Showing posts with label Sharing Memories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sharing Memories. Show all posts

Sunday 20 October 2019

Memories of Earlston Grocers in Times Past

In the 1860s there were 10 grocers/general merchants/spirit merchants in the village, as listed in the 1861 Census and in Rutherfurd's Directory of the Southern Counties, published in 1866.  But what of more recent times?   Local residents, past and present, especially members of Earlston Wednesday Club  have shared their memories of local grocers' shops. 

"Customers were very loyal to their particular grocer,
 whether it be Tom Bell, Willie Park, Forrest’s or Taylor’s.” 


TAYLOR'S SHOP AT THE EAST END


 "The location of the shop was on the site of a flour mill known as Huntspool Mill, which operated there in the mid to late 1800’s. The mill had a waterwheel that drew water from the burn around the area where King’s Yard was.  The derelict site of the mill and the several adjoining cottages were bought by Mr. Andrew Taylor of Pencaitland in around 1908 and the family grocery business was moved there,  after the shop was built by Rodger Builders, at around the same time as Kilnknowe and Bellevue Terrace were constructed."  (From Walter Taylor)
"The shop was there in the 1950’s - was  an excellent grocer’s shop of the old school. Very friendly service. Walter, Tom and Charlie delivered by van after the war, and would loan a marmalade cutter at the time of year for making marmalade.  The shop sold paraffin through the back, and the family were much involved in local activities – Dramatic Society  and the Horticultural Society. "
"I worked in Taylor's grocer's shop 1953-1956". 

Note: 43 year old Andrew Taylor, a grocer, was listed in Earlston with his family in the 1911 census and in local trade directories for 1915, and 1928, continuing in business into the 1950’s, with the help of his sons.  

TOM & ALAN BELL'S on  the corner of Thorn Street,  was a general grocery and tobacco shop.
"It was very handy for all the people who lived at the west end of the village."

 A Brownlie's lorry negotiating the tight bend by Tom Bell's shop on the left

GEORDIE BIRBECK.  
"He  was a grocer, selling sweets, fruit  & veg.  He went round the country areas with his van selling goods  – he said no one else would put in the required effort.” 
 
JIMMY BROWN'S
"He was known as “the midnight grocer” – as he went out in his travelling grocer’s van all hours "

FORREST'S , HIGH STREET
"This was a high class grocery shop – it sold just about everything, one part electricals, HMV & Bush radio & TV dealers. Also hardware, china, fancy goods.   A Miss Hogg worked there.  One day a TV went on fire and Miss H. panicked.  Someone threw a bucket of water over it (while the TV  was  still plugged in), so there was an almighty  explosion." 

WILLIE  PARK , WEST HIGH STREET 
"The  grocer was situated where One Stop and Jackie Lunn, Bakery are now. It sold everything – paraffin, sherry, dish cloths, clogs, pots and pans." 

 "My mother would take a bottle along and ask for it to be filled with sherry."
"The shop had a large hardware dept. – you were told not to buy more nails than you needed."
"Standards were different then - the same cutter was used for cutting bacon and slicing cooked ham."

"We were a family of five children and Willie Park used to keep ends of ham and broken biscuits to give to my mother" 

 "Food was loose – not pre-packed.  A housewife could go in and ask for two slices of bacon and have it sliced and wrapped, or a small pat of butter and it would be cut off a large slab.  I thought loose sugar was great.  Mr. Park would get a strong brown paper bag, scoop up sugar, weigh the bag and deftly fold and pack the top,  so it was secure.  We would get broken biscuits as a treat for a penny or two."

    "Willie Park’s also handled the SMT parcels for the buses.  I worked at the Chemist’s and we got sent prescriptions from Gordon and Greenlaw.  I then went along to Park’s with the compLeted prescriptions for them to be sent back to the villages on the bus." 


Note:  Willie Park was listed in a 1928 Trade Directory for Earlston – Telephone No. 20.  He was still in business in the early 1950’s.



The West  High Street with Willie Park on the right 
in what is now One Stop and Jackie Lunn's Bakehouse.
 
THE OLD CO-OP ON STATION ROAD

 "It was very different shop in the 1950’s  -  no self- service of course, but  wooden counters all the way around where assistants waited to serve you with your groceries."

"Shoppers could hand in their order, or “message line” and leave it to be put together  and delivered  by the  message boy on his bicycle, with a large basket on the front.  All the grocers in the town offered a delivery service."

  "The manager of the Co-op, Mr. McQuillin, who sang in the church choir,  sat in a very important little booth and handed out milk tokens, to have milk delivered to the doorstep daily." 






"Twice a year, Co-op members received “the divi”. A note was kept of the total amount of shopping done by each member and this was totalled up and paid as a loyalty dividend. This was a particularly busy day at the Co-op as members had to queue up at the manager’s booth to collect their cash." 
 "My mother relied on getting the “Divi” to buy us children our shoes."


"A "Southern Reporter" column of 21st November 1918 noted:
"At a recent meeting of the Earlston Co-operative Society, it was unanimously agreed to adopt the proposal that the affairs of the Society be taken over by Galashiels Society.  This change will take place at the end of the present quarter .The Earlston Society was started 35 years ago [1883] and was the only society of its kind in the County of Berwick.”


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Do you have more memories of local shops?
Do share them with us by commenting here or e-mailing: auldearlston@aol.com  

Tuesday 9 February 2016

Sharing Memories - The Spittal Trip

MEMORIES OF THE SPITTAL TRIP
   Written by Inez Polson in 1991  

The excitement started  days before - "Are you gaun tae the Trip?" was on everyone's lips.  "I hope ii's no raining or misty".  (What a worry!)  "Will the tide be oot or in when we get there?". 

By Friday, the whole village was excited - not just the children, but  mothers, aunts, uncles, Sunday School teachers (from both churches), retired policemen and helpers of all ages.  Old sand shoes were hunted out and the toes cut out to make waders.  Schoolbags were washed or brushed to carry extra food, spare pants, socks and towels, Spades and pails were examined to decide if they needed replacing.  Travelling rugs were aired, Everyone scrubbed the night before and went to bed early. 

At last, it  was "THE MORNING"!  It was off to the station - a motley crew of some hundreds of all ages. Pandemonium reigned until everyone found their class, and mothers  found friends and relations.  The train came puff-puffing in, blowing steam and tooting. Station Master, Guard and Porter opened the doors as fast as they could and we all thronged in.  Doors were banged shut, the whistle blew and we were off. 

We cheered for everything we passed - the level crossing at "Gates Cottage", the wood yard and Town Farm.  There were some complaints from those who did not have windows seats and then we would cheer for Gordon Station and the quarry, for Greenlaw, Marchmont and Duns.   

There was usually another train standing at Duns and some anxious moments till we safely past by.  Even though there wasn't much at Edrom and Chirnside, we cheered for them, and because Reston was a "junction", we gave it a special cheer, even though some of us were none too sure what a junction was, as we could only see some cattle trucks and coal trucks.  

Everyone crowded to the left side windows near Burnmouth for the first glimpse of the seas, and we were sure we could catch a salty smell from it.  If we had been anxious at Duns, we were very nervous about the crossing of the Border Bridge and looking down on the Tweed.  But that was forgotten as we steamed into Tweedmouth Station, collected our picnic bags and were escorted safely over the lines for the long walk down to Spittal. (Many's the picnic bag consumed before the tea was poured.!)

When mothers, grannies and the odd father were installed on the beach to protect all the belongings, spaces and pails, were brought into action and castles built and knocked down, ball games were started and races run.  Although it was too dangerous to swim, we waded and paddled on even the coldest of days.    Before leaving the beach, we ate the last sandwiches, even though they seemed to be a little crunchy from the sand!

It was a long drag back up the hill, with tiredness, sunburn and sea air all taking their toll.  At the station we  couldn't understand how the train had turned around, but older boys used technical words like "loop lines" and "turntables" and "coupling up" to try to explain.  All back into the train with cries of "Where's Willie?" and   "You had the window the last time", and a green flag and a whistle started us homeward.

Too tired for cheers now, but we could still raise a "Goodbye Sea", "Goodbye Sand" and "Goodbye Spittal!"  And to add to the treat, we were going home a different way by Velvet Hall signal box and the other side of the Tweed.   Unfamiliar station names flashed by, but when we saw Kelso and Roxburgh,  Rutherford and Maxton, we knew that Newtown St. Boswells Station and Leaderfoot Bridge were getting nearer.    As we drew up in a cloud of steam at Earlston, the white station fence was lined with "Dads",  and friends who weren't on the trip came down to see us come home.   The train doors opened and out poured tired, sunburnt, sticky, cheering  children - the Spittal Trip was home. 


Inez died in 2009. She was born in 1914, so her memories of the trip are probably from the mid 1920s onwards.


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Footnote:  The Spittal Trip took place on a Saturday in late June.  We are not sure if the switch to buses was caused by the war, or the floods of 1948 that closed the railway line east.   When was there a change of destination to North Berwick?  Has anyone any further information, on the Spittal Trip or on other train journeys.  


                 Auld Earlston would love to hear from you to share your memories.
                                           E-Mail:  auldearlston@aol.com

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  Photographs of the Spittal Trip from the collection of the late Rev. Duncan 
 


 



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