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Going shopping in the 1950s

by Sylvia Webborn

More: Shopping Down the Years Collection >

We explore the shops from Southend, along The Dunns to Newton Road and up to Chapel Street.

If you lived in Southend, many people found that they had no need to go as far as the village as everything they needed could be obtained nearby.

Starting from The George Public House:

The Post Office, Gladstone café, Hazel Hole (chicken on spits) Pelosi’s café, can you remember the next shop?, Hall’s vegetable shop, Owen’s milk, Smale’s veg, Eastman’s the Butcher, Chrissie Skinner, Grocery; Rees the bakers; Home Way Café; Dick Barton’s fish and chips; Owen the fishmonger; Scott ice cream/café /Alf’s café / later the Bees’ Knees Restaurant;

Ceaton’s newsagent; Macnamara Grocery. There was also a taxi office, Bookies and shoe repair shops, although later the premises were taken over by Macnamara when they extended their shop; Mary’s café / sweet shop.

G. & C. Pelosi Southend Café

Taken around 1919, this photo shows the family in windows and Giuseppe & Maria Carmela Pelosi at the door

Still outside the main shopping area, in Cornwall Place were Fulford’s grocery; Sometimes however, you wanted to venture further.

Pelosi family picnic in Mumbles 1930s from Robert Dickie Rhodes , with his grandmother Camela 5th from R & mother on Left in spotted dress.

Tivoli Fruit Shop

Tivoli Confectioners and Tobaconist, owned by Peter and Edwina

Walking towards the centre, past the bowling green you came to Meesen Sweets; Tivoli Garage; Lewis sweets; Batcup veg and grocery; Kemps (later Somerfield’s supermarket / Kwick Save / Co-op then Mountain Warehouse ); Post Office; Unitage Grocery; K’s Café; Jack Jones Baker/ Strawford’s Baker; Boots the chemist.

Across the Square into the seaward side of The Dunns:

Forte’s ice cream parlour; Matthews’ jeweller; Art and Craft; Harry Libby travel Agent / Carpet Shop; Oddfellows hall; Miss Killa’s shoe shop; Johnsons the Cleaner; Hugh Henderson, the Photographer; Tucker, the Newsagent; Lloyd’s Bank; SOS shoe Repairs; Café / Harry Libby

Back along the landward side of The Dunns:

Sanders, Greengrocery; Collier’s Café; Donald Bryan, Photographer; Eric Owen, Garage; Peachey’s, grocery; Nag’s head Public House; Costa / later Dark Horse Public House, Co-op, Furniture and Clothes; Ace the Butcher, later Woodley’s; Davies the Cobbler, Whitford, shoes and handbags; later Joshua's Barbers, with Taylors, the Grocer on the corner.

Boots and Fortes both stand at oppisite sides of the entrance to Oystermouth Square

Eric J. Owen at Dunns Garage

Sanders Corner, 1922

The same view in 1970, during second phase of the demolition of shops on the seaward side of The Dunns.

This shows Moss the Chemist & Reynolds Fish Shop alongside The White Roase Hotel.

Newton Road, with The White Rose, Bert Hughes (later Britton) The Jewellers and Reynold's the Fish Shop, c.1950

The Snack Shack had replaced Sanders on the corner of The Dunns and Newton Road.

The Alamo, The White Rose, Bert Hughes (later Britton) The Jewellers and the Fish Shop

Advert: The White Rose in earlier times.

Then starting at Sander’s Corner and into Newton Road:

Sanders became Jack Jones, Cake Shop / Shack Café / Alamo, the Leather shop and then a Computer shop

White Rose Public House

Bert Hughes, Jeweller / Britton, Jeweller

These premises have now all been amalgamated into the White Rose

Mumby James, fishmonger / Garner’s fishmonger

John Rosser, greengrocery / Peter Hall, green grocery

Cowley’s newsagent / Firth’s newsagent / Lewis News

Firth the newsagent at number 9, was owned by Tim and Sherry Firth, with shop assistants Mousie and Jean.

Charles Griffin, Grocery / Bryn Lewis, Clothes

Bowen, Grocery / Hughes Grocery / Jennifer Burt, Hairdresser / Vogue hairdresser

Cash Hardware

Dolly Smale, sweets / Off Licence

Tucher’s music / Tom Macnamara / Mumbles Electrics

Mrs Hayes, Wool Shop (assistant Mrs. Cummings) / Holt’s sweets / Travel Agent

Wallace Shoe Shop / Killa Shoe Shop / Whitford’s shoe shop

Rosser’s Butchers / Johnson’s Dry Cleaners

Miss Davies, Swansea Bakers / Strawbridge Baker / Sweetman’s Baker

Maypole Grocer / Baker’s vegetable shop / treasure

Beynon’s Plumbers / Treasure

Beynon Toy Shop / Betty Sanders greengrocery / treasure

Cowley's Newsagent, c1955

Inside Cowley's Newsagents, 1953

Mrs Hayes outside her store

Across Walters’ crescent:

Varley the Chemist / Newbury, the Chemist

Castleton:

Harry Baker / Reed roast chicken / Indian??/ Covelli's fish and chips/Francescos Fish & Chips

Across Chapel Street:

Chanter’s Hardware

Daniel’s the grocer

Brocks sweet shop

Miss Nora’s Clothes

Moriarty’s Clothes

China Shop

Clothes Shop

Eynon’s Bakery

Irene Sheldon, Hairdresser

Reed veg

organ shop

Newbury Pharmacy

Across Stanley Street:

Star Supply

Across the road and down the hill again:

George’s Sweets / Selwyn Shute ( school ‘tuck’ shop)

Hairdresser

Daniel, Dentist

Gift Shop

Book Shop

Newsagent and Silas Macey, Barber / Castle news

An early advert for STAR Supply

Castleton Walk Arcade pictured in 2012, The building was opened in July 1927 as the Regent Cinema and later it was a nightclub, known as The Casino / Showboat / Tiffany’s / Knuts / Studs / Howard’s / and Bentley’s.