MEMORIES OF BARTON IN THE 1960s
In 2021 I wrote an article entitled “A Barton on Humber Childhood in the nineteen-sixties”. This has prompted interest from former Bartonians around the world, as well as several still living in the town. I have therefore been encouraged by this interest to let my memory ramble and to jot down a few further anecdotes which may be of interest to readers.
This was the era of Havercroft’s Ice Cream, Laws Mineral Waters and Birkett’s Bread. There were also many more shops than in the present era and several of the shopkeepers were great characters. John Lee was one such character. He managed to combine the professions of chemist and ophthalmic option (the terms pharmacist and optometrist had not yet been invented!). A trip to Mr Lee for an eye examination was always interesting, and having needed to wear glasses since the age of eight, I was fortunate enough to enjoy several such visits. Mr Lee carried out the optician side of his business in a small room or passage which was accessed through the right hand side of the chemist’s shop, and a small wooden bureau was covered in a cascade of spectacles, papers and other optical accessories. The test would begin as it does today with an invitation to read down the decreasing sizes of letters and I would probably get about half way down when it started – “Mr Lee, Mr Lee, can you come through to get this lady’s prescription”, shouted one of the assistants, John would say “Just a moment” and then return about ten minutes later having set the lady on her way with the recommended panacea. This scenario would generally be repeated several times during the eye test, making it over half an hour’s job! John was also a great football fan and I was lucky enough to travel with him to Scunthorpe United matches on several occasions. This though was only for evening matches as shop hours precluded his attendance at Saturday fixtures. With a 7:15 kick off it was always a rush after closing the shop and I am sure the car took some of the bends on two wheels to try and arrive in time!
Kenny Milson had two shop units on George Street, now occupied by the George Hotel Dining Room. One side sold work and utility clothing and footwear was on display in the adjacent shop, though I think they were connected. Goods from both sections were displayed on the outside of the premises in those days, and a wide selection of goods were kept in stock. Gilbert Blackburn was Kenny’s faithful assistant, and Kenny’s well known catchphrase was “Come on then Gilbert, let’s go through the back and see what we can find”. Interestingly he was also an agent for Daisy Bus Services of Scunthorpe. Kenny lived at the bottom of Ferriby Road and used to drive around in a green Morris Minor.
John French’s father was also a chemist, on Fleetgate, and continued in business well past the usual retirement age. He was a very old fashioned practitioner and used to make up many potions himself rather than simply counting out pills as the modern pharmacists appear to do. I remember being sent to Mr French’s one winter’s evening after hours for an urgent prescription for my father. I had to knock on the house door and Mr French said he would go through to the shop and open the door for me. After what seemed an eternity the shop door slowly creaked open and I was invited inside. There was then the ritual of lighting the paraffin heater to provide some warmth before Mr French eventually started to make up the prescription!
I have already mentioned Havercroft’s Ice Cream. They were a long established Barton firm who eventually ceased trading some time during the nineteen sixties. Their premises were situated on High Street next to Dewhurst’s Butchers, with a rear access to the yard off Finkle Lane. If my memory serves me correctly, vanilla comets were a penny each, with pink cornets a penny-ha’penny. Havercroft’s also sold their ice cream around the town from a small van and a bicycle.
Fleetgate in those days was a thriving shopping street serving principally the Northern end of the town, but it gradually became choked up with increased traffic flow to the industrial areas, and the introduction of double yellow lines followed by one way traffic heralded its gradual decline in commercial importance. Melia’s had a grocery shop on the corner of Dam Road which was later used as Fossitt and Thorne’s first tyre depot in the town. The newsagents further up which is still in business as the One-Stop shop was in that era run by Bill Grasby, who had Mrs Vessey and Mrs Taylor among his assistants. The shop at that time was not double fronted but the door was to the left side where the storeroom currently stands. I believe this was formerly Stanley’s fish and chip shop but that was before my time! Lacey’s was another grocery shop further up and the Fleetgate Post Office was at that time actually situated in Fleetgate. On the other side of the street Smith and Melton was a long established emporium which only closed down a few years ago, while Miss Mather’s shoe shop was always a busy concern. Fleetgate Fish Shop had the reputation of being the best fish and chip shop in town, and Barrie Cooper operated a bookshop for a brief period in the shop next door.
Printing requirements in those days were undertaken by Lovitts which was later taken over by Barrie Newton. The printing works was in the vicinity of the current stationer’s shop, but the stationery shop was then fronted onto Market Lane in the premises recently occupied by Booze Brothers. A rival Printer’s business was operated for some time by Fred Hull, who did have a small shop on Fleetgate for a period but the actual printing was carried out in an outbuilding at 99 Far Ings Road, a considerable way from the Town Centre.
Other shops in the Market Place included Mrs Maw (general draper), Fry’s (confectioner), Crockatts dry cleaners and Brace’s electrical shop. Potts general store ( formerly Tutill’s) was situated on the site of the current Banking Hub. This shop closed down in the mid Sixties but stood derelict for almost twenty years before collapsing in spectacular fashion during the early nineteen-eighties.
The solicitor’s office currently run by BG Solicitors was operating as Brown, Hudson and Hudson in the sixties before being taken over by Wilkin and Chapman. Cliff Smith ran his butcher’s business from the Market Place in those days prior to taking over Cottinghams shop on the High Street which is now used as a Charity Shop. Butchers were more prominent in those days with other shops being operated by Jack Rickword and Ken Sempers as well as Cottingham’s. The relative lack of supermarkets allowed several small greengrocers to flourish, including Harold Chappell ( High Street), Tommy Hasting( King street) and Addisons who were based on George Street.
Fish and Chip lovers were well catered for with a total of four long established shops on Fleetgate, Queens Avenue, Tofts Road and George Street. Unfortunately only the latter still survives today as Taz’s Fish Bar. Westfield Lakes Hotel was first established in 1964 by the Arnott family, in the buildings formerly part of Tomblesons’ brickyard. This business survived over the years until the building was destroyed by fire in the early 2020s.
The sixties was my era for popular music and vinyl discs were then the order of the day. Pinchbecks had more or less stopped selling records by the end of the sixties and the first record I bought was ‘Ride a White Swan’ by T. Rex, from Spencer Molloy on High Street. Vallances also operated a small electrical shop on George Street for a few years in the early seventies and I can remember buying several records from there.
Many more households had coal fires then and Barton was served by three coal merchants. Osgerbys on Waterside Road, Jack Greenwood on Whitecross Street, and Henry Musgrave (Armley) Ltd who operated from the Railway Station yard. Cliff Hastings of Barrow Haven and Bill Hebblewhite of Barrow also delivered within the town. The town’s gas supply came from a large gas holder on Dam Road, and the gas showroom and office was also situated on the site, manned by Bill Hunter at that time.
Local government in the sixties was administered by the Barton Urban District Council, with offices on High Street fronting the depot which was accessed off Maltby Lane. John Bott was the chief executive with Alan Johnson being the Surveyor and Jim Kirk the Public Health Officer. The Urban District Council were responsible for Highways and Housing within the town but education was under the umbrella of Lindsey County Council, based in Lincoln.
I hope these notes have rekindled memories for some people, and I should be pleased to hear other peoples’ recollections of this era. I hope nothing in this article has caused offence to anyone — all people mentioned in the article are remembered with genuine affection and no criticism or malice has been intended.