Wolverhampton in the 50's and 60's

Shops in Wolverhampton. 

Wolverhampton was always a great place to shop, as kids with our nose against Sherwood Millers or been taken into Buxton and Bonnet for new clothes.   There were so many shops in the town selling everything from hardware to clothing and the thing that interested me, radio parts shops.   Names such as Lings, Waltons, Geo Davies and Fenwicks were the hub of my formative years.  Here i could get everything i needed to build radios and other electronic things.  This was in the days before computers and smartphones when you could buy a transistor for 2/6 or a set of headphones for 7/6.  Of all the shops, perhaps my favourite was Waltons wireless.  Situated in church street at first but moving later around the corner into Worcester Street.   Waltons was owned by Jacky Deness who used the name Walton (his mothers maiden name) as the family worked on the GWR and as such were forbidden from been associated with other companies.  Jacky was one of lifes gentlemen.  He retired to run a post office in Norfolk during the 80's.  He had a typical black country sense of humour. 

Jacky's sense of humour, a converation in the shop.

Me, "could i have 10 foot of twin cable please?"

J.D "Sorry, we have gone metric, how many metres do you want?"

Me (after head scratching) " er 3 metres please, how much is it"

J.D "10 p a foot"

 W.T.M Snape, tea and coffee merchants, Queen street.

This beautiful shop holds many memories, when, as an apprentice my duties included running the "tea club".  To this end i was despatched every Friday to Snapes  to buy a pound of Assam tea.  As you walked into this wonderful Georgian shop, the aroma of teas and coffee from around the world would perculate the senses.  It was the only place where i had seen loose tea wrapped into a recogniseable package. In some ways it was like entering a time capsule when you walked through the door.  The old gas light fittings were still in place and there was little of the 20th century about this place.  The shop had been a family business for many years however the business closed in the early 2000's.   

Hardware  Shops in Wolverhampton.

Wolverhampton once had a plethora of hardware or ironmongers stores, several come to mind.

Parry's ironmongers, Lichfield street.

Parry's was owned by the Thorneycroft family, a member of which created the statue of Prince Albert that adorns Queen square.  It was said that he was dissatisfied with the way he had created the horses legs and in a fit of depression hung himself in the basement of the shop which was used as a store room.  His ghost was said to haunt the place.  The shop closed in the late 1990's.

Wm Evans and son, School Street.

Wm Evans was originally a brass foundry.  In fact it originally had a steam driven pully system , the engine been located around the side in the alley close to where the motorcycle shop is or was (i am not sure if the shop is still there).  A belt system lead to the first and second floor to drive the machinery.  When the shop finally closed in 1999, someone went up to these floors for the first time in many years.  They found things almost as the day the last worker left.  An apron hung on a hook on the door, there were tools used by the workers.  There was talk of a museum taking these bits and pieces but as far as i know they were still in situ when the shop finally closed.  From what i am told the pigeons have long taken over the building with the roof partially collapsing so i doubt there is much left now.

Tudors, Queen street.

I know very little about Tudors except that it was owned by Mr Tudor and like the other shops mentioned stocked all manner of merchandise.  Tudor's assistant was John Blything.

Hughes and Holmes, Snow hill.

One of the stalwarts of the hardware stores in the town.  They had two shops in town, one in Snow hill (pictured), the other at the corner of school street and Salop street, almost opposite Wm Evans.

Critchley Hardware, Bradmore.

This is the one store out of the four i mention that is still in business.  Like the others it stocked a wide range of hardware, tools, gardening supplies as well as household items ranging from mops to cleaning materials.  They also stock wood and timber supplies.

Fellows ironmongers 

This shop stood on the corner of Penn road and  Coalway road

Below,Sue Batkin behind the counter in Parry ironmongers,

manager Mr H.Evans in the centre.

note the amount of stock on show.

picture by JC Blything

.

Above, the closed down Wm Evans building. 

Below, WM Evans when it was open.

Below, Parry ironmongers, Lichfield street. 

Below, Hughes and Holmes, Snow hill. 

 Green grocers shops

Hicks greengrocers, Worcester street.

This store was run by my uncle, Roland Hicks.  Until the advent of the Mander centre, this area of the town was far more popular and this area of town had many more shops including Rolands place.  Every manner of fruit and vegetables.  I am not sure when the shop closed but i believe it was in the 70's. 

The Hicks family of greengrocers.

with thanks to S.R.Hicks 

Below a scene from the indoor market, note Sam hick's stall in the background. 

Gentlemens Hairdressers.

This is part of my family history.  Both my father, Horace Batkin and his brother Barry Batkin were Gentlemens hairdressers as had been other family members in Stafford.  Barry, a polio victim, got around by using a leg brace.  He had several shops over time, possibly including one in Bell street, not far from where the Queens arcade came out and also a shop in Owen road.  Barry was also a talented musician who played the organ and piano.  He was self taught. 

       After his demob from the RAF, Horace too became a hairdresser.  His first shop was in Penn village, roughly opposite the Roebuck pub.  At that time that section of the Penn road was not dual carriageway as it is today.  There were a block of buildings which i believe were owned by a Miss Hill.  This block included a butchers shop and at the rear was a blacksmiths shop.  Dads shop was at the end of the block going towards Penn.  We lived in a flat over the butchers shop.  With the decizion to convert this section of the road to dual carriageway it was obvious that dad could no longer carry on at the shop.  He was able to sell the business only after agreeing not to open a shop within 5 miles of his old premises.  The result of this was a long period of on/off employment working for others.  He opened a shop in Cannock which he held for some time before opening a shop in Vane street, snow hill.  After the building of the ring road, this area fell into disrepair and finally Horace sold the shop.  He was also on what was called the "hospital list" wherein he could be called in if needed to shave a patient at the Royal hospital prior to surgery.  I well remember him setting off on his bike to go to the Royal.  After Vane street, Horace gave up hairdressing to become a school caretaker until shortly before his death in 1969. 

 Butchers shops.

Unlike today when most meat is brought from supermarkets, in the 50's and 60's most meat came from the local butchers shop.  Amongst these shops was Norths butchers of Snow hill.   The North family had been butchers for many years in the town, starting with William Henry North.  Behind the shop was a stable block complete with horses  and also at the rear was a sausage making facility and as with many butchers of the day, an abbatoir.  The shop was destroyed to make way for the ring road and stood where the traffic lights on the Penn road facing junction now stand.   Sidney North then retired. Not all the family were butchers, John,Trevor, Pat and Diane took up other occupations although Dennis worked in a butchers in Merry hill until retiring a few years ago.  The shop was ideally situated been only a stones throw from the abbatoir. Norths did home deliveries and also supplied the convent in the St Johns area of the town, using a blue van.

                thanks to Sue Batkin (nee North) for additional information. 

C.A. Williams, butchers of Castlecroft.

I well remember Mr Williams in his shop located by the railway bridge in Castlecroft.  He was a well known figure in the village, it seems he was quite well known in the town too.

Below,

 Probert, butcher, Dudley Road, Wolverhampton .

Butcher with premises at 334 Dudley Road, later taken over by Webberlys (?) and then converted to grocers as A E Poxon & Sons Ltd. The building is said to have the oldest shop front in Wolverhampton.