Warrington

Ike Smith''s Hardware and Bicycle Store

My grandfather, Isaac Smith, had a hardware and bicycle shop on these premises, known universally as the 'Tudor Cottages', from some time towards the close of WW1 to the late 1930s. The premises were owned by Rylands Bros, the nearby wire works, at which Ike (also Ikey) had worked at one time (I infer from census records), and at which his oldest son Arthur later worked until 1955. He set up his business, my father told me, with the compensation he received from being temporarily blinded (for about 6 months), while working on top secret poison gas research while he was a foreman at Warrington Gas Works, sometime around 1916. The whole family, including the children, were apparently required to sign ...read more here
Contributed by stan smith

The Queen's Visit.

I remember as a youngster my mum and dad talking of the Queen's forthcoming visit to Warrington and how the statue of Oliver Cromwell was to be covered so as not to upset her. They eventually moved the statue to a less visible place and the side of the Academy.
Contributed by Ian Miller

Sad Demise

Sadly we see very few ships passing down the Manchester Ship Canal these days. When I was a kid I lived in Latchford not far from the locks. We used to spend many hours watching the ships pass through the locks on there way to Liverpool or Manchester. We were occasionally rewarded by a pack of cigarettes or sweets thrown by the crew to us kids. Happy days.
Contributed by Ian Miller

Childhood

My friend and I would await the arrival of American ships on their way to Manchester. We would shout "got any gum chum?!" to the crews. We would occasionally be rewarded by a packet of sweets being thrown from the ship. Far tastier than the English equivalent!
Contributed by Harry Roscoe

Happy times

The building at the top of the picture with the advert on was a grocers called Hendrey Millings. I worked there as a young man and had my first encounter with the opposite sex!!!
Contributed by leslie edge