontage of both shops. This certainly wasn't the case when we lived in Gleadless Avenue (left 1962); for several years afterwards, we used to go and visit our friends the Ledgers who lived across the road from our former house, and I don't remember the two shops being united. So, when did it happen, and when did the shop(s) close?

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Brown's Stores, 1986:

https://picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;s37620&pos=4&action=zoom&id=114436

 

I passed by this shop regularly for several years in the mid-1970s on my way to & from Ashleigh Lower School (and occasionally before that after swimming lessons at Hurlfield), and I only recall it being one shop. However, given that I don't recollect the newsagents near Gleadless Church being Plumbs, perhaps my memory is not to be trusted. :wacko:

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14 hours ago, madannie77 said:

Brown's Stores, 1986:

https://picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;s37620&pos=4&action=zoom&id=114436

 

I passed by this shop regularly for several years in the mid-1970s on my way to & from Ashleigh Lower School (and occasionally before that after swimming lessons at Hurlfield), and I only recall it being one shop. However, given that I don't recollect the newsagents near Gleadless Church being Plumbs, perhaps my memory is not to be trusted. :wacko:

Yes, I'm sure it can be trusted, but your experience was about a decade later than mine, and a lot can (and seemingly did) change in ten years.

   For example I don't remember there being a school called Ashleigh in Gleadless; where was that?

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Well, here are the shops opposite the church, c. 1965, from a Francis Frith photo. I can't blow the picture up enough to decipher the shops' names - perhaps some clever person can.

Hollinsend Road.jpg

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...and here's the Post Office from a few years earlier, from the same source. I remember that a man named Artie (surname forgotten)_ and his wife ran it. Next ti is a shop which appears to be called Gleadless Fruit Stores, though I don't remember it, perhaps because my Mum didn't shop there.

   I think the road leading down to the right behind the P.O. is the top of Gleadless Avenue. Others may know better.

Gleadless Post Office.jpg

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I've also found a photo of the building which used to be Brown's and Quirk's shops, but Google Street View seems unwilling tolet me save it into the "pictures" section of my computer - though I have seen Street View photos posted, so there must be a way.

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4 hours ago, Athy said:

...and here's the Post Office from a few years earlier, from the same source. I remember that a man named Artie (surname forgotten)_ and his wife ran it. Next ti is a shop which appears to be called Gleadless Fruit Stores, though I don't remember it, perhaps because my Mum didn't shop there.

   I think the road leading down to the right behind the P.O. is the top of Gleadless Avenue. Others may know better.

Gleadless Post Office.jpg

This is the current Gleadless Post Office on White Lane. I remember the shop opposite being a greengrocers as I must have been in many times: Gleadless Townend was where my Mum did her shopping when I was young.

The road between the Post Office and the fruit stores is Briarfield Road, with White Lane heading off into the distance. On the other side of White Lane can be seen the Red Lion.

Clearly this photo was taken when Gleadless Townend was right on the boundary with Derbyshire.

The Post Office was run for many years by Artie (short for Artington, apparently) Elliott, who I think ran the old Post Office on Gleadless Road near the junction with Hollinsend Road before the new one was built.

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19 minutes ago, madannie77 said:

 

Clearly this photo was taken when Gleadless Townend was right on the boundary with Derbyshire.

The Post Office was run for many years by Artie (short for Artington, apparently) Elliott, who I think ran the old Post Office on Gleadless Road near the junction with Hollinsend Road before the new one was built.

1955 apparently.

Elliott, that's it, thanks.

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On 23/01/2022 at 11:48, Athy said:

Well, here are the shops opposite the church, c. 1965, from a Francis Frith photo. I can't blow the picture up enough to decipher the shops' names - perhaps some clever person can.

Hollinsend Road.jpg

The first building on the left of the picture   next to Armstrongs  was the doctors surgery, where I seemed to be a frequent visitor! If you had anything infectious, you couldn't go into the waiting room  - you had to wait outside by the side door to be admitted !

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I had forgotten the doctors, which was my family's GP surgery when I was young. Thankfully I was not in there very often, which is perhaps why I didn't remember it.

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21 hours ago, BobN said:

The first building on the left of the picture   next to Armstrongs  was the doctors surgery, where I seemed to be a frequent visitor! If you had anything infectious, you couldn't go into the waiting room  - you had to wait outside by the side door to be admitted !

What did Armstrong's sell?

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Armstrongs was an opticians and Pharmacist.  _ Not in the photo , to the left of the doctors was a hairdressers  - I think it still is. 

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On 22/01/2022 at 18:44, madannie77 said:

Brown's Stores, 1986:

https://picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;s37620&pos=4&action=zoom&id=114436

 

I passed by this shop regularly for several years in the mid-1970s on my way to & from Ashleigh Lower School (and occasionally before that after swimming lessons at Hurlfield), and I only recall it being one shop. However, given that I don't recollect the newsagents near Gleadless Church being Plumbs, perhaps my memory is not to be trusted. :wacko:

That's exactly how I remember it, thank you! I remember or think I do at least, all the cherry trees in full blossom in spring. 

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22 hours ago, Arif said:

That's exactly how I remember it, thank you! 

That'll be because your memories are from a rather later era than mine. I left Gleadless in 1962, ay which time there were two shops, Brown's Stores and Quirk's the greengrocers, and the Plumb family still ran the newsagent's.

I'm still hoping that someone with a long memory will tell us what Quirk's was called before the Quirks took it over, which I'd guess would have been in 1959 or 1960. Brown's had previously been Jenkinson's, known locally as "Jenks".

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Kelly's 1957 Directory has:

1 Jenkinson Fred, genl. dlr.

la , Quirk Mrs. E. M. greengro

so no real help there, except it indicates that the Quirks took over earlier than 1959.

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21 hours ago, madannie77 said:

Kelly's 1957 Directory has:

1 Jenkinson Fred, genl. dlr.

la , Quirk Mrs. E. M. greengro

so no real help there, except it indicates that the Quirks took over earlier than 1959.

...and that Brown's took over from Jenkinson's in or after 1957. I know they were there by 1960 because I joined the Boy Scouts in that year and remember asking them for a job during Bob A Job Week. They didn't actually get me to do anything, but gave me a shilling anyway and wrote "Tidying up" on my job card. If only money was always so easy to earn....

Thanks for posting that.

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