Ye Olde Walter Wilson's Amble
 

Wonder what this place is going to look like after its revamp??

think they built the pyramids at Giza in less time :D (just kidding)

I have seen the shopfront joinery drawings (local contractors are being used where possible which is very commendable) and coupled with the building work this should produce a very impressive frontage.

I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised with the result as lots of old photos are being used for the manufacturing details.

As for the time its taking, I understand the building was in very poor repair and virtually everything from the chimneys, roof down to the cellars has had to be gutted and renewed. Amble sandstone is as brittle as Radcliffe brick is hard! and, unfortunately that part of Amble is sandstone based, say no more

Both English Heritage (with a modest grant package I understand) and the landlord (to whom it is costing a fortune) deserve praise for having faith in, and investing in Amble.

Sounds like it's going to be a nice job. The old co-op was under wraps for a long time too and it's turned out quite congruous. This one might be more visually influential as it's often the first frontage you see visiting Queen Street. (you'll have to ignore the building opposite though!)

Have to admit - had to look up congruous in the dictionary !!
Yes, the old Co-op has provided an interesting frontage, in keeping with the heritage of the street, lets face it, its a massive improvement on the empty modern faced shops that were there.

I seem to remember as a child that there was a Hovis bakery a few shops down?Remember the little loafs with Hovis on!!

Hovis shop.
 

Yes it was "Kanes" cafe and bakers shop, they had a bakery through the archway below Kens autoparts on church street and wheeled the produce through the alleyway which then existed where Young the painters shop / garage is now.

8 Queen st, next door to the Waterloo, was Charlie Chisholm bookies until 1982 when it was acquired to extend Youngs' Church st shop. It had accomodation and cooking ranges on 4 floors - cellar to attic - from when it was built to house workers building the harbour 150 odd years ago.

The hoardings should be removed this week - the Wellwood elevation was painted today, the Queen st side is almost complete for painting

Yes , I wonder who's going to take one of the shops ..............maybe Lawrence's ............they have a shop on every street !

Only jesting ......I get alot of things from there , they do seem to stock a lot of stuff ............just like Smailes in Morpeth .

Smailes
 

Was that a barbers shop down queen street?

Smailes barbers.
 

This barber shop was in the shop that is now an insurance office just up from the card and gift shop. The only other barber in Amble was Ned Archbold and he was in the shop that has recently been taken over by Shaws shoe shop next to Herons. The area occupied by Herons was open land fenced off and Ackroyd and Hogg the drapers was next then the police station and court was where the tanning shop and Trotters are now.
The shop up from what was Smailes barbers was Thompsons Stores, a grocers which was originally based where Cliffwell garage is now. I started there in 1956 as a 13 year old delivery boy, evenings and Saturdays, on ten shillings a week (50 p) plus tips. We moved to the Queen Street shop in 1957 I left school in 1958 and handed the delivery job on to a mate. By then the pay had risen to 12/6, (62.5P)

Queen Street Shops
 

I haven't heard anyone mention the Meadow Dairy, used to be further down from Walter Wilsons. Lovely marble tops.

Also, wasn't Penrose a barber up above Faggs?

Meadow Dairy.
 

Was in the shop which is now the card shop just below Roland the butchers and Penrose's was the shop just below the Tavern which is at the moment part of Lawrences. Penrose was a radio and television shop with a barbers in the back room, I forgot this when I claimed Smailes and Ned Archbold were the only barbers of that time. Incidently the premises which are now the Tavern were a funiture shop run by a family named Fagg and the TSB building was a toy shop and lending library run by a man called Hughes who later had the Dock PH. The solicitors office next to the TSB was the Midland bank and Jeanette's the ladies hairdressers was next before Billy Stokoe's sweety shop , now Chapmans. The legendary Miss Muriel Usher had a chemists in what is now Northcut hairdressers the Blue Kettle milk bar was next followed by Fenty Taylor's drapery and Charlton's dairy, now JK Crafts.

Here's an oldie from Penrose's.

Vera Lynn "Over the Hill"

http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...rose_amble.jpg

Old Walter Willsons.
 

They are removing the shutters from here today, Tuesday 10th April, looks like a very good job done.

Nice job.

(photo just for you Brownknees, as you're not going to see it next time you go for a loaf of bread like the rest of us!)



http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...ood_street.jpg




you know what happens when you make a clean spot?....you've got to bash on and do the rest....

http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...een_street.jpg

the original photographer must have been taller than me.

http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...od_street2.jpg

Bread!
 

Yes well I have been in there a few times but many years ago!!So around in Church street near the top was a chippy ,was it Hendersons?Now I was there every week at least once!!
I was in Amble in October last visiting an old friend and of course had a look at my old Grans house(rented)number 23 Church street which is now a second hand shop,the top floor was boarded of and that belonged to the drapers shop in Queen street so it ran all the way back to it(probaly for stock).Down the small alley on the left of 23 were two flats(maybe 3)and a communal laundryroom with a boiler ,mangle posh tub etc!One family (if memory is correct)was a mrs French who had a daughter married to a RAF man,I think she was Maltese?The other flat was an old lady I dont remember her name.I could not get down thinto the yard for junk!!num 23 had gas lights and no bathroom although there was an outside flush Loo(now knocked down ),I remember electricity being installed and coming back from school my gran took me round each room and showed me the switchs!!!

church street
 

The occupant of the wee house next to Mrs French was Mrs English !! Next to Mrs English was the washhouse with a gigantic mangle!

Now, the Meadow Dairy ... 2 choices of cheese, red or white. Brenda ? Used to come to our house taking an order for groceries from my mam. If we were home, we would beg for Cremola Foam and Cadbury Coasters biscuits. A favourite game was playing at 'being Brenda' armed with notebook and pencil.