Dorchester, South Street c.1965

Photo ref: D44123

I did my apprenticeship in Kay’s ,I was 15 years 3 months when I started in 1965, so there is a very good chance I was working there when the South Street photo was taken. My boss was Mr Roy Collins who became Mayor of Dorchester. His mother in law used to have one of the barrows in South Street. On Monday evenings it was Model night when some poor person had their hair done by an apprentice. While they were ...see more

We used to go in there often, and I remember one time being very confused when asked whether I wanted lemonade, cherryade, limeade or Whipsnade, 'cause I knew that was a zoo and I didn't quite get the idea of puns. Another time, being sent to the greengrocer virtually opposite there for a pound of grapes, I was asked whether I wanted red or white and I replied that I'd like the green ones! The age of innocence?

I had recently passed my driving test and drove a Morris Minor Saloon, to practice my parallel parking I used to drive down South Street after work or on a Sunday and park outside of Woolworths or Marks and Spencers and try various manoeuvres with the aid of the reflection of the car in the plate glass windows.

I was 10 years old when this photo was taken, and I always remember South Street being busy. There was a market stall just up a bit from Kay's almost in front of the Antelope Hotel. My mates and i always used to hang out in the "Milk Bar" cafe a bit further down the street. There used to be a lot of good "hang outs" then, the Wimpy Bar, the park. The cars used to come all the way down the street then.