eXplore Shops of Then and Now..
Shops of Then and Now
Who remembers Brigdens toy shop?
Debbie Russell-Smith
Does anyone remember the second-hand shop that used to be down St Johns St? I remember going there with my mum and sister.
Gillian Tarbun
Underwoods the hardware shop that was in St John’s Street. Cannot find a photo but sure there will be one…
Shelagh Green
One memory of the Angel Hill I have goes back to when I was a lot younger.
I use to meet my nan of chambers bus and go shopping with her that was when buses parked on the Angel Hill.
One morning, I was pregnant at the time, and used to faint a lot. I had my children and baby in the pram and that awful feeling came over me and I knew I was going to faint.
I thought it would scare the kids if I did, so went to the chemist on the corner and told them how I was feeling they sat me on a chair gave me some smelling salts until I felt better… chambers bus is still going.
Pearl Adams
Does anyone remember the clothing exchange round about where Iceland is now?
Mum used to take us there in the ’40’s. Also Mrs Lennards second hand shop in St John’s Street. The only new clothes we had were those Mum made on her trusty treadle machine, or knitted bless her, She was good at both thank goodness.
Gwen Fuller
Sometimes for a ‘fun memory game’ my husband & I try and remember the shops in the Buttermarket in the 60’s. We are doing it now, here goes, Palmers Restaurant (next to the bus station), Batas, Milk Bar, Co-op with the Elite restaurant above, Playhouse Cinema, Dorothy Wests, Everards Hotel, Cullems, a sewing shop, Paul & Matthews, Prettys, Dewhursts, and Fosters. …….anyone think of any more?
Sheila Reynolds
I visited the market with my Mum most weeks as a child.
Mum was shopping for fruit and veg and household bits and pieces like dusters. I remember looking out for celery that had dark fenland soil on it as nothing else was good enough. I, on the otherhand, was looking at the frilly, lacy dolls dresses that hung out of reach on a stall some where near Lloyds bank.
I crazed Mum for one and didn’t understand until older why she said we couldn’t afford it. Instead she knitted or sewed little outfits which I thought were second best, but I still have a couple and now they are precious.
Mandy Moore
Butter Market, well my biggest and fondest memory I suppose was Saturday mornings with dad.
There was a stall Abbeygate Street end that sold allsorts of exciting things. I would stand with dad listening to the man showing different things knocking prices down as he went to make you think you were getting a bargain. If I was lucky I would come home with something.
We usually went to, I think it was called the Elite cafe, above one of the shops on the Butter Market and had a toasted tea cake. It all seemed rather posh. I started working in Boots in 1965 and I remember sitting in the canteen overlooking the Butter Market and people watching, happy days.
Carole Marlow
Cornhill – Eastern Electricity, MVC, Sainsbury’s, St Edmunds Fayre, Burton, John Menzies, Martin, Stead & Simpson, Liptons, TopShop / TopMan, Turners Shoes, ShoeFayre, Woolworths, Clarks, Peter Lord Shoes, Hamells, Roy England Shoes, Officers Club, Mothercare, Fosters, Outdoor Venture, Tooks, Next, Hepworths, Kendalls, Croydons Jewellers, Dorothy Perkins, International Supermarket, Halfords, Medicare
Buttermarket – Wimpy, Burger King, Linens Direct Currys, Dixons, International again, Co-Op Food, Saxone, Barratts, Sketchley, WHSmith, Colorama, Snappy Snaps, CRS Department Store, Smiths Cleaners, Walker & Hall, Freeman Hardy Willis, Hush Puppies, Priceless, Granada TV rentals, Hogg Robinson Travel, Millets Camping, Radio Rentals, Bowhill Elliott, Anglia Building Society, Belfast Linen, Monsoon, Debenhams, Lewis Meeson, Lunn Poly Travel, Dewhurst, Percy Waites, Baxters Butchers, Woolwich, Stage 1, Jewellers Guild, Four Corners (British Airways).
Cornhill Walk – Richard Shops, Select, etam, Tammy Girl, Miss Attitude, Index Joshua Taylor department store, Clintons, New Look, Evans, Principles, Athena, Peoples Phone, Laura Ashley Units, Vodafone.
Abbeygate St — Bakers Oven, Lavell’s newsagent, Olivers Shoes, Hiltons Shoes, TSB Bank, Peter Dominic Wines, a HI-Fi shop?, Strides, Barnaby Rudge, Jean Station, Prudential, Stead & Simpson 2nd store, Rumbelows, Escom Computers, Savoury & Moore chemist, Abbey National, Britannia Building Society, A T Mays travel. plus Hardy & Co, Harris Carpets, Allied Carpets in St Andrews Street, Vision Hire in Traverse
Stephen Moody
Shops of Now
The arc
There was a lot of vocal opposition against this development, but what an asset to Bury St Edmunds. I guess it’s like marmite!
Simon Bendall
