1980's shop fronts photo request

[hammy]

A few from the Oxfordshire CC history archives

 

The 1977 mural on the wall of Sainsburys (now the Co-Op) at Cowley Centre in Oxford. The mural is still unchanged to this day

 

Cowley Centre shops early 1970's

 

Times Furnishing store - Oxford Westgate Centre

 

Coxeters Department Store, Abingdon (Car park)

 

The Car Radio Shop, Oxford

 

Wantage market place, mid 1970's

 

Delivery of BL tat to Hartwell's motor emporium

 

So-Lo store in Wheatley (now the ASDA site I believe)

[andrew e]

Those are FANTASTIC!

[MrRegieRitmo]

What was it with Sainsburys & murals? That has jogged memories of the one in Hitchin having an engraved wall as well!

[Station]

There was a SO.LO near me, that jump started my memory. I like the play on words. SO - LOW. Genius.A lot of shops near me still have their original facades, most are still run by their original owners. There was an electronics shop that is now a chemist, but it still had TV's from the 50's in the window. It closed in the mid 90's, obviously when the bloke died, but I remember going in for a 9v battery and he told me to 'get out'. I despise those inkjet computer vinyl generated shite signs.

[brammy777]

i have a carrier bag from

'the paper shop'

which was a newsagents in the 80s and 90s

has an owl on the front, with the words

'wise buys saves you money'

from the shop my parents ran in bexleyheath 1991-1998

Where was that? I remember those bags...

 

here, on broadway.

i spent many a day as a young child in the flat above, whilst my parents worked, i had a town carpet i used to play with

[Torsten2001]

I worked as a youth in the ABC Cinema in Bexleyheath!

 

Here's a few from my private collection:

 

Does anyone remember Oakeshotts in the 70's, I swear it was a chain, anyway, check this mofo out in Fulham/Chelsea

[MrRegieRitmo]

I remember going in for a 9v battery and he told me to 'get out'.

'How to endear yourself to your customer base'

[Richard]

Somehow I prefer that to the programmed smarmy over-politeness you get now.

[hammy]

What was it with Sainsburys & murals? That has jogged memories of the one in Hitchin having an engraved wall as well!

I'm pretty sure it did too, I was very young when my parents used to drag me shopping there and we stopped going when Tesco opened at Baldock. Isn't it a Halfords now? What mural could Hitchin come up with? A pretty church surrounded by an average market and old red phone boxes full of pee (my earliest memory of a day out to Hitchin with my mum was going into a phone box to find it had doubled up as a WC).

[hammy]

 

 

 

[hammy]

 

 

 

[MrRegieRitmo]

What was it with Sainsburys & murals? That has jogged memories of the one in Hitchin having an engraved wall as well!

I'm pretty sure it did too, I was very young when my parents used to drag me shopping there and we stopped going when Tesco opened at Baldock. Isn't it a Halfords now? What mural could Hitchin come up with? A pretty church surrounded by an average market and old red phone boxes full of pee (my earliest memory of a day out to Hitchin with my mum was going into a phone box to find it had doubled up as a WC).

Glad to know my hometown left such an impression! :lol:I was born in what is now Morrisons, left there in 1994 when I was 11.My memories are fuzzy now, but I thought Halfords was a separate entity slightly further along from Sainsburys & that Sainsburys was still there, I could be wrong. There are a few people I can check with who still live there. I didn't realise the murals were supposed to represent the local area, in fact I was too young to acknowledge that fact, or maybe I'd just forgotten...Tesco opened in Baldock about 1987/8 I believe so you stopped going to Hitchin quite a while ago. Can I ask, did you used to live in the area?

[Guest]

Anyone been to "Boyes" at Bridlington? Very oldskool department store with a bonus museum on one of its many floors, with loads of old pictures of shops, former delivery vehicles, etc. One of the pictures has a Colt Sapporo in it with awful trims. Also some slightly creepy moving mannequins. There are other Boyes stores left (Scarborough definitely has one), but I don't think they boast their own museums. Aside from that, it's a place of wonder either way - some bits are Victorian, some bits look really 1950/60s, even the most recently refurbished bits look like they were done in the late 70s at best. It's the Autoshite shopping experience.If you're in the area it's well worth popping in, to be honest if I was in Brid I think all I'd do is go there, get some fish and chips, then clear off - I hate the sodding place, it's a right dump.

[hammy]

Glad to know my hometown left such an impression! :lol:I was born in what is now Morrisons, left there in 1994 when I was 11.My memories are fuzzy now, but I thought Halfords was a separate entity slightly further along from Sainsburys & that Sainsburys was still there, I could be wrong. There are a few people I can check with who still live there. I didn't realise the murals were supposed to represent the local area, in fact I was too young to acknowledge that fact, or maybe I'd just forgotten...Tesco opened in Baldock about 1987/8 I believe so you stopped going to Hitchin quite a while ago. Can I ask, did you used to live in the area?

I was also born in Hitchin, in the maternity hospital which became a Safeway and is currently a Waitrose I believe. I actually grew up in Biggleswade where I lived for about 22 years but as my mum couldn't drive, we normally had to go places by public transport if my Dad was working so we would bus to Bedford or train to Peterborough, Stevenage or Hitchin. I had family in Letchworth and Stevenage (my Dad being one of the earliest settlers of Stevenage new town in the 1950's) He also worked in industry around Letchworth including at Borg Warner Gearboxes and Shelvoke dustcarts, both of which are no longer around.Sainsburys moved in Hitchin, its now a larger store at the end of Bancroft and Fishponds Road.

[pogweasel]

I actually grew up in Biggleswade where I lived for about 22 years .

Unlucky. That said I have moved there through "choice". I was another one spewn from the womb at hitchin maternity hospital. And I too from a young age was trawled around that old sainsbury's on a saturday morning, or sometimes as a bit of variation we got Safeway instead (now Wilkinsons). I can't remember what the sainsbury's is now, it's certainly not Halfords, might be some kind of 'value' supermarket. Best shop of all Hitchin was the 'toy and card' shop on the corner of the arcade off the old market place, a real treat going in there for matchbox superfast!

[STUNO]

Would you believe we had a Wimpy here until a few MONTHS ago. I know it was the last one in this part of the world, and I never bothered to photograph it. Now a Thai restaurant.

[Richard]

I think there is still a Wimpy in Kirkcaldy.

[MrRegieRitmo]

There are still Wimpys about, rare in towns now, mainly in service stations. Nearest one to me is in Littlehampton.

 

Back to Hitchin, I'm sure it had 2 at one time until the one on the High street became Burger King. AFAIK the one on Sun street remains though to this day. I had my 6th birthday party in the high street Wimpy There was a guy dressed in a giant Mr Wimpy costume!

 

Pog, I preferred 'Zodiac Toys' which was in the same arcade but down the other end towards the market. My favourite past time however was trawling the Friday market toy stalls & even more the small saturday market tucked up behind the back of the other arcade near the corn exchange for diecast models! Those were the days...

 

I think I now remember seeing Sainsburys right up near the park by Bancroft having seen it on subsequent visits.

 

I remember the original Safeway becoming Wilkinsons, that happened a long time ago, likewise the big Safeway opened a long time ago too on the site of the old hospital. Hitchin only seems to have the private Pinehill hospital now. I assumed it had now become Morrisons as has happened everywhere else.

 

Hammy, what a small world it is eh?! Once upon a time, virtually everyone I knew was based around London & the home counties. My dad & his side grew up around Barnet, my mum & her family Cheshunt, my middle sister was born in Lister hospital Stevenage, my other one was born in St Thomas' London & still got relatives from both sides in Northolt, Golders Green, Bedford & Bassingbourne. My nan lived in Barnet up until 96 when she moved to Gloucestershire & my gran lived in Letchworth until she died in 01. Other relatives lived in Mychett (not sure of spelling) in Surrey until they also moved to Gloucestershire in 89.

We're all still in touch with friends from Hitchin, only a couple of months ago I was visited by a friend from Hitchin who I hadn't seen for 15 yrs, got back in touch via Facebook!

[Mr Lobster]

Wimpy. I saw one at a service station - possibly on the M40 - a year or two back and feeling all nostalgic decided to try one of their tasty burgers.This was a grave mistake as it was;- Very expensive, something like £8 including 'fries' and drink- Possibly the greasiest thing I have ever eaten- Utterly fucking disgusting to taste, filled with warm, damp lettuce with a 'burger' that had the taste and texture of reconsitituted cows tongue mashed with earth worms.I shall not be mourning their demise particularly.

[Spottedlaurel]

On one glorious day back in April, I saw three or four Wimpy restaurants in one day. All in smaller towns like Newmarket, Haverhill and Witham. Last time I went to one I recall they had china plates and metal knives and forks, is that still the case?

[MrRegieRitmo]

AFAIK they see themselves as a proper restaurant (apart from the service station ones which are 'fast food'). I always found their chicken burgers & 'pork benders' (Ooo err missus) effing tasty!

[retrogeezer]

There was a Wimpy in Crewe until a month or so ago....didn't realise they were a dying chain otherwise I would have taken a photo.

[MrRegieRitmo]

I thought they'd been dying since the late 80s & this cropping up in service stations was an attempted resurgence of sorts!

[Guest]

There's still one in Huddersfield if I recall, but that's Huddersfield for you. They probably still call it a Wimpy Bar there.

[r.welfare]

My experience of Wimpy mirrors that of Mr. Lobster. Godawful.

[AnthonyG]

There's still a Wimpy in Carmarthen - its kind to hard to spot, hidden by a Victorian civic building, I am amazed they are still going. Last time I used it (about 8 years ago) the food was overpriced and unpleasant.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

There was a Wimpy in Crewe until a month or so ago....didn't realise they were a dying chain otherwise I would have taken a photo.

Is it gone now then? I often looked at the placca tables etc outside the shop front facing the abbey national, and admired their effort at allowing people to enjoy their lunch outdoor on the terraces, european-style.

[andrew e]

The wimpy in Billericay has a new facia recently

[Mash]

Yeah I had a Wimpy at a service station the other week. Filled a hole but that's about all you could say.

[Vin]

I'm working in Redcar, up on Teesside, during the week so here are a couple of piccies I took this evening on the way to the pub for my tea.

 

The rear of Redcar WHSmith. They obviously never bothered facelifting the delivery entrance....

 

 

And just for Hirst, the Redcar branch of Boyes