16 replies to this topic

[glenda]

Having gone to live in the States, I guess I was pretty much tied up in the present, although I would think about my home town from time to town. One of the most vivid memories was of when I was a teenager, and I used to hang around the old market on a Saturday. I would help out on a stall that sold costume jewelry. I thought the lady who owned it was a gipsy. She had big earrings and a headscarf, and certainly looked like you'd imagine a gipsy to be. She didn't pay much, but I enjoyed the atmosphere in the market. It was on the far side of the ring road. At the end of it was a brick wall, and there was a big gap where the wall had been broken down. If you stepped through the gap, you were on the canal bank. It used to always be misty from the steam caused by hot water from a factory discharging into the canal. If you put your hand in the water, it was quite warm, even in the winter. When it was getting dusk, the stallholders would light those kerosene pressure lanterns, which made a hissing sound. You had to keep pumping them from time to time or they'd go out. That was one of my jobs. The stallholders were real colorful, and there was always banter between them and the customers. Especially a guy who sold plates and such-like. He said some real naughty things, but I guess I was a bit young, and a lot of it went over my head. Happy times.

[kes]

i bet you know dicko then glenda,when he was a kid, he ran three or four stalls, all at the same time,?

[Dave D]

kendy, on Jan 13 2007, 08:19 AM, said:

i bet you know dicko then glenda,when he was a kid, he ran three or four stalls, all at the same time,?

Dont you be giving away my miss spent youth.

[kes]

ok then one stall,

[gypsygeoff]

Our next door neighbours had a couple of fruit stalls on the Market, one outside the covered market and one near roberts pie stall.

[Carr Millite]

Your next door neighbours from here or from there Geoff?
My Mum worked on one.
Sure it was called Dainty's. Think the owner was called Billy.
I'll ask her.
Not the one on the front, the one nearer the back.

[gypsygeoff]

From back in the UK millite,their name was Thompson.Paddy, had one stall and his Daughter Mary had the other.

[blonde15]

glenda

there is a photo of the "hotties" in the st helens photos of the canal on this site if u want to see it

Edited by blonde15, 15 January 2007 - 11:41 PM.

[brunty]

any one remember the old men sitting in their chain driven wheelchairs parked near the tea stall.

[Alan]

Remember how those old guys in their two-stroke wheel-chairs, WW1 veterans I imagine, used to get a touch-line spec at Saints?

[Griffin]

bruntyed, on Jul 11 2007, 09:39 PM, said:

any one remember the old men sitting in their chain driven wheelchairs parked near the tea stall.

Brunty, I started a thread on these strange contraptions a few months ago. I imagine they were provided by the Ministry of Health, as they would have been expensive (my recollection is that they looked extremely well-made), yet I don't recall seeing their like anywhere else. Just these two, usually together near the old market in Bridge Street. I can't remember how big the wheels were, or even how many they had (minimum of two, obviously) but they were propelled by two hand-driven cranks at about shoulder height. I saw one of them freewheeling down Bridge Street one day, going like the clappers of hell, with the crank handles flying round, and divil a worry on him. Don't know what sort of brakes were fitted, but I hope it had some.

[brunty]

hi griff, one of the men lived in the flat over helena house,his name was albert rimmer his brother was harold the ex mayor of st.helens who was security man at helena house.
alberts buggy had two large wheels at front with chains and cogs going to two small rear wheels.i am going back 40yrs ago but the two of em were there every day.

[Voll]

I seem to remember they had two largish wheels at the back and a smaller, single, wheel at the front for steering.

Edited by Voll, 12 July 2007 - 06:17 PM.

[eddiedunc]

That was one version. The other version had two large and two small at the front. When I was a lad a man in Chadwick Rd named Stephenson/Stevenson had one. He lived at No. 98. How's that for a memory?

[woodsman]

In the early mid fifties there used to be an elderly lady came down peter st in a chair with two little handles by the shoulders, she always had a travelling blanket over her knees. For some reason i believe it only had one wheel at the front, but this was a long time ago so i wouldn't swear to it.