Shifnal In The 1950s

A Memory of Shifnal.

I came across this website purely by accident and was immediately fascinated by the memories of Shifnal. Somebody mentioned Cottams’ fish and chip shop on the Broadway. Cottams left and were replaced by a diminutive foreign lady by the name of Mrs Peloppida – at least, it sounded like that to me. When she left, my father and mother took over in about 1954 or 1955. They were Gordon and Ethel Evans and we were their 3 sons, John, Peter and me, Paul. Ring any bells?

Gordon and Ethel developed the fish and chip shop and ventured into general grocery and also a cafe complete with jukebox (Imagine – the first hits of Tommy Steele, Bill Haley, Elvis!) very popular with the young RAF recruits who used to come by in their resplendent uniforms on Sundays. They never had any money. I was sometimes pressured into service in the shop and honestly remember one of them asking his friend, “Do you have a penny? I don’t want to break into a threepenny bit ....”

In time my father acquired a flatbed lorry and began a wholesale potato delivery business to other fish and chip shops mainly in the Wolverhampton to Birmingham areas, I think. And we had a travelling shop, proudly driven by my eldest brother John and with which he visited nearby villages on weekly rounds. I seem to remember that he also made more than a passing acquaintance with pretty girls in Ryton, Beckbury, Burnhill Green, Badger etc etc. Unfortunately, a disastrous potato harvest followed by dizzying prices for poor quality potatoes put an end to my father’s forays into business so we had to leave and moved back to Wolverhampton in about 1959 or 1960.

But what memories I have of Shifnal! These were my formative years – from about 8 or 9 to 13 years when impressions are as vivid as they are unforgettable. Happy recollections of the summer fair right outside our shop on the Broadway with dodgems and the “cakewalk” (?). Hours spent exploring the village and particularly Manor Park with our wonderful dog, Laddie – part border-collie and 100 percent fun. I remember freezing winter evenings roller-skating down the pavement towed by Laddie on his lead at full speed.

And of course school. I went to the C of E Junior school at the top of Church Street taught first by Mr Welling (who would drop by for fish and chips on Friday lunchtimes – oh yes, in those days we cycled home for lunch) and by Miss Teare in my last 2 years and with Mr Morris as headmaster. I proudly made head boy in my last year.

In my class were Pamela Heywood (whose family ran the service station at the bottom of Victoria Street) and who became my first “real” girlfriend. We sat on the same double bench in class and secretly held hands under the desk. Oh, the innocence of youth! She was small, sweet and impish with dark hair and a straight fringe. There was also Anne Marshall (who lived near the waterworks on the Shifnal-Wolverhampton Road) whom I also secretly admired. Grania Bowles was also in my class. I was fascinated by her name that I had never heard before. Other girls I knew were Deanna Brennan who lived lower down on the Broadway and, as I remember, already had quite a reputation among boys of my age as a local beauty. And who remembers Vicky Wise – daughter of Harry, a local gas-fitter? On reflection, my memories seem to be mainly of girls. But then, as I mentioned, these were my formative years. Oh yes, I remember one boy: Robin, who lived almost exactly opposite our shop. He had a large garden at the back going down to the brook at the bottom so we used to play there sometimes.

Having succeeded my 11+ exam I began attending Wellington Grammar School for boys. Interestingly, the train stopped at Albrighton before Shifnal so, although I didn’t know it at the time, I travelled for about a year and a half on the same train as my future wife, Marilyn Gardner, on her way to Wellington High School for girls. We never met back then but we’ve been married now for more than 50 years. But that’s another story ...

I could go on forever with my memories but you may be yawning by now so I’ll stop. Does anyone out there remember me or the people I mentioned? I’d love to hear from you!

Paul Evans, in Shifnal around 1954 to 1960.

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