It would appear that I have been "named" as the person who started this thread with my Victorian Letters. Although I was born in Nottingham, I have quite a few connections with Leicestershire, apart from living here now. I used to be a trainee manager with F.W.Woolworth Ltd and started at their branch in Nottingham. Part of the training was that you moved around the region, and following stints in Northampton, Birmingham and Llandudno, I spent 2 years at the Loughborough store (where I met my wife to be) before moving to the Woolworths on Gallowtree Gate. This also had entrances on Halford Street - and just while this street is being mentioned, why is it pronounced in Leicester as Half-ord Street, rather than Hal-ford? At this time in 1968, this was one of the most modern of Woolworth stores. In contrast, the two other Leicester stores, in The Market Place and on Belgrave Road (opposite BUSM) still had the wooden floors and the old style of counters, and by comparison were antiquated. Later in my career I worked in sales, firstly in Grocery, then Wines and Spirits, and latterly Greeting Cards, so the mention of such stores as Lewis's, Morgan and Squires, Midland Educational, Simpkin & James etc all brought back memories of selling to these various outlets. When I used to work at Woolworths Leicester, I used to street park my car close by the old Railway Goods Station - was it Samuel Street? We then walked to the store and I recall having to go past an animal hide factory, or was it a tannery. Somewhere around Rutland Street it would have been, but my knowledge of old Leicester streets is not good. There used to be animal skins lying around inside the open gates and the smell was awful. Brian Binns -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Graham Jennings Sent: 19 February 2012 20:44 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [LEI] memories Anybody remember the small Woolies (Woolworths) in the market place, with it's rickety wooden escalator at the right hand side as you went in? .My dad used to send us there to get shoe repair materials.It smelled old and of wood polish . Graham -----Original Message----- From: Lesley Chaney Sent: Sunday, February 19, 2012 5:42 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [LEI] memories Hi Listers, A shop that hasn't been mentioned is a gift shop that I think was called Spalls, on Gallowtree Gate when I moved to Leicester in 1961. Soon after it moved to High Street and closed a few years later, which caused a flood of letters to the Leicester Mercury bemoaning its loss. It always seemed very busy so its closure came as a bit of a shock. >From what everyone has written, it seems the shops in Leicester in the post-war years were still as Victorian as those in London. I re-experienced all those smells at Flambards in Cornwall, where they have constructed a Victorian town centre with amazing detail, even to those smells. Lesley ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2112/4817 - Release Date: 02/18/12 ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2112/4817 - Release Date: 02/18/12 ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2113/4820 - Release Date: 02/19/12

Hi, Brian, I think I was the first to "name" you as the originator of this interesting discussion going on with the sharing of your letters. The site was pretty quiet for quite awhile, and your letters sparked a lot of personal memories of Leicester and surrounding areas that I think have rejuvenated the members and reminded us all that genealogy is important; but putting our ancestors' lives in context as much as possible allows us to understand them and the lives they led more fully. I think the discussion about list members' personal recollections is marvelous. We are preserving memories before they are lost to time or physical disability--exactly as it should be. To honor the past, we need both the technical details from our ancestors's lives and details about the times and places in which they lived. Thank you for so gently and eloquently reminding us of that fact. My grandfather was born in Hugglescote and grew up there before moving to Barnsley to follow coal mining opportunities. He emigrated to the USA in 1883. Being an American, I really have no idea most of the time about the dialect or the places being discussed. I still find all of the discussion fascinating, and I am reading every word. What strikes me the most is my realization that even though the words and the place names might be different--my personal memories of growing up in a small town in the central United States are virtually the same. We are separated by geography and governments, but it is remarkable how much the human condition over time periods remains the same! My second observation is that I think, through this memories discussion, we are beginning to put human faces on the members of the list which can only strengthen the bonds that tie us together as family historians--and that can only be a good thing as we strive to help each other with our common goals. I can't wait for June to finish her collating project! --Carolyn, in Minnesota, USA -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Brian Binns Sent: Monday, February 20, 2012 1:12 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [LEI] memories It would appear that I have been "named" as the person who started this thread with my Victorian Letters.

Hear Hear Carolyn well said Margaret On 20/02/2012 14:46, Charles Sidebottom wrote: > Hi, Brian, > I think I was the first to "name" you as the originator of this interesting > discussion going on with the sharing of your letters. The site was pretty > quiet for quite awhile, and your letters sparked a lot of personal memories > of Leicester and surrounding areas that I think have rejuvenated the members > and reminded us all that genealogy is important; but putting our ancestors' > lives in context as much as possible allows us to understand them and the > lives they led more fully. I think the discussion about list members' > personal recollections is marvelous. We are preserving memories before they > are lost to time or physical disability--exactly as it should be. To honor > the past, we need both the technical details from our ancestors's lives and > details about the times and places in which they lived. Thank you for so > gently and eloquently reminding us of that fact. > > My grandfather was born in Hugglescote and grew up there before moving to > Barnsley to follow coal mining opportunities. He emigrated to the USA in > 1883. Being an American, I really have no idea most of the time about the > dialect or the places being discussed. I still find all of the discussion > fascinating, and I am reading every word. What strikes me the most is my > realization that even though the words and the place names might be > different--my personal memories of growing up in a small town in the central > United States are virtually the same. We are separated by geography and > governments, but it is remarkable how much the human condition over time > periods remains the same! > > My second observation is that I think, through this memories discussion, we > are beginning to put human faces on the members of the list which can only > strengthen the bonds that tie us together as family historians--and that can > only be a good thing as we strive to help each other with our common goals. > > I can't wait for June to finish her collating project! > --Carolyn, in Minnesota, USA > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Brian Binns > Sent: Monday, February 20, 2012 1:12 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [LEI] memories > > It would appear that I have been "named" as the person who started this > thread with my Victorian Letters. > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > ----- > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2113/4820 - Release Date: 02/19/12 > >

Brian, if you are responsible for this thread it is very much appreciated - by many people, judging by the emails coming in. We all enjoy a bit of nostalgia! Jan in Oz ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brian Binns" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, February 20, 2012 6:11 PM Subject: Re: [LEI] memories > It would appear that I have been "named" as the person who started this > thread with my Victorian Letters. > Although I was born in Nottingham, I have quite a few connections with > Leicestershire, apart from living here now. > I used to be a trainee manager with F.W.Woolworth Ltd and started at their > branch in Nottingham. Part of the training was that you moved around the > region, and following stints in Northampton, Birmingham and Llandudno, I > spent 2 years at the Loughborough store (where I met my wife to be) before > moving to the Woolworths on Gallowtree Gate. This also had entrances on > Halford Street - and just while this street is being mentioned, why is it > pronounced in Leicester as Half-ord Street, rather than Hal-ford? At this > time in 1968, this was one of the most modern of Woolworth stores. In > contrast, the two other Leicester stores, in The Market Place and on > Belgrave Road (opposite BUSM) still had the wooden floors and the old > style > of counters, and by comparison were antiquated. > > Later in my career I worked in sales, firstly in Grocery, then Wines and > Spirits, and latterly Greeting Cards, so the mention of such stores as > Lewis's, Morgan and Squires, Midland Educational, Simpkin & James etc all > brought back memories of selling to these various outlets. > > When I used to work at Woolworths Leicester, I used to street park my car > close by the old Railway Goods Station - was it Samuel Street? We then > walked to the store and I recall having to go past an animal hide factory, > or was it a tannery. Somewhere around Rutland Street it would have been, > but > my knowledge of old Leicester streets is not good. There used to be animal > skins lying around inside the open gates and the smell was awful. > > Brian Binns > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Graham > Jennings > Sent: 19 February 2012 20:44 > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [LEI] memories > > Anybody remember the small Woolies (Woolworths) in the market place, with > it's rickety wooden escalator at the right hand side as you went in? .My > dad > > used to send us there to get shoe repair materials.It smelled old and of > wood polish . > Graham > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Lesley Chaney > Sent: Sunday, February 19, 2012 5:42 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [LEI] memories > > Hi Listers, > > A shop that hasn't been mentioned is a gift shop that I think was called > Spalls, on Gallowtree Gate when I moved to Leicester in 1961. Soon after > it > moved to High Street and closed a few years later, which caused a flood of > letters to the Leicester Mercury bemoaning its loss. It always seemed > very > busy so its closure came as a bit of a shock. > >>From what everyone has written, it seems the shops in Leicester in the > post-war years were still as Victorian as those in London. I > re-experienced > all those smells at Flambards in Cornwall, where they have constructed a > Victorian town centre with amazing detail, even to those smells. > > Lesley > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without > > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > ----- > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2112/4817 - Release Date: 02/18/12 > ----- > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2112/4817 - Release Date: 02/18/12 > ----- > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2113/4820 - Release Date: 02/19/12 > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > ----- > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2113/4822 - Release Date: 02/20/12 >