Shops in Lower Sydenham

[rolyevans]

The shops I remember from the early 50's starting opposite the gasworks
in Bell Green and going up the high street to the Childrens' Hospital in Champion Road were:
Boot menders
Bretts greengrocers
Matthews butchers
Geddes dispensers
Toy shop
Delahoys general store
Bakery
Pawn shop
Blondins - greengrocers
From Champion Road to Larkbere Road
Cafe on corner
Stewarts confectioner and tobacconists
??
The Oil Shop ( bamboo sticks, greensticks, acid for batteries
general purpose household stuff) I remember getting my legs
burnt when I went down to get the radio accumulator refilled
with acid and carrying it home. I was only about 6 or 7 and that
accumulator seemed to weigh a ton.

[rolyevans]

I also remember Charlie the Barbers near Haseltine school Bell Green.
I used to be fored to go there for a short back and sides and worse still
my granddad made me wear his cheesecutter which was several sizes too big after I had a haircut in case I got a cold. I still remember the poster of Dennis Compton advertising Brylcreem smiling down on me
as I underwent the mysery of the hated haircut.
I also used to go with my dad to the Public Baths at Bell Green and had to share a bath with him which I hated .

[rolyevans]

In the 50's my grandad Roland Killick used to have a shrimps and winkles round.
He used to pick his barrow up from the Railway Tavern in Southend Lane
and load it up with shellfish - cockles, whelks, shrimps, winkles, mussels and go from there up Perry Rise over past the Fire Station up to Perry Vale
and all the streets between such as Garlies Road ( I still remember a house supported at the front by great big wooden supports). I often used to accompany him and I usually got a ride back when he had sold his wares.
He was a tough old dude and he was a dustman during the week ( he was
over 60 then) and in those days they had to carry metal dustbins full of rubbish on their backs. When we got back to the Railway Tavern he would quench his thirst and I would have some pop and an arrowroot biscuit or crisps while I waited on the steps outside.

[alanh]

Remember Charlies the Barbers, my grandadad used to take me to have my haircur=t with him once a month when I was a kid

[Highfield]

The toy shop in Bell Green I remember as Toyland. It was there that my mother used to buy me the odd Dinky car if I'd been good especially after seeing the (gentle and wonderfully named) Dr. Angel who had surgery in a nearby shop toward the Children's Hospital.

[Pancake]

^^ Remember spending many hours looking in the window of that toy shop.
Matchbox, Corgi and Dinky.
they had an amazing Lego stock

[Pancake]

Later on...............must be early 60's you had the Off license on the corner next to the Barbers where the mens was cut downstairs by 2 chaps and the ladies upstairs.
Bretts was still there and Cheap Charlies was on the other corner.
Going up abit you had Judds the Electrical Shop next to Hills the Barker who gassed himself in his car.
On the corner opposite the Bell was L.Crow the butcher, but the chap was called Len Judd??!!
Next door was the fish shop.

In the redevelopment the butchers and Fishmonger moved near the betting shop and Wise the chemist.

[Castaway]

Remember Grieves bakery corner Kirtley Rd. On other corner there was about 3 shops was it owned by co-op. It was a butchers, food store and I think hardware, further to that was the hospital. Going back to the bend opposite the Bell pub was a pet shop. Post office in Holmshaw Road and also an Off Licence. General store in Miall Road corner of Kirkley. Sweet shop at top think it was called Gilwyns, corner of Champion Crescent and right down bottom corner on main road was cheap charlies. Also on left in Miall Road at bottom was Bretts Greengrocers and Trotts in the middle.