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Preston Village

Memories of the 1950s
By Martin Nimmo

In the 1950's there was a useful range of shops on the west side of London Road in Preston Village.

Beside South Road there were some tea rooms, then Munday's (a toyshop), Ambrose (tobacconists) and the Preston Bakery. Durrant's (a sweetshop run by a little old lady) was beside Inskip's the Chemists, with its large bottles of coloured liquid in the windows. The Post Office (Butler's) was next, on the corner opposite the Crown and Anchor.

Woodwards the butcher's was beside the Belgravia Dairy, and was a traditional butcher's shop with sawdust on the floor and hanging carcasses. The proprietor usually wore a straw hat, and all the staff wore aprons. The shop's bill heads were printed with a picture of a Southdown sheep.

Between the pub and Teetgen's the Grocers (on the corner opposite Brittains Garage), there was an assortment of shops, including Dorothy's (haberdashery), Braybons the buiders and the Belgravia Dairy (eventually taken over by Holes and Davigdor).

Brittain's Garage had a large showroom, and I remember the shocking pink millionth Morris Minor on display there. My Grandma bought a new Morris Oxford there in 1954 - PCD 444. It was sold after she died in 1970 with only about 16,000 miles on the clock.

Sent to the website by e-mail 13/09/2002
This page was added on 22/03/2006.

Comments:

My dad was the landlord of the Crown and Anchor for about seven or eight years in the 1960s. At that time some of the shops mentioned were still going under the same names, although some had changed. The most memorable was Ambrose (the tobacconist) where tobacco from all over the place was on display and for sale in a variety of glass jars.
By Ian MacFarlane (02/02/2003)
The one millionth Minor was never sold to the public, it has done the rounds of the motor museums though. I believe the author of Memories: 'a useful range of shops' is referring to a 'Minor million' of which 500 were produced. Essentially Morris Minors but with 1,000,000 on the back instead of 1,000 and also painted lilac.
By Daniel Harris (25/11/2004)
My family owned and ran the Preston Bakery from 1900 to mid 1960s. I would appreciate news of usage since then.
By Peter Clark (14/04/2005)

A photo of Brittains garage appears on the MG Y type website:www.mgytypes.org/. Look under 'Reprints & Collectibles' then go to 1950-53 and select September 1950 issue of 'Motoring'.

By David Mullen (20/11/2006)

Born in Jan 1947 I spent my whole life in Preston untill my marrage in 1967. I lived with my family father Fred, mother Vera, brother Fred and sister Pat. We at first lived at 47 North Road then moved to 46 Middle road.
Dad worked on the railway and mum did odd jobs cleaning round the village. Both my brother and I did paper rounds for Mr Newington who owned the postoffice at the bottom of North road ,Butchers round for first Mr Ambler and later Mr Baker and chemist round Wed & Sat for Inskips.As kids we were able to run free ( no child can do this today ) We spent summer holidays camping in the field at the back of Cherry woods, War games in Snakey Lane . Football in Preston Park was a one goal affair , the park keeper stopped us from putting down four piles of coats as goal posts. We had to play with one goal, unfair as the football teams played with two. We could not work it out how he did it but every where we went Basil the local policeman (who married Joyce from the post office )was keeping an eye on us kids.
Everone knew everone in the village and looked out for each other, a true community built over hundreds of year Having left over 40 years ago it's still home. memories fade but not these names. Still I remember, Mrs Clark and her BSA motor bike , Mr & Mrs Blake, the Daws Family Reeves / Rose/ Marchant /Old Pop Baldwin and his boat the Lady Betty and many more. Too many to list here.
Happy Times.

By John Allam (22/03/2007)

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