A Fifties Lad In Cannock
A Memory of Cannock.
The Crown Hotel dating back to the reign of Queen Anne circa 1702. Demolished to make way for hideous 1960s architecture, Dickie Wright's butchers shop and cottage on the corner of Church Street, the bandstand where Bob Simmons stood selling the Express & Star evening newspaper, Watkiss's seed and corn shop, later to become Yates Radio & Television where we bought singles for six and eightpence, and Beasleys Grocery and provisions where as children we were fascinated by the overhead cash system where the takings and change were taken via a container running along cables.
Rosa's Ice Cream which was truly delicious and they came around the streets in their Ford E83 delivery vans. Further along we came to Linfords hardware shop where the aroma of the pink parrafin stove greeted you in the winter months, you wouldn't find a wick for the stove in Wilko's today.
The New Hall was a place of public entertainment where Amateur Dramatics, Pantomimes and Christmas Bazaars took place, the lucky dip off Father Christmas was an eagerly awaited event.
And finally the Danilo Cinema which was a late arrival in Cannock partly due to the other cinema proprietors objecting, but arrive it did on February 25th 1939 with Clark Gable and Myrna Loy in 'Too Hot to Handle'. Built by William Jackson of Langley Green, it was erected in nine months and entertained us for almost 31 years after which it was demolished in February 1970. Last films were 'Monte Carlo or Bust' and the short 'Gold is where you find it'.
Being born and bred in Cannock and looking at the changes that have taken place, I often think of those words from one of Betjeman's poems and how very apt they are: 'Mess up the mess they call a town'. But the march of progress continues, and for me Cannock town will be the one of the 1950s and 1960s where I could go and get some sweets from Sid Dutton's confectionery shop, and one of which Francis Frith have so eloquently recorded for posterity.
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Comments & Feedback
Do you remember the balding but still dark-haired Mr. Lloyd who served us in Linford's shop and his younger blonde-haired assistant whose name I can't now recall. Fancy buying half-a-pound of nails these days with them being weighed out on a scale using brass weights. Do you recall the upstairs gallery around the shop where stock was held?
Moving to the timber yard behind the shop, I recall how the various wooden fence sections lifted out to gain access to the stacks of timber stored there from the footpath. I was always amazed that nobody seemed to help themselves to the wood by cover of the night. Still, it was a different world in the 1950's and I guess that nobody would have even thought of doing that.
Just a final thought, do you recall the huge stone which stood in New Hall Street against Linford's wall? I believe it was a glacial erratic, a lump of rock dropped by a melting glacier at the end of the last ice age? As kids we all just had to jump onto it as we passed by.
Good days in friendly town. Cheers!