The Sweet Shops of Bootle

Your place to talk about your Bootle memories
maureen howell
Posts: 454
Joined: Sat May 09, 2009 3:53 pm
Location: lydiate

:D :D Do you remember the sweetshops of your youth.Oh! the joys,to be able to go into the sweetshop with 3d and take your time choosing your 2 oz of sweets.They tasted sooooo much better then.The first sweetshop I remember is Radcliff's on Hawthorne Road opposite the "Kings Park"as you went into the shop one wall was covered with a library.It cost 3d to borrow a book.You heard the owner putting the world to rights with the adult customers whilst we chose our sweets,I liked marzipan teacakes my brother chose dolly mixtures.When I was 12 years old we moved to Captains Lane we used to go to Brennan's a small rather dark shop In the corner opposite St Robert Bellamine's Church .This shop did a roaring trade and the queue was always 3 deep.The owner Mr Brennan always stood at the counter in the early hours of opening with a big bottle of white lemonade which he proceeded to drink.My mother had her own views about this........but his display of sweets was good and it was here that I got my first quarter of sweets.Oh! joy....and all for 6d
Take Care
Maureen
maureen howell
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Invicta
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Dooleys or Nolans at the bottom of Brookhill Road were our sweet shops, then later we'd visit Bonesy's Mum in Carr Meadow Hey, Ford. lol: K
Ar Kid
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Location: London. Ontario.

Turner's at the corner of Exeter Road and Stanley Road and McDonalds across from the King's Gardens.
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Bonesy
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Ken :lol: :lol: I used to stack all the Schofield lemonade crates at the back of mums sweet shop (Lunts) and get paid in Milky Bars.
A couple of others I remember are the one next to the builders yard in Croxteth Road and the little kiosk just around the corner next to Westminster Motors.

Ken did you ever know of Mally Davenport who lived in Green Hey Drive ? poor fella died suddenly a few weeks ago. I went to his funeral at Thornton Crem, never seen so many people, there must have been about 300 he was well liked.


Keith
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Invicta
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Rings a bell Keith but can't say I knew him.
All the best.
Ken
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Bonesy
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Location: Lydiate

He had a sister Pauline and lived next door to Peter, Jean & Keith Porter & backed on to my soon to be step family Alan, June, Joyce & Irene Clark who lived on Carr Meadow.

all the best to you and yours Cus

Keith
Bri
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Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 9:35 pm
Location: Netherton

Hi Keith,
That's sad news about Mally, he was a smashing fellah, really funny. Did he still have his TV business, in partnership with Dave Purcell wasn't he, they had been doing it for years. He was into everything as a kid, always building bikes or something. RIP Mally
lynne99
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I think the sweet shop was called Woodwards Opposite Christ Church school on Hawthorne Rd, near Park Street. :)
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Bonesy
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Bri, nice to hear from you mate. Mally had been into all sorts over the years, TV business went years ago although he had been successful doing other stuff.
Mally had not been ill but died tragically while on business abroad. Turns out he had set up a studio in Waterloo for up and coming musicians.

Bri do you remember his orange Lotus Europa ?

take care Keith
Bri
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Location: Netherton

Not the Lotus Keith but remember him tinkering with a Triumph Herald, think it was a soft top,then he said to me and Gary Haddock it needs a bit of a run, ended up in Southport, good job it was ok. Their garage backed on to the road at the back of the shops, remember?
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Bonesy
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Remember the Triumph and the garage Bri.
This is from the echo website

DAVENPORT - MALCOLM (MALLY) Malcolm's Family would like to thank all of his friends and colleagues who attended his Service at Thornton Crematorium on Friday November 13th. We were truly overwhelmed by your turn out, many of whom had to stand in the cold to listen to the Service, being relayed. We thank you so much, your attendance was a great comfort to us all. "A man is not measured by the wealth he has acquired in his life, but by the friends he leaves behind." Your turn out proved Malcolm to be immeasurable. God bless you all. - Pauline.

Apologies to Maureen for hijacking your thread


Keith
Matt
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Location: vancouver island

Hi Maureen H.I went to the Grammar with Mr Radcliffes son(cannot remember his name :oops: )
but not being picky their shop was opposite the South Park entrance off Hawthorne Road, where I used to live in the prefabs.
"Kings Gardens" was the Bootle Cenotaph on Stanley Road and attached to he South Park.What was the name of the HUGE sweet
shop on the corner of Wadham and Hawthorne Roads across from the Cricket Club??? only place you could buy penny
bangers on Guy Fawkes night.
Lynne I used to get bullied by Beryl Downing to spend my sweet money at her fathers shop just down from the one you mentioned.I
was in the same class as Beryl all the way through Christ Church and Eden Vale :( She was a BIg girl.not fat or anything but VERY tall)
Matt
Elaine Goulding
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Location: Canada

My favourite sweetshop (actually I had a couple) was "Borks" on the corner of Orlando Street and Queens Road. I also enjoyed "Blackwoods" on Stanley Road as they had a penny tray as did "Silks" on the corner of Bedford Road and Queens Road. I used to save all year round for Christmas annuals at Silks. Matt, the shop at the corner of Wadham Road and Hawthorne could it have been Radcliffe's? My pal and I used to call in on the way home from school, sadly they did not have a penny tray!!! A really special sweetshop for me was on Stanley Road going toward the Commodore on the opposite side, can't remember the name, but it sold different varieties of ice cream, lemonade and sweets. From what I can remember you could sit down inside the store and eat/drink whatever you had bought, that to me was "posh"!!!
Elaine

Bianca Street, Bootle - moved to Canada 1982
Matt
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Hi Elaine no Radcliffes was for sure on the Downing, Clare ,Sidney Road side of Hawthorne Road opposite
the South Park.As Maureen described Mr Radliffe used to rent out books..When we used to walk home from the Grammar
up Balliol Road Mr R,s son would peek in the shop to see if his dad was talking if so he would come to our mates house in Downing Road
along with Tom Kerr(RIP),Ken Walkley(RIP) and Harry Fung whose dad had the laundry just by the CO-OP on that end of Hawthorne Road.
Got Sheila going now trying to remember the name of that big sweet shop as when they lived in Westminister Road they attended St Richards
and used to go there via Hawthorne,Wadham and Miranda Roads :lol: :lol:
Another GREAT sweetie place was Joe Murphys on Miranda Road between Beatrice and Benedict Streets next door to Nelly's Veggies.
Could get Bassetts Sherbet Fountains there for three ha'pence Bought one some time ago in Victoria at the British Sweet Shop
$2 and the licorice was hard and horrible!!!
Matt
Last edited by Matt on Mon Dec 28, 2015 11:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Elaine Goulding
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Joined: Tue Mar 03, 2009 11:51 pm
Location: Canada

Funny, but I can see that shop inside and out, I can even visualize the name over the top of the door but cannot remember what it is!!! Will email a couple of my pals, one of which used to live at #82 Downing.....will let you know, actually just thought it wasn't "Castles" was it? Just a wild guess!
Elaine
Elaine

Bianca Street, Bootle - moved to Canada 1982
Matt
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Joined: Tue Oct 08, 2013 6:02 pm
Location: vancouver island

Hi Elaine I used to live at 101 Downing Road at my mates house after my mum came to Canada as
I still had another 4 years to go in the RN.Come on Ed Mc surely your dear lady will know the name :lol:
Matt
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Mack
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I remember "The Kiosk" (70's), a tiny little shop about 5 foot in width with a serving entrance at the front opposite the bowling green and on the other side of the road of "The Broadway Stores" on Stanley Road. It's actually still there in name, however empty now and has modern shutters covering the entrance.
"Uncle Toms Cabin" top of Croxteth Road, Bootle (70's).
There also used to one top of Malvern Road (70's) next to where the snooker hall is, opposite "The Broadway Stores". Can't remember it's name though. There was a lovely old lady who used to sell us our swag there. It was demolished and the empty land where it it used to be is now fenced off.

So many sweet shops within such a short walking distance from my home. No wonder the dentist had a field day with his drill :wink:

Mack :)

ps: I've moved this topic over to our "Talk about the History of Bootle" section :wink:
nobert
Posts: 85
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 7:20 pm
Location: isle of man

Ratliffs was at the bottom of
Gonvil rd I think there were 2 sons and a daughter ,I think that the eldest son took over the shop (Alan) when the parents moved to north Wales to run a climbing centre
near Snowdon.
The shop at the top of waddam road was Andrews I went to school with his son Roy
There was another sweet shop on the corner of Bedford rd opp the pub

Mark
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filsgreen
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I used to go to Spensely's on Hawthorne Road, which was opposite the lead works; I also got my comics there. Second choice was "Danny's on Aughton Road.

Phil
Stan Clayton
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Joined: Fri Sep 10, 2010 2:45 pm
Location: Isle of Man

Hi Matt,
Was Harry Fung any relation to Norman Fung who's Dad
owned the Chinese Laundry on Hawthorne Road?
I used to knock around with Norma in the late 40's/early 50's.
Stan
maureen howell
Posts: 454
Joined: Sat May 09, 2009 3:53 pm
Location: lydiate

Hi Matt
I lived in 1 Sidney Road (a Huge yellow brick house facing the gates of the park,We knew it was the south park but the local kids called it the Kings Park or the "kingy" not to be confused with the Kings Gardens on Stanley Road.I learned to ride a bike in the Kings Park
Take Care
Maureen
maureen howell
Stan Clayton
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Joined: Fri Sep 10, 2010 2:45 pm
Location: Isle of Man

Hi Maureen,
I lived in 67 Sidney Road from the early 1940's until I got
married in 1961.
I remember the large yellow house very well, when did you live there?.
Stan
maureen howell
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Location: lydiate

Hi Stan
I lived at I Sidney Road from !948 till 1952 when we got a house on the new estate in Captains lane(postcode at that time was L21)Wasn't Sidney Road a great place to live for kids?You had the park to play in and a huge bomb site covering a whole block between Sidney Road and Balliol Road(this had a cricket pitch on itDid you know the Mccarthys or the Shields who lived near you.?
Take Care
Maureen.
maureen howell
Matt
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Location: vancouver island

Thanks Mark (nobert) you have saved Sheila ,Elaine and myself from going round the twist
trying to remember the name of that sweet shop :lol: :lol:
Hi Stan Norman Fung was Harry's eldest brother
The baby of the family was Walter another brilliant student. they also
had a sister in the girls grammar but I just do not know her name
Harry went from first year Remove Alpha to 2 alpha to 4 alpha
and I was in the same class as him from 4 alpha onwards.13 years old and he had 9 "O" level GCE's'
Great friend had a wicked sense of humour.
Matt
henry
Posts: 1869
Joined: Tue Mar 21, 2006 6:45 pm

Do you remember that the kit kats and mars bars and all the chocolate bars in the shop windows were all blocks of wood with wrappers on but i loved asking for 2 ounces of sweets but my best one were chocsticks which were made of caramel with a strip of chocolate going down the middle and eating Archie Andrews ice cream to collect the wrappers to send off for free ice cream and a comic and i think the name of the shop was Tishlers which was by County Furnishers on the corner of our street in Strand Road and not forgetting Blackjacks and a quarter of Everton mints and i ioved Victory V sweets to suck going to school.
HENRY BORN FLORIDA STREET OFF STRAND ROAD
Elaine Goulding
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Joined: Tue Mar 03, 2009 11:51 pm
Location: Canada

Matt, my pal who lived in 82 Downing was Barbara Milburn. Her Dad (Bill) worked in Scott's Bakery and her Mum worked in the Hawthorne pub on the corner of Bedford Road, her name was Esther. I remember Murphy's sweetshop on Miranda Road, my pal Joan Ellis lived in Beatrice Street. Do you remember the public wash baths on the corner of Beatrice and Miranda Road?
Elaine

Bianca Street, Bootle - moved to Canada 1982
Matt
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Joined: Tue Oct 08, 2013 6:02 pm
Location: vancouver island

Certainly do remember those baths Elaine.Great people around that whole area plus of
course all the roads off Hawthorne Road. Kitty McGoughs was another good place for sweets
(the Catholic shop)same side as St Richards corner of Bedford and Miranda Roads.They had pulled all the prefabs down and we got moved to Ford when my dad passed away but there was a knock on the door just before Christmas 1963 and it was Kitty and two of Joe Murphy,s
sons with a huge bouquet of flowers and stuff from their shops for my mum.They had read
my fathers obituary in the Echo and goodness knows how but had found out our address
and wanted to pay their respects.
Matt
Stan Clayton
Posts: 181
Joined: Fri Sep 10, 2010 2:45 pm
Location: Isle of Man

Hi Matt,
Thanks for the info Norman was a great guy who also
had a wicked sense of humour, it must run in the family.

Hi Maureen,
I can remember the name Shields from Sidney Road think they lived opposite
us. Had forgotton about the red cricket pitch though.
best wishes, Stan
graham
Posts: 143
Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2007 3:55 am
Location: Walnut Grove BC Canada

I used to do all my sweet and pop shopping at Sambrooks 'the chocolate box'. I was such a good customer she gave me
a bar of chocolate to take with me when I was posted to Cyprus in the army early 1957 Needless to say it never got that far. Some
shopping was done at Downings and some, on the way home from school at I think Davies's opposite the Jawbone
rjkellet
Posts: 295
Joined: Wed Dec 13, 2006 7:25 pm
Location: Morrinsville,New Zealand

And then when I had dealt with all the sweet shops with my lemonade money and pocket money. I and money I got for minding kids. I moved on. To spending my first wages. I got at 15. From blacklers. (Two Pound Seventeen and six. )mum left me seventeen and six. I went to all the sweet shops begging loosies.
Rob and Jan Kellett,Morrinsville,New Zealand
IanA
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Location: Scotland

In the '50s, I used to go to Connor's on Peel Road between Keats Street and Moore Street. They were also a newsagents and even stocked a few toys at Christmas. They had a 'Christmas Club' going and all my tuppences and thrippences would be marked on my card so that eventually I could buy the toy fireboat that floated in the bath and squirted water when you pressed the funnel. Sweet tobacco, sweet cigarettes and liquorice pipes were good. Penny bars of Cadbury's tasted totally different to any other bars of chocolate - even other bars of Cadbury's. There was another sweet shop at the corner of Keats Street and Gower Street where we would go for lucky bags and frozen Jubblies.
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Ernie Jackson. (Bunty)
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Hey Elaine...now that is a memory which must have been lurking in my mind and you have brought it all back.

You know that I also lived in Bianca Street and, like everyone else in the street, we never had a bathroom. We could just about afford to go to the slipper baths about every six weeks whether we needed it or not.

I also remember changing our wireless accumulator at a shop on Miranda Road. The wire handle always caused my hand to cramp up.
bjones
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IanA wrote:. There was another sweet shop at the corner of Keats Street and Gower Street where we would go for lucky bags and frozen Jubblies.
Think that was Len Grates shop Ian - his son Lennie would have been in your year of the one below at Grayo.
Bee

"Life" is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after.
IanA
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It was indeed. Gower Street - not very big at all - also had a good chippy, a grocer's at the corner of Moore Street, and there was a shop at the Gray Street end but I can't remember what it was. Possibly a shoe shop. There was also a little sweet shop that I used to pass on my way up Gray Street on my way to school but I didn't go in it much. (No money!)
Elaine Goulding
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Location: Canada

Matt, what lovely people the Murphy's must have been to track your family down after your father passed away, that's Liverpool people .

Ernie, never went to the slipper baths, like you we did not have a bathroom, however, every Saturday night my sister and I went to my granny's house in Wadham Road to sit in her "hand painted" bath. After the bath mum would peel the flaking paint off our bums!!!! We thought this was the norm! We also had a huge tin bath but could only use that if dad was home because mum could not lift it off the wall in the yard!!! Happy Days!
Elaine

Bianca Street, Bootle - moved to Canada 1982
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