What a suprise to see the old co-op on London Road in Brighton, it must have been a much slower moving city in the 1950s I have been visiting Brighton for the past 20 years and I do
like Brighton very much, I live in Rotherham, South Yorkshire but i always look forward to visiting east sussex when i have the chance. I would love to see more old photos of Brighton.

I was also fascinated by the aerial money containers at the Co-op in Lewes Road, but next door was a great electrical shop called Tingley's. It was there I took my parents accumalators, from the giant wireless, to be recharged. I would get thrupence for this which I would spend on sweets in Schofield's, next door again.

I, like David had to go to Tingley's with a accumalator. It was one of my Saturday morning jobs to run errands for the old chap next door. It was the same every week, take his empty Guiness bottles back, pick new ones from the off-licences at the bottom of Hartington Road, pop next door to the newsagent (can't remember the name). I'd get a Daily Sketch and then into Tingley's take old accumalator back and pick up new one. The money we earned for running errands and taking empty lemonade bottles back was our picture money for the afternoon we either went to the Gaiety or the Duke of York depending which one had the best film or, if it was a U if it was A and then we used to ask some one to take us in. Looking back things must have been a lot safer we never thought there was any danger and to think we must have only been about 8 or 9. Happy days.

I would just like to say how much I remember my days at the Coop Lewes Road and London Road in the 1950s with my mum, and seeing your money whirring around the store. After all these years still remember our divi number 8801 its imprinted never to be forgotten. "Happy Days"

I can remember going into Woolworths in London Road with my Mum and two brothers. I recall clearly the wooden floors and a dusky smell. We used to run up and down the shop and I can just remember it being dark, not at all like the Woolworths we know today. My Mum also used to go into Sainsburys, St. James's Street, and I can still see the sawdust on the floor and the high glass counters where women wore white outfits and their hair up in nets. How we have progressed.

I used to work in Sainsbury's at 55 London Road, more or less opposite the Co-op. Our manager was a lovely genial man. I cannot remember his name, I used to work on the cheese counter, dairy and would help my friend Daphne Bish on the deli counter when she had an extra long queue. Was there a store in London Road called Roslings which had a similar cash system to the Co-op?

Anyone remember Bellmans also in London Road?

I remember the Bellman's store in George Street Hove. One day, I was waiting outside the store with my two young sisters who were still in the pram, while my Mother shopped. Along came a tramp, the first I had ever seen, and I was terrified. I can still see the grime on his toes which were poking through the sacking 'socks' he wore. He had a long wispy grey beard and had a piece of string to secure his coat. I now feel quite ashamed of myself being frightened of him and hope I didn't hurt his feelings.

I remember Sainsburys in St James' Street too. Every Saturday from the age of 10 I used to get the bus from Lower Bevendean and go and get the Sunday joint. Mr Wells always served me and I used to stand and watch him pat the butter into squares and the smell that came from the bacon flitches is unforgettable.

Does anyone remember Bradshaws Cycle Shop in London Road (near Preston Circus)?  Or how about the Hot Pie Shop in St James's Street - lovely Beano pies!

I used to work at the Zylo factory. It was my first full time job. There was a lady there  called Minnie Strutton. She was so funny and we got on really well. One day she asked if I was going to St James's Street in the dinner hour. I wasn't but I said 'Yes' so she said 'My grandchildren are coming up tonight. Could you get me six Beanos?' 'I got back after a rush and she said 'Did you get them? I bet you were tempted to open them, weren't you? I thouight she meant comics, instead she meant the very special beano pies. I never lived that down. Once tasted never forgotten. Just as John Pope said,'Lovely pies'.

When I was about 11, in 1933, my mother took me to the Co-op in London Road, to buy my first pair of long trousers (jeans hadn't yet been adopted for daly wear, they were just overalls for work). I was fascinated by the overhead trolleys that carried money from the desk where the purchase was made, to the central cashier. Apparently the cost of cash registers and training for the many cashiers that would be needed was too high, or the shop-workers could not be trusted with the job, so the management decided that a single cashier in the niddle of the store was better. The shop-worker had to place our money and the bill she had written out, in a small cylindrical wood pot and attach it to the trolley above her head. then she pulled on a cord, which released a spring of some sort, that sent the trolley sailing along a wire, over to the cashiers station. A few minutes later, back came the trolley and the shop-worker removed the pot and emptied the contents on to the desk, giving us the change and a copy of the bill. In those days a pair of boy's pants cost 1/11 3/4, which was one shilling, eleven pence and three farthings. Just like now, everything was not quite a whole number of monetary units, but there was no sales tax to calculate. As for accumulators, little, but heavy, glass cells, which provided the direct current to heat the emitters in what were then called valves in a "wireless set," I had to take ours down to a shop owned by Fred Osborne, just below Bentham Road, in Elm Grove, for charging. Then I had to carry the re-charged unit back up to Firle Road. That journey was a chore, but necessary if we wanted to listen to the wireless and tune in Radio Luxembourg with Hildegard singing those wonderful love songs. Even the advertising was entertainment of sorts in those days and you couldn't hear it on the Beeb.

I can't remember Bradshaws cycle shop in London Road but there was a Bradshaws cycle shop in Western Road near the top of Waterloo Street. They also sold small motorbikes and their works were down the alleyway in Farman Street. I bought my first new bike from them when I was 15, to get me to work at Allen West.

Hi Dennis.  George Bradshaws, London Road, was near Preston circus and was very much a secondary outlet to the Western Road branch.

I always looked at the bikes in Bradshaws, London Road as I passed it on the way home from school. I finally got to buy one - so much a week when I got a paper round.  It was a gleaming green Raliegh roadster with panier bags on the carrier. They also had a great range of Dinky model cars in a glass cabinet on the right of the entrance.

Any one remember the old Central School in Church Street? It had entrences in Jubilee Street and Regent Street. Miss Warland was the headmistress (1948). The teachers were Mrs Sherman, Mr Bridle, Mr Edwards, Miss Glass, and a lady we knew as Teacher Audery.