Broughton, Chester In The 1960s

A Memory of Broughton.

I lived in Broughton for 26 years from 1954 to 1980. Here are a few words that may bring back some happy memories for readers!

The shops: On the corner of Broughton Hall Road (opposite the current car sales) was Francis' Chip Shop, run by Mr and Mrs Francis. It also was also a general shop, too, and I remember at one point Mr Francis had a small cafe area inside. I can remember it having a juke box in the cafe, and even remember putting in a coin to listen to 'The House of The Rising Sun' by the 60s group, 'The Animals'. I remember seeing one day a board outside the door of the shop with a list of names of locals who had not paid their bill! In those days, I think it was fairly common for people to buy 'on tick', to use the expression. Can you imagine such naming and shaming today outside a shop!!
Directly opposite to Francis' Shop was Rowlands Garage. It is now a second-hand car sales dealership. I remember the red lorries of Rowlands parked there. A little futher along the Main Road was Mills Shop, run by Ivor Mills, his son Dave, and the formidable Mrs Mills. It was a paper shop and also sold sweets and cigarettes. Sadly, the shop has now gone. The competition from Tesco on the Broughton Retail Park has surely had an impact on such small shops. A little further up from Mills shop was Dorothy Iball's shop. It was next to the Kings Head pub (also now demolished and quite recently a small development of houses built on the site). I can remember you had to climb over boxes to get to the counter in Dorothy Iball's shop! A very pleasant lady. Upstairs she had a ladies hairdresser. I remember my Nan having her hair done there. I can remember going to Iball's with my Mum for a particular breakfast cereal simply because it had a free plastic submarine in the packet! The things you remember! I went to Mills paper shop for my 'TV 21' comic!
Along Broughton Hall Road was the row of shops: we had at the far end Mrs Pierce's Wool Shop (at the back she also had a hairdressers), next door was Coleges, by Mr and Mrs Colege - a very pleasant couple. This was a mainly a hardware shop with a lovley wooden counter, but it also sold Dinky Cars and Scalextrix parts. I remember buying a Dinky Car - a blue VW Beetle for 2/6d - spotted in the window. I still have that car, in mint condition, in my collection at home. I also bought parts for my Scalextrix set from there. Mr Colege also sold parafin in his shop. Next door to Coleges was Les Francis Shop - selling cards, sweets, fireworks. In the back Les had his hairdressing business. At the end was a butcher's shop, and finally on the corner was the Co-op shop. Mum shopped there regularly, and collected what was called 'divi' stamps which you would attach to a sheet, and then cash in your 'divi' upon completion of a full sheet. All these individual shops added to a sense of community in Broughton and were an important part of its social structure.
Mobile Shops: We lived on the estate at the far end of the village, in Windsor Drive. I can remember a wide range of mobile shops that would come each week: There was the 'Green Bus' (a 1950s Green Bristol ex-Crosville bus converted to a mobile shop); The 'Green Bus' would park each week outside 7 Windsor Drive. It sold a wide range of food, bread, meat, cakes, cereal, etc. There was also the 'Blue Bus', another converted commercial bus, that parked outside of 9 Windsor Drive each week. You entered from the front, where there was a small counter. I remember on one visit, a pile of vinyl long playing records for sale on the counter - one being 'Gi Gi' from the film. Other mobile traders who parked where we lived were 'The Corona Man' selling pop on his lorry; 'The Mackeson Man' (as we would call him) selling stout; a mobile chip shop (this was a converted Bedford Bus) which parked outside of Number 2 Windsor Drive. A lovely smell emanated from the chimney on the bus! We also had other traders, such as a chap on a bicycle who sharpened knives, sitting on his bike and sharpening your knives whilst pedaling to turn the grinder; the 'Rag and Bone Man', who you would hear shout "Any old iron!". Our milk was delivered by Rowlands' from their farm at the end of Broad Oak Avenue. I remember Betty Rowlands bringing the milk on a cart. This makes me feel quite old as I write, recalling this - milk delivered by horse and cart! I remember, one neighbour who had a load of horse manure dropped outside his house in Windsor Drive, from the farm, for his roses in the front garden. Jack Price had the best roses in Windsor Drive!
Lovely neighbours in Windsor Drive. In those days you knew your neighbours. Mrs Price at 1 Windsor Drive, opposite was Mrs Ives at No 2. Really nice people. Mr and Mrs Frank Lloyd lived in Windsor Drive. Frank looked after the Broughton Methodist Chapel and his daughter, Marjory was the Sunday School Teacher. A lovely family. Sadly, the Chapel is now boarded up as at August 2012.

Many happy memories of Broughon in the 1960s. The Broughton Retail Park continues to expand, and provides such wide choice and low prices. But at what cost?

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