Hawthorn Road shops on a wet day, 1960s

“1960’s – 1970’s Saw this and thought i’d reply a little late…I lived above Sketchleys the cleaners, Boots was on the corner, after Sketchleys was the Butchers, then Tranters … Next door to Tranters was Littlewoods, then Woolworths … Timpsons the shoe shop, the the sweet shop called Gwyns, then the Butchers think Rumbellows the electrical shop and record shop, then there was wimbushes and a furniture store, the pet shop Miles”

“… remember the lower end of Hawthorn Road where the Co-op was divided into a number of different shops. Food, clothing … Above it all was the Co-op youth club … There was the hairdressers- Richardo from Milano, a launderette and at the end was the ‘Outdoor’ where we used to go to get our dads soda siphon refilled for his whiskey. This shop latter became a joke shop”

“I left school in 1962 to work at w.t.baker on hawthorn Road. Ben Billingham was the manager the head office in Cape hill Smethwick used to bake all the pastrys with our large family steak and kidney pie being very popular.”

“I remember the wicked winter winds. That junction of Hawthorn, Dyas, Kingstanding and Warren Farm roads, was a bleak place on cold wet mornings. … I had a paper round at Harry Kirton’s shop”

“I too was a paper boy at Kirtons … This would have been between 1966 and 1969. … I also remember the “New Buses” starting, front loading doors, what a move forward, much warmer in the winter.”

“… I remember this shop very well, as I was their Saturday Girl in 1969/1970 whilst I was at school.”

“worked at George masons hawthorne rd, 67 – 71. was at kingsthorne and great barr comp. Kirtons was run by Harry Chapman and wife flo”

“The sweet shop by Winbushes was called the Bijou and the one over the road by the Outdoor was called Gwynns and was run by two old dears who had a seaside cottage in Criccieth, North Wales. And there was an opticions at 103 Hawthorn Road called Gordon T S Jones.”

“… I remember working at Mattys Tv and Radio on Saturday mornings, I used to go out and help set up people who bought or rented a Tv set ,I can date this at around 1966”