Saltcoats Shops 40's or 50's

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Saltcoats Shops 40's or 50's

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From: "Margaret Lyons" <lyons@xxxx.com>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Friday, May 05, 2000
Subject: [3T] Saltcoats '40's or 50's

Hi! I'm just new to the list.
Your letters sent me on a mental walk down the town. Tell me where I went wrong, and fill in the blanks, please.

Start at the War Memorial corner and go down the west side of Hamilton St.

MacKay, baker...later Tortolano cafe
Cavani, cafe with great McCallums(!)..dish of ice cream smothered in
raspberry sauce.
Smith, baker
Mr. Campbell, dentist
Katherine Robertson, lady's wear
Neilson, draper &children's wear
Men's outfitter
Hairdresser
Angus McNicoll, licensed grocer
Chemist
Cafe Colette
Bicycle and radio shop(?)
Paper shop
Rennie Howie, butcher
Gregor Watson, electrician
Fish and chip shop
Breckinridge, hairdresser
Baker, (Thomson?)
R.S. McColl (?), sweeties
Regal Cinema
Car Park

Cross Windmill st.to Dockhead St.

Marshall, shoes
Fruit & Flowers (Flemings?)
Gebbies, butcher
Gibson, baker
Chemist
Duncan, menswear
McAllister, baker
Middle Duncan's, drapery
Lipton's or Maypole ????
Another cafe
Jeweller

Lane to braes

Fullerton, ironmonger
Saddlery
Wilkie, licensed grocer
Cox, chemist
Greenock Hosiery woolshop
Woolworth
Chemist (?)

Quay St., cross over to other side of Dockhead st.and start back.

Bottom Duncan's
Sweetie shop (M&M?)

Cross over Green St.

Ross's Dairy
Hannah, shoe shop
Lipton or Maypole ????
Napier
Bank
Flower shop

Cross Chapelwell St.

Cinema booking office
La Scala cinema
Jock Fleming's garage
Dr. Arnott
Shop
Shoe repair(?)
Bank and some cottages
Hutchison fruit and vegetables
fish $ Chip shop
Houses, Bank(?), Church
War Memorial

That's it. Missing are Scoular's, grocer.
Maggie Arnott"s Fruit shop
Orr, the Jeweller
Hepworth---and others, no doubt. Where were the fish shops?
Margaret



From: "TLHanlon" <tommy_h_mentor@xxxx.net>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Friday, May 05, 2000

Margaret,
It is certainly a long time since you have been in Saltcoats. Very few of the places you mentioned are still there. In their place is a lot of cheap stores which in MHO has done nothing to enhance Saltcoats. It's funny but last year when I was back I met a friend just at the corner of Green St and Dockhead St and we remarked how the town has changed and " NOT FOR THE BETTER". They don't even have a picture house any more the nearest one is in Irvine.
Regards
Tommy Hanlon


From: "Hugh McCallum" <hewmac@xxxx.com.au>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Sunday, May 07, 2000

Margaret that walk you took us on was known in the 1950s and 60s as the "Monkey Walk". (Sunday night only) lasses and lads from the three towns would walk up and down Hamilton Street, Dockhead Street and Countess Street. It'd be interesting to know how long this had been going on and if it still goes on?

Returning to the Melbourne café (Tortolano's café) if in the Summer we'd have a Coke - buy a warm one at the counter and place it in the machine pull the leaver and pick the cold coke that appeared at the base. If in the Winter we'd order a hot orange cordial - our Australian kids don't believe us!

Regards a McCallum ice cream, (ice cream & raspberry) I'd be interested in knowing if locals called it that back then. I only heard the expression a few years ago. Thought it was only a Glasgow expression - but then we were all touched in some way by the "fair fortnight".

Where is the Tallie"s,
that I kent sae well
The wee corner shoppie
where they used tae sell

Hot peas, a McCallum,
ice cream, in a poke,
Ye kent they wur Tallies
the minit they spoke

Hugh McCallum


From: "Margaret Lyons" <lyons@xxxx.com>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2000

Thanks to all for filling in the blanks. That helped me to remember some of the other shops in town. Shopping was more fun in those days, time to chat plus a healthy walk in the sea air.

The Hamilton st. Parade was happening in late forties, didn't know it as "monkey". Tortolano's was nick-named The Gold-fish Bowl, probably because of the big windows, where the guys could sit in the corner watching all the girls go by!

Saltcoats Museum is worth a visit next time you are in the area. They have lots of photo albums which you can look through, and they will copy any pics. you wish, for a small fee. They have lots of class pictures from the local schools from way back when.
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