Allan's Fish and Chip Shop
 

My nephew has just sent the attached photo, apparently from 1965 of Allan's fish and chip shop and cafe in Amble. I must have a blank spot because I can't remember it at all....Gino's yes and the Harbour but not Allan's. Somebody will know where it was, I'm sure and help my addled brain :)

Allan's as I knew it, could be mistaken, was where Ken's Autos now is. Had many a lunch takeaway in the early 80s there before they moved over to Queen st. But that is not the location of the photo, need to think on that one!

Now I can remember a fish and chip shop on Church Street....but you're right it doesn't look like that. Bottom end somewhere?

If I had to guess it would be around 10 Leazes st before they were demolished, next to the railway bridge? opposite where the Harbour chip shop is now.

I think it is Kens Auto Parts, now opened up with large shop windows. Must have been some demolition at the end there?

[edit: I've added both images hope you don't mind Janwhin]

Yep, Dad reckons it is Church st, what threw me is that 7 church st, demolished late 60s and now our garage, had a walkway through to the Waterloo etc but that must be just off picture to left. I see you beat me to it with google street view!!

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.33...MQ!2e0!6m1!1e1


The demolition was Amble Urban DC council's attempt at creating an updated town centre in the early 70s, the ultimate plan I am told was to continue down Church st with the demolitions in order to create parking/access etc to the main street - Queen st.

This raises a question I never thought to ask - if this was built when the window tax was in place, why bother with the bricked up windows at all, - did they think it might be repealed and design the building so windows could be added/opened up?

Allans chip shop.
 

A fish and chip shop had been where Kens Autos are now from time immemorial, in my "kenning" it was run by Edger and Bessie Wood. That was as far back as the 1940's until the late 60's possibly early 70's when Allan took it over. There was actually a potato chrisp factory there also for a while and the picture on the packet was an owl whose eyes were the two "O"s in Woods chrisps. As far back as the 1930's it was in the ownership of a fellow called "Chalkie Bill" I believe.
As for the photo it could be, as you say, Leazes Street or there were some more houses next to the chip shop, upwards, where Youngs entrance now is. There were possibly at least two before an alleyway through to their backlane and giving access to the back of the Waterloo or "Besfords" as it was known in the old days. After the demolition of these houses the land stood empty for years, Gordon Olliver from the Waterloo used to park his car on it. It was then aquired by Holydogs father, built on and the entrance to the backlane moved nearer Kens place. Above the chip shop were two flats and they used the same entrance as the shop.

It's quite a change that's for certain, it was just the long ridge of sandstone running the length in the centre that gave the game away for me!

Much more attractive building in those days.

Allans / Kens site was definitely a chip shop in the summer of 1983. They moved shortly after to Queen St, where Jones bakers was I think

Excellent record as ever Alan!

I knew you wouldn't let me down. Thanks very much. But you're right why would they have bricked up the windows?

It looks like the campaign to abolish the window tax gathered a head of steam in the 1830s and 40s when the medical profession weighed in opposing it on heath grounds. I assume these were built in that same period when it must have looked like it could be abolished, so perhaps they designed and built in that hope. (It was repealed in 1851)

In the 1934 directory there's a Miss Margaret Aitchison, fried fish dlr, 11 Church Street.

could that be the same building?

Allan's fish and chip shop.
 

Ref no 7 Church street.
This has cleared something up for me, as only a few weeks ago I noticed on the 1926 register, my grandparents Annie and Walter Wright living there with three other families.
In my lifetime they lived at no 19 Byron street, and I was born at 23.
Although I left Amble in the late 60's I make regular visits, and recently stood on church street trying to recall where no 7 would have been.
I was always aware of the chip shop being there, but Allan J has reminded me
in great detail what I had forgot about the demolition etc.
Many thanks,
George Gray.

Hi George, No 5 is the paint shop front, No 7 is the new garage, built on the waste ground after the previous demolition, No 9 is the next flat door down and No 11 is Kens Autos entrance

I haven't got my McAndrews book with me, but wasn't Church Street originally the Sea Lonnen or something like that? An 1830/40s build for these houses would be early in Amble's development and I notice they are on the 1860 OS map (but not the rest of Church Street). Do you think that horizontal stone work might have meant that these were originally single storey cottages from old Amble and were then "developed"?

Our shop at the back has the same horizontal stone from the top of queen st down to Rolands and I understand this area at the top of queen st / church st was built with the harbour development, perhaps the first of the "modern Amble". Our shop was built as a bothy for the harbour builders with a cooking range in the cellar, ground, first and loft areas. 5 church st at the back also a number of cooking ranges as well. Eraly 1840s is a build date I have heard before.

Your shop would have been part of Welch's Buildings I assume, Hollydog, erected 1841-1844. This was the top bit of Queen Street with the Waterloo and round the corner into Wellwood Street and then a block on the opposite side of Queen Street. It must have extended down into that top bit of Church Street if the horizontal stone work is common.

We are next door to the Waterloo, sounds right Jan. The first buildings of modern Amble? It would be interesting to find out, what do your maps say?