Southampton History Question

[saintscottofthenortham]

An amusing story I found out on Friday night;

 

Some of you might remember a shop on London Road called 'Hamilton Electronics'. A friend of mine's Dad ran this place with Mr Hamilton, at some point in the 70's they'd decided that they needed a cellar.

 

They set about digging down underneath the shop and had reached the street, being youngish and foolish, they thought the could get away with digging under the street by a few square meters to give themselves a bit more space.

 

All was good until, one day, a Post office van visiting the post office next door, parked-up and fell through the street. The council said "sort it out, or pay us to do it." - They chose to 'sort it out'.

 

So, in the cover of darkness they visited the shop and filled the street cavity with and old **** that they didn't want, old TVs, radios and anything else with a bit of mass. They then concreated over it and to this day they are all still there as a part of the structure of the pavement.

 

SSOTN likes this ^

[Saint-scooby]

What was the name of the other Electrical shop Mr G or Gibbs, there was one in Shirley and then on Marsh lane

[Kenilworthy]

Does anyone remember the fantastic toy shop on Shirley Road called Hilroys. It was where the car sales lot now is next to St Mark's School. It must have closed about 1967, It's also hard to believe that Currys was once one of the best toyshops in Southampton, in the 60s - they were where Maplins now is.

[bridge too far]

Does anyone remember the fantastic toy shop on Shirley Road called Hilroys. It was where the car sales lot now is next to St Mark's School. It must have closed about 1967, It's also hard to believe that Currys was once one of the best toyshops in Southampton, in the 60s - they were where Maplins now is.

 

I don't remember that, being from the east side of the city, but I do remember the Doll's Hospital at Six Dials. The dolls' eyes on display in the shop window used to scare me when I was a little girl

[rocknrollman no2]

Talking of toy shops,there used to be a good one in Woolston opposite the social club in Victoria rd.But i cant remember the name of it.

[NorthamSaint]

Does anyone remember the fantastic toy shop on Shirley Road called Hilroys. It was where the car sales lot now is next to St Mark's School. It must have closed about 1967, It's also hard to believe that Currys was once one of the best toyshops in Southampton, in the 60s - they were where Maplins now is.

 

I can remember Currys being there. Along with in later years along that row of shop, HMV and Mr Clive who sold leather jackets.

[redfred]

Talking of toy shops,there used to be a good one in Woolston opposite the social club in Victoria rd.But i cant remember the name of it.

 

Keith Pauls?

[Dr Who?]

There used to be an old toys shop at the top of Shirley High Street. It used to sell matchbox cars (old ones). This shop might even still be there?

[NorthamSaint]

There used to be an old toys shop at the top of Shirley High Street. It used to sell matchbox cars (old ones). This shop might even still be there?

it was

 

That was before the Precinct was there and it was close to the road and opposite Iceland (before Iceland was there). I can remember my mum taking me in there for Matchbox cars.

[rocknrollman no2]

Keith Pauls?

 

Thanks redfred.Thats been bugging me for ages.

[NorthamSaint]

There used to be an old toys shop at the top of Shirley High Street. It used to sell matchbox cars (old ones). This shop might even still be there?

 

Just thought, you're thinking about opposite Oxfam, that was a second hand toy shop.

[Hunty]

I can remember Currys being there. Along with in later years along that row of shop, HMV and Mr Clive who sold leather jackets.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vgBJK5vVP4

[NorthamSaint]

Few views of Southampton here, got to try to ignore the buses though http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCK4Pb0s8j4

[Jonnyboy]

[Jonnyboy]

[Jonnyboy]

[Jonnyboy]

[Jonnyboy]

[Jonnyboy]

[Jonnyboy]

[Big John]

this is like having one's lunch in a wetherspoons idly looking at the pics on the walls.

[NorthamSteve]

Talking of toy shops,there used to be a good one in Woolston opposite the social club in Victoria rd.But i cant remember the name of it.

 

I notice Keith Pauls is on here too but wasn't it once called Chasey's as well?

[Lets B Avenue]

 

Hate to be a pedant (they are a series of great photos BTW) but wasn't Stag Gates the entrance to The Inner Avenue, rather than Lodge Road as shown on the left?

[Big John]

Hate to be a pedant (they are a series of great photos BTW) but wasn't Stag Gates the entrance to The Inner Avenue, rather than Lodge Road as shown on the left?

 

Was it not originally the entrance to hunting ground which is now sort of portswood and either side of the current lodge road, which i understood to be named thus due to the hunting lodge in question was at the other end of that road, not far from that big metal sword thing by the lights. a later connection and perhaos more interesting for the real historian's on here would be that of king bevis' land, it would have stretched for miles around perhaps bordered on one side by the water and the other side by the new forest, to the north it may have included any land adjacent to the monksbook.

 

fresh running water was an important thing to be near as was somewhere to dump your crap, the solent is a great place to wash away all your rubbish, straight downtide to portsmouth. hail king bevis.

[Saint-scooby]

 

In one of the houses on the left pic is a Saints Gnome called Micheal named after Michael Antonio, a Christmas prestent I gave to a friend of mine.

 

Ken Russell used to live in that area when it was a slum

[Wurzel]

 

Brilliant:D Only yesterday my Mum was arguing with me about where that was (now in Bitterne Park Triangle of course). She said it was further up near the old bird aviary, I said exactly where it is in that picture. If only Icould get her to use a PC I could point out her error

[Wurzel]

I notice Keith Pauls is on here too but wasn't it once called Chasey's as well?

 

 

No Chaseys was further along Victoria Rd, did sell toys but more of a small gifts and nick-nacks shop. Keith Paul was a PROPER toy shop, with bikes, model railway lay outs, pretty much everything Toys rR Us has now but just on a smaller scale. Sadly disappeared not long after the big American shed arrived opposite the station - another great shop killed off by the "big boys"

[miserableoldgit]

Brilliant:D Only yesterday my Mum was arguing with me about where that was (now in Bitterne Park Triangle of course). She said it was further up near the old bird aviary, I said exactly where it is in that picture. If only Icould get her to use a PC I could point out her error

Perhaps it took a breather by the bird avery on its way to Bitterne Triangle

[Dimond Geezer]

Perhaps it took a breather by the bird avery on its way to Bitterne Triangle

 

Pedant Alert!!!

 

Bitterne Park Triangle.

[NorthamSteve]

[NorthamSteve]

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=1691

[NorthamSteve]

http://www.mediastorehouse.com/pictures_3883113/elephant-ride-southampton-zoo-hampshire-1950s-.html

[Deppo]

this is like having one's lunch in a wetherspoons idly looking at the pics on the walls.

 

It is, even down to the old drunks hanging around.

[NorthamSaint]

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=28402

[Trader]

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=28402

 

That's brilliant - complete with commentary from Mr Cholmondley-Warner

[Huntingdon]

Those comparison pictures from Jonnyboy are interesting

 

However, is it just me, or does the old Southampton look far more attractive than the modern one?

[Sheaf Saint]

Pedant Alert!!!

 

Bitterne Park Triangle.

 

Yes, most definitely a pedant.

 

I grew up around that area and went to school at Bitterne Park (which I assume you did too going by your username), and in all that time I never once heard the place referred to as Bitterne Park Triangle.

[Sheaf Saint]

Those comparison pictures from Jonnyboy are interesting

 

However, is it just me, or does the old Southampton look far more attractive than the modern one?

 

Yes it does. Unfortunately a lot of the city was given an unwanted facelift by German bombers and the concrete structures that sprang up in the following decades are nowhere near as pretty as the buildings that were destroyed during the war.

[um pahars]

Yes it does. Unfortunately a lot of the city was given an unwanted facelift by German bombers and the concrete structures that sprang up in the following decades are nowhere near as pretty as the buildings that were destroyed during the war.

 

I totally agree that those pesky Germans have quite a bit to answer for, but I also think we (probably mean the local authorities) didn't do ourselves any favours in the years following them. e.g. whenever I have a walk around the Old Town I still can't fathom out who agreed to have blocks of ugly flats to be built above the medieval vaults, who thought it would be a good idea to build shops and flats in front of the walls, why no restrictions were put on style of srchitecture permitted etc.

[Dimond Geezer]

Yes, most definitely a pedant.

 

I grew up around that area and went to school at Bitterne Park (which I assume you did too going by your username), and in all that time I never once heard the place referred to as Bitterne Park Triangle.

 

I'm correct, everybody else is wrong.

 

My gran lived in BP all her life & it would drive her mad when people started referring to it as Bitterne Triangle. Apparently this started in the early 70's. It makes sense though, the Triangle must be a couple of miles from Bitterne & is synonymous with Bitterne Park.

Edited 21 February, 2011 by Dimond Geezer
clarification

[Dimond Geezer]

I never went to the zoo, but I believe it is on the site of what is now the Hawthorns Nature Centre. If I'm right, it must have been tiny, a couple of elephants & it would have been full up.

[bridge too far]

I'm correct, everybody else is wrong.

 

My gran lived in BP all her life & it would drive her mad when people started referring to it as Bitterne Triangle. Apparently this started in the early 70's. It makes sense though, the Triangle must be a couple of miles from Bitterne & is synonymous with Bitterne Park.

 

Hmm I remember it being called Bitterne Triangle in the 60s and I'd moved away by the 70s.

[um pahars]

I never went to the zoo, but I believe it is on the site of what is now the Hawthorns Nature Centre. If I'm right, it must have been tiny, a couple of elephants & it would have been full up.

 

It certainly wasn't Marwell, but I can remember them having a decent spread of animals - Lions, tigers, various monkeys, Giraffes, zebras, Hippos, Penguins, Sea Lions, Bears, but don't remember elephants!!!!

 

Not the mopsty salubrious of environments (and given today's standards it would be seen as a tad cruel).

[buctootim]

It certainly wasn't Marwell, but I can remember them having a decent spread of animals - Lions, tigers, various monkeys, Giraffes, zebras, Hippos, Penguins, Sea Lions, Bears, but don't remember elephants!!!!

 

Not the mopsty salubrious of environments (and given today's standards it would be seen as a tad cruel).

 

Anyone remeber the smoking chimp? It was part of the day out for a grown up to pass it one through the mesh (you could go right up to the cage)

[NorthamSteve]

It certainly wasn't Marwell, but I can remember them having a decent spread of animals - Lions, tigers, various monkeys, Giraffes, zebras, Hippos, Penguins, Sea Lions, Bears, but don't remember elephants!!!!

 

Not the mopsty salubrious of environments (and given today's standards it would be seen as a tad cruel).

 

It was a holding pen for Chipperfield circus animals and we all know their record for animal cruelty.

[NorthamSteve]

Anyone remeber the smoking chimp? It was part of the day out for a grown up to pass it one through the mesh (you could go right up to the cage)

 

Yea, she works in my office now.

[buctootim]

I totally agree that those pesky Germans have quite a bit to answer for, but I also think we (probably mean the local authorities) didn't do ourselves any favours in the years following them. e.g. whenever I have a walk around the Old Town I still can't fathom out who agreed to have blocks of ugly flats to be built above the medieval vaults, who thought it would be a good idea to build shops and flats in front of the walls, why no restrictions were put on style of srchitecture permitted etc.

 

There is an excuse for the 1950s and 60s buildings - lack of money. But many of the buildings allowed since then are mostly either ugly or just generic. compared to somewhere like Brighton the Southampton planners have a lot to answer for.

[buctootim]

Yea, she works in my office now.

 

Ask her to send my dads lighter back.

Edited 21 February, 2011 by buctootim

[Gemmel]

I never went to the zoo, but I believe it is on the site of what is now the Hawthorns Nature Centre. If I'm right, it must have been tiny, a couple of elephants & it would have been full up.

 

Ahh Southampton Zoo, fond memories... Not!

 

Stupid little ****ing otter, I was 11, of course I was going to put my finger in.

 

I thought of that man-eating rodent, when they binned the zoo.. little bastard

[70's Mike]

Hmm I remember it being called Bitterne Triangle in the 60s and I'd moved away by the 70s.

 

Just THE TRIANGLE, to me