21 April 2002

The tie of the old school

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6 comments:

  1. Apologies for the stray code that wandered into the previous message. I deleted my first attempt because there was one line of junk, and when I re-posted, found even more. I hope it doesn't make the whole screed even more unreadable than it would otherwise be.

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  2. brilliant posting Chris, that's what I call real nostalgia, and yet you are one of the new boys! best regards, jim wishart    

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  3. Hi Chris   Wanna read the stream of nostalgia your posting provoked in my mind? No probably not but guess what? I'm gonna write it anyway.   We used to live next door to the Hulberts. Mr. Hulbert was a buyer at Sherriff and Ward so I remember that there was a Mr. Cooper who also worked there. I also recall that most of the clothes my Mum bought me there during the war had that "Utility" label in - "CC41", I wonder if anyone else remembers that?   I also remember Chaplins gunmakers. I tried to sell them my "Webley" air pistol to raise money for bike parts but they told me it had a bent barrel.   The "Bottoms Up" used to be the "Wincchester Cycle and Motor Cycle Company " or "Cycle Co" as we used to call it. In my pre- PSSW years, I lusted after Dinky Toys which returned to the shops, along with other exotic things like bananas, after the war. The other cool place to look-and-lust was "The London Bazaar" in the High Street. The manager there was another Mr. Marsh not related to the "military" barber in City Road. That Mr. Marsh always used to give me the most severe haircuts and furthermore didn't seem to know any jokes and unlike Bob Kemp in Market Street didn't stock "Leedo", "Ona" or "Durex Washable" (whatever were they?).   Do you remember I wonder when the Brooks Shopping Centre was an archaeological "Dig" (I mean the first time around - in the fifties)? It was the most exciting dig Winchester ever had, replete with mediaeval staircases and "Swastika" Roman mosaics.   Finally, there do not currently appear to be any Sunday Lunch places in Town that I would recommend and I am, in any case, about five years out of date, but there are a few around and about and I would particularly recommend the Sunday Roast at "The Rising Sun" Colden Common.   Peter Churchill    

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  4. Thanks for confirming that the Winchester of my memories isn't a complete figment, Peter!   You know, the name Hulbert does seem familiar - but maybe I'm just thinking of Jack (?) Hulbert the old film and theatre star. My parents are both dead now, so I can't check that one.   "Leedo", "Ona" or "Durex Washable" - I was never aware of these. It seems you had your eyes open more than I did, even if you didn't know what they were!   Best,   Chris

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  5. Listen, chaps, this nostagia thing can be dangerously dating and totally ruin one's street cred, if you know what I mean.  Yes, I spent many happy hours in the Cycle Co. looking at the model railway bits, the bikes, and all that wonderful stuff.  It was a handy place to wait for the ubiquitous 47 (I used to go to Chandlers Ford, but then we moved to St Cross).  The fare from Jewry St to St Cross went up to 4d - appalling! Whilst wandering around that area, has anyone noticed if the Shahee Mahal is still in City Road?  My first experience of a Bhoona Chicken was enjoyed in that wonderful emporium.  Almost opposite was James H. Marsh barbers shop.  He was a most creative chap - could handle any style you requested, but it always came out looking like a short back and sides.  It must have been something to do with that awful music in the background! It's really refreshing to know there are others around like me, who can remember back 30-40yrs but can't remember what you had for dinner yesterday!

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  6. You're from a later and more sophisticated generation than me, Bob. I'm not sure that there even were any Indian restaurants around in my days at PS - I certainly never went into one before my undergraduate days.   The height of sophisticated eating when I was at school was attained at lunchtime on Fridays, when some of us would buy fish and chips and take them back to school. We had to eat them unobtrusively, so we did it in the cloakrooms, while sitting on the hot-water pipes that ran along just above the floor beneath the rows of coat-pegs. Am I remembering that right? It seems a strange arrangement, yet eminently sensible for drying out wet raincoats. But it was hard to sit on them when they were scalding hot in winter ...

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