Warwick In The 1950s

A Memory of Warwick.

I was delighted to find a picture of my dad and Aunty Lily outside Tandy's the family plumbers shop in Swan Street. I spent many happy hours in the shop as a child, as on the right hand side behind the door was a table covered with black velvet where my Uncle Albert with the aid of a T Square and Diamond point would cut glass to size. Wallpaper and border were sold by the roll, and as the manufacturer for both was only up in Bordesley in Birmingham - any order placed before 2pm, would be put on the 4.10 train and would be at Warwick Station before 5.00pm. What Service!!

Other shops I can recall were Eddie Sims the TV shop, Thacker and Christmas on the corner, with the freshly ground coffee smell as you passed. Don Hanson's Leather Shop, Sleaths the Shoe Shop, The Red Lion, Mrs Lines the dairy selling milk from the churn, Mundy's the furniture shop on the corner. Sensicles the Coffee Shop, The Beehive, The Co-op, Danes the Toy Shop where my pocket money went on Dinky Toys , Bromwich's the Bakers, Wylies the Ironmongers(just like the one used in the Two Ronnies sketch "The 4 Candles"), Plowman's the grocers, Clarke's the greengrocers, The Woolpack Hotel, Hawkins the material shop, Whites the Butchers, The Pork shop. . Vaughan's the toy shop where my pocket money later on went on building up my model railway (not sure if they were in Old Square opposite the Post Office before they moved to the top of Swan Street, or the other way round).

In the Market Square was Walkers Stores, Woolworths,Pearks, Lloyds Bank, Jones the fishmonger and greengrocers. Warners garage, Hiltons shoe shop, Macbeaths the Chemist. The Green Dragon pub outside of which was where you caught the L65 Midland Red bus for the Cape, the L66 for the Packmores or the L51 down to the Forbes Estate, The Rose and Crown pub, You could licence your car in the corner of the County Offices and just around the corner towards Barrack Sreet was the Globe Hotel and the Rock - leading down to the Saltisford. Ben Cowley the butcher was down Market Streeet.

Buses to Leamington, the L41 went to Rushmore Ave, the L42 to Lockheed Works, the L43 to Radford Road past the Warneford Hospital, the L44 to the Crown Hotel under the Bridges and the L45 went along the Myton Road. The L50 went via the Percy Estate.

Down in high Street was Boots and the International Stores, The Warwick Arms Hotel, John Gould Book shop, Sylvester's the Jewellers, The Midland and Barclays Banks. On Jury Street was the Court House, The Register Office, the El Ciento run by Stan Cass, Liz Rutherfords, The Warwick Building Society. (which became the Rugby and Warwick BS, then the Heart of England BS - and latterly the C&G I think.) The Lord Leycester Hotel.

Would love any other pics of Warwick in the 1950's and 60's. Hope my ramblings bring back memories.