Eastgate c1955, Louth
Eastgate c1955, Louth Ref: L305067
Memories of Eastgate c1955, Louth
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Louth & local memories
Read and share memories of Louth and Lincolnshire inspired by Frith photos.
Stamford, Spalding And Boston Bank
My Great Grandfather was Edward Ashton, he was born at Kirkby House in Harrington Hafleet, Lincolnshire in 1850. In transcribing his son's memoirs he talks about moving back to Louth about 1889 when his father gave up farming at the Grange Farm outside Louth and accepted a position with the Stamford, Spalding and Boston Bank. The lived above the bank and the 1891 Census shows them at 62 Eastgate. He and a younger brother originally had a room at the front across from a Market until their puppet shows on the blinds at night were drawn to the attention of their parents. The SS&B bank was bought out by their London partners, Barclays early in the 1900s. In this picture, taken at the corner of Eastgate and Vickers Lane, you can see the Barclays Bank at the extreme left as Market Place intersects with Eastgate.
Market Hall Tower
Circa 1954 my dad worked with three other men employed by Louth Council on either the rebuild or refurbishment of the top spire of the Market Hall tower. I have about 10 photos taken at the top of the tower during this process. They are available to anybody interested. contact alandavies41@hotmail.com
Pawnshop Passage
My paternal grandparents lived in Schoolhouse Cottages off Lee Street where we occasionally stayed on holidays, Christmas etc. There was an alleyway called "Pawnshop Passage", emerging onto Mercer Row by the bow window in the photograph (Stationers Shop then?), which we children used as a shortcut to the town centre, or perhaps the Playhouse Cinema; when skipping through the passage we used to sing out to hear our voices echo.
My father's first job on leaving school was at a Fish & Chip Shop now called "This Is It" I believe - this would have been in the late 1920's.
Topliss Drapers 1882-1975
I wonder if anyone remembers Topliss, 16 Mercer Row? It was there until 1975 when it was taken over by Boyes. It was probably the last shop in Britain to have a "cash railway" for taking customers' payments to the cashier and returning the change. The money travelled in a hollow wooden ball, like a croquet ball cut in half. There is a photo on The Cash Railway Website. Cash ball systems were generally supreseded by overhead wire or pneumatic tube systems.
