I Remember Dimambro's Ice Cream Shop In Durham City.

A Memory of Langley Park.

My name is Rob Beilby and I grew up in Durham City from 1937 until 1966. I and my brothers Bryan and Jimmy lived in a pub called the "Angel Inn" at the top of Crossgate from 1937 until 1945 with our grandparents and mother, our dad was gone in the army to North Africa.

I remember Dimambros being in Claypath near the Big Jug public house and was a favorite stop off for the kids from the Blue Coat School when the headmaster was Mr Bramwell.
They were in direct competition withJack Valenti of "Valenti's ice cream and coffee shop" at the top of North Road opposite the bus station. This shop was taken over by James Bimbi and his wife from Easington and became "Bimbi's Ice cream and coffee shop" for years which later included several excellent fish and chip shops. James and Albert Bimbi have been my friends all of these years, even though I have lived in California since 1967. You may remember after the war Fowlers emporium at the bottom of Claypath which always gave off the best smell of roasting coffee. We lived directly opposite in the Wheatsheaf Inn which is now of course replaced by a new bridge next to St Nicholas's church. Growing up as a boy in Durham with my brothers during these years was the most memorable of my entire life.