Shops of yore

Hi all My favourite Coventry shop has just moved there, from Trinity St. I wish the team in there all of the best.

I think the restaurant was called 'The Steak House' and was run by a chap who had a similar operation in Heath Road. It was one place where you could get drink after 10.30 and was opened before Berni Inns captured the steak market. The seats were in wooden stalls and it could get a bit boisterous late on with bread rolls flying over the stalls. It later became a Chinese restaurant.

Thanks for all those responses about Electronic Services. Stirred a few memories, particularly the photo of the old shop in Gosford Street from dutchman, as I would have a good look in the window before going in. I'd forgotten it was run by the Barton brothers, but now remember we referred to the shop as "Bartons". I do remember them wearing brown coats or jackets as an overall. They were helpful and I sometimes asked for advice when a circuit didn't work. Also went to REP in Much Park Street. They sold quite a lot of cheap surplus stuff, whereas Barton's stocked Radiospares of better quality and Mullard valves. Responding to Tony of RES, it is quite possible I bought the kit from you. I was usually served by a young man (probably in his twenties, though older than me as I was about 18) smartly dressed in a dark suit with drainpipe trousers (a la mode). I bought the stuff in 1966, and I recall being in the upper demonstration room viewing the loudspeakers on sale. You (I assume) asked if I would like to take a couple home (a Leak Sandwich and a Lowther unit) to try out over the weekend. I chose the Leak and you sold it to me for £30 in the sale, normal price about £40. Here's a photo of the Quad 22 preamp and the Leak Tuner, both still operational 46 years later. Have changed one or two valves over the years. Thanks for a fascinating trip down memory lane! Hugh

I presume these are mono as stereo broadcasts didn't begin the UK until 1967 and even then were restricted to the Third Network as it was called at the time?

This sounds like my old friend Reg Dennis, all us demolition guys enjoyed the steaks when he was in Heath Road, he made a salad dressing and boy was it nice with a big succulent steak. Reg eventually went to Australia and I heard that he passed on. Thanks for the memory Mick.

I think that would have been the manager; Graham West. He was a few years older than me, and although I always wore shirt/tie (and no doubt drainpipe trousers!) Graham always wore his suit jacket. And I'm sure he would have been the only one with the authority to allow you a "home trial" - it sounds like you got a good deal!

Repanco was the manufacturing side of R.E.P. in the late 1950's when I worked there, the shop was still in Much Park Street at that time. Before the move to Foleshill Road and becoming Repanco, the coil winding and kit manufacturing was carried out in a building opposite the shop in Much Park Street

Dixons were originally where the Travel Agent now is. I worked for them as an audio engineer. Our workshop was underground in a small room in Marks and Spencers basement next to their boiler room so it was extremely hot the whole year round. There was no air conditioning but a couple of fans which didn't do a lot. Access was via a staircase in the shop and if you didn't go out for lunch in winter you sometimes never saw daylight. The items for repair and collection were carried down a staircase at the back of M&S and down a long winding corridor. There were about ten of us down there and we also had our lunch down there. Most of us also smoked so you can imagine what the air quality was like but it was one of my favourite jobs mainly because of the people and discovering that I could actually be paid to repair things. Eventually M&S wanted their cellar back so we moved to a new warehouse unit in Napier Street. Much more space, above ground with windows but it was still as hot as the cellar.

Hi Dutchman, The Quad preamp is stereo, but you are right the Leak Tuner is mono, though I think they did make a stereo version. I converted mine to stereo in the early 70s by adding an IC decoder chip at the back end of the valve line-up. Still works fine.

That's very impressive Hugh. I once planned to convert an old Ferguson TV to full-stereo using a spare NICAM decoder but in the end bought a purpose-built NICAM stereo TV instead. I doubt very much I had the skill to achieve a successful conversion in any case. There's a funny story attached as well. The Coventry shop where I asked if they had a suitable TV for conversion didn't have one in stock when I asked. They then told me: "Come back tomorrow, we'll have one for you then". You can draw your own conclusions as to how they would acquire it! That particular shop ceased trading a long time ago but I'm still not going to name it as the three blokes who ran it looked pretty tough!

Hi does anybody remember there being a Newsagents/Tobacconist on Warwick Row in 1953/4. If so could anybody tell me where it would have been on Warwick Row and also what it was called. Thank you Tricia

I delivered papers in 1961 for Walter Adams whose newsagents and tobacconists shop was on Warwick Row - I think it was probably no.25, which is now Right Move, although I may be wrong I can recall that my dear old grandad used the shop for many years prior to that, and from my memories of the owner, I rather think he would have been there in 1954

Walter Adams was one of my great uncles.

Just found a brilliant 'virtual museum' site for Woolworths, I was obviously looking for Coventry, which they have details and photo's etc, old tills, building details, you can even choose and play 78's on a Juke Box. I clicked on the 50's photo's of the store layout, I didn't realise that fact that self-service was instigated due to the war and staff-shortage - oh by the way, I'm not on commission, just pleased to find it Woolworth's virtual museum

I have been having a look to see if I could have come up with some more info for you but only came up with the phone book info, which was Walter Adams, 27 Warwick Rd, I think they must have meant Row surely? Anyhow, my husband would like to know if anyone can remember another Tobacconist, he isn't saying that Mr Adams wasn't in situ there, but he reckons there was another one nearer, end of Warwick Row, where that canopy affair was or still is over the modern building on the corner on the same side. He said it was a quality old shop and doesn't think it was a Newsagent, and he thinks he got his first Meerschaum pipe from there and is adamant it wasn't from Mr Adams as this one was more on the corner. He said it was demolished by about 1960?