DIY shops

Hi all, I have a visit to Shepherds DIY to make soon in Broad Lane, for a piece of cut chipboard. This brought back memories of Saturday morning visits to wood yards & hardware shops that were everywhere at one time. Where I grew up in Sewall Highway, one hardware family, Seckingtons, had two shops within a mile of each other. Also coming to mind is my memories of the 'Practical Householder' magazine which we had at home. The back cover always had a huge advert for 'Congo-wall', a hybrid lino that went on walls rather than floors. Has DIY now changed to flat-pack technology?

Yes Philip, that is why I have a draw full of different sizes of Allen keys. Haven't a clue where each one fits. At least there is no more thumb banging! Just adding to the above. I remember Congo Wall. I am sure that is what we had at Mum & Dad's place in the bathroom in Beake Avenue. The pattern was white tiles half way up the wall with a black trim along the top. It came in a roll and dad made such a good job of it he went up as far as the light switch but had to cut some off and it had dried so hard he had to chisel a piece off. So we had to look at that every time we entered the bathroom!

A good shot of a DIY shop in Gosford Street, it boasts as being a 'walk around store'. It looks a substantial property, wonder what it was before?

It had been a fireplace showroom.

Thanks Dutchman, there appears to be some 'bill-boarding' to the left. I thought at first it was a detached property but do you think there was bomb damage next door as the side to the left is rendered?

I bought a fireplace there in 1990!

Yes Foxcote . The front of Nos 25-27 were destroyed in the war. No 25 (Lindon the grocer) was rebuilt as a single storey lean-to. Nos 26 & 27 were replaced by a large advertising hoarding. Mr Lindon's widow used to dump all her empty boxes behind the hoarding The gap between Nos 25 and 26 was the entrance to Court #11. The rear of Nos 25-27 survived the bombing but were condemned and pulled down shortly after this pitcure was taken. No 25 and rear of Nos 25-17 The owner of No 27 wanted to rebuild the street frontage as retail units but was blocked by the council who were then forced to pay him compensation from a secret fund used for the purpose.

Hi all It was the prospect of visiting Shepherds DIY store in Broad Lane that prompted me to start this thread. Well, today, I bought my 2x3, half inch chipboard, which they cut into three pieces for me. Total cost £2.10p. Worth the effort of getting there & returning from Holbrooks. The shop still resembles a hardware shop, rather than a warehouse & you can still buy loose items. It remains my favourite DIY store & most of the construction materials for our railway have come from there. Do any of you know anywhere else that still trades in much the same way? ps. The worst part of visiting the shop is the lack of parking, other than in a nearby street. It's amazing what you can get on a bus though, the No 10 is very convenient & soon, the new Outer Circle route 360 will pass the shop.

Hi Philip. I lived near Les Shephard's and I don't know about you but I find it is not as good as it was, they seem to be concentrating more on kitchens etc. I knew Les when he worked at Morris Engines and I did not know that he was a Submariner whilst in the forces, I only found out when I was at the Memorial Park and and noticed he has a plaque by one of the trees, I found this unusual because he was a big tall guy and a Sub is not the place to be if you are tall, all in all a nice chap to have known - RIP Les.

Of course the spelling is Les Sheppard. He also used to have a shop/warehouse at 268 Alderman's Green Road. The building is still there but hasn't been open as a shop for many years, though the business might well still own it.

Hi all Once in a while, I come across an item that I believe is more useful than most of its look-a-likes. This at £11 does not come cheap, but it appears to be about as good as it gets without an electrician to install a four socket set. It secures itself well with adjustable back supports, does not cover an existing side socket & still leaves the socket that it is plugged into free to use.

Yes Philip looks like a nice bit of kit and would be useful in tidying the pc cables where current demand is low.

Just what I need for my new place, two of them actually. I will keep my eye open now. Thanks for showing Philip. Hope you are enjoying your new kitchen.

Hi Norm Hi Dreamtime I believe that you are spot on there regards low current consumption. We have loads of multi adapters nowadays for audio, fancy lighting & so on but all low current. In my growing up days, before PVC coated ring main installations, five amps was the maximum safe load from the old standard round pin sockets. When the new standard building regs for power came in for ring mains electric, so as to distinguish 5amp from the new 13amp, the standard square pin was decided on. Nowadays that is sad as, square pin to square socket does not make as good an electrical contact as round pins to a rounded socket. If anyone uses a device that is ten amps in total from a square pin socket, even if it is new & good quality, both the plug & the socket become very warm after ten minutes or even hot. So yes, a timely warning there Norman. The adapter for our use is for fancy lighting in the new dining room here. We have timer switches to bring the lights & a wireless on. Now I have given away our security secrets.