from Richard Gadsby
I was born at 119 Beeston Road, Dunkirk in December, 1936 and then lived from 1937 to October, 1956 at 66 Highfield Road, Dunkirk but Old Lenton as my parents styled it!
Gordon Harrison in his Abbey Street hairdressing salon.
I particularly remember The Co-op No 1 store near the garage on Abbey Street; No 2 store was on the corner of Church Street and Lenton Boulevard.
On Abbey Street was also The Ceylon Tea Stores run by the Davies who lived on Highfield Road. Mr and Mrs Norton had a shop on Clifton Boulevard which was situated in the front room of an ordinary house. They sold everything and they were a jolly, friendly couple who eventually retired to live at Lowdham.
Next door was Mrs Palin and the next to her was Taylor's Bakery. I used to buy hot bread rolls from there straight out of the oven.
Taylor's coal was processed in the yard next door as mentioned in the Beeston
Road article.
I used to have my hair cut at Harrisons on Abbey Street and when we were very young and restless Mr Harrison used to move his chair to the doorway so we could sit and watch the traffic go by.
The Co-op joinery works was behind Harrisons and we used to get saw dust for our rabbit from there.
In the arc of houses nearby was Evans fish and chips. I thought it was Cevans as the full stop was missing after the C. It took me years to realize my error.
Next to the Evans Mr Jewell had his cycle shop. My Mum bought me a 'new' bike from there during the war. It was an old one restored with new mudguards with stripes on them. I was so proud of it.
On the other side of Abbey Street was Pyms situated at the corner of Priory Street. They sold clothing, wellington boots etc.
Dunkirk Post Office at the corner of Beeston Road and Lace Street was a busy little place with jolly owners; I forget their names.
Mr Webb owned the sweet shop on Lace Street. He had an old Ford car.
The other side of the garage next to him was a butchers and on the corner of City Road was a greengrocers.
As well as Taylor's Bakery the Lokes had a bakery on the Clifton Boulevard end of City Road.
The shop on Montpelier Road opposite the school had a delivery of Smith's Crisps once a week and we regularly used to dash over to get a packet costing 2d.