Anyone remember "Conrod's Tailors, Rotherham"?

[shoeshine]

I have a wooden coat hanger in my wardrobe which seems to have followed me around since the early 1960's.

 

I recall visiting Conrod's Shop as a young, single man at the time (late 1950's/early 1960's) sited in the centre of Rotherham ..... All Saint's Square?

 

I suspect I had a suit from there at some stage.

 

If you remember this shop, did you buy anything from there?

 

When did it close down ..... or is it still there?

 

My thanks for any information, in advance.

[carsupplier]

I have asked my mother about this shoeshine.

She tells me that Conrad's had two shops in Rotherham, one was on Corporation St (All Saint's Square runs off to the right of Corporation Street) and the other one was at the bottom of Wellgate on the left just before you get to the juunction of Doncaster Gate.

The shop on Corporation Street has closed as the Imperial buildings where the shop was are being demolished, but the shop on Wellgate may still be there, I will be going past in the next couple of days and will have a look and let you know.

My mother remembers buying clothing for me, my brother and Dad from there.

One of the last good shops in Rotherham bites the dust!

Going off the topic of Conrad's, I remember these shops in Rotherham: Speed's, Muntus, Brittains, Coopers toy shop, Swift's florist, Davy's cafe, Ernest Cross motorcycles and one or two more, do they ring a bell with you?

[shoeshine]

I have asked my mother about this shoeshine.

She tells me that Conrad's had two shops in Rotherham, one was on Corporation St (All Saint's Square runs off to the right of Corporation Street) and the other one was at the bottom of Wellgate on the left just before you get to the juunction of Doncaster Gate.

The shop on Corporation Street has closed as the Imperial buildings where the shop was are being demolished, but the shop on Wellgate may still be there, I will be going past in the next couple of days and will have a look and let you know.

My mother remembers buying clothing for me, my brother and Dad from there.

One of the last good shops in Rotherham bites the dust!

Going off the topic of Conrad's, I remember these shops in Rotherham: Speed's, Muntus, Brittains, Coopers toy shop, Swift's florist, Davy's cafe, Ernest Cross motorcycles and one or two more, do they ring a bell with you?

 

Ooh! You're ringing bell now, carsupplier!

 

Muntus! My mum shopped there .....

 

Cooper's Toy Shop ...... missus and I went there for toys for our kids in the late 1960's .....

 

Davy's Cafe .... corner of All Saints Square .... wicker basket chairs and tables ....... Mum and Aunty having a cup of tea and biscuits whilst out shopping with yours truly!

 

Do you remember "Stylos" Shoe Shop on the

diagonal corner from Davy's?

[shoeshine]

And "Schonhut's" the Butchers?

[carsupplier]

I have just had a run up Wellgate and found that the shop that was Conrad's is still a tailors, but is now under the name of Keith Mallison.

I can't recall Stylo's, but I remember going into Davy's cafe and seeing the red mushrooms with white spots on near the counter, I think they were lamps or something like that.

One of the shops, either Muntus or John Speed's had a machine where you x-ray your feet, that was fascinating to me as I was about seven at the time.

Not sure if Schonhut's the pork butchers are still there, I know that there was another butchers who I think were pork butchers by the name of Andrassi and believe they were in the town centre.

Something else sticks in my mind from back in the late 60's to early 70's when I was about eight, was going into town with my Dad and seeing two people fighting, they were named 'Vinegar Liz' and Jimmy Lallick.

Jimmy was a 'Star' seller and I think Liz was too, and nearly everytime you saw them they were fighting or rowing.

[shoeshine]

Something else sticks in my mind from back in the late 60's to early 70's when I was about eight, was going into town with my Dad and seeing two people fighting, they were named 'Vinegar Liz' and Jimmy Lallick.

Jimmy was a 'Star' seller and I think Liz was too, and nearly everytime you saw them they were fighting or rowing.

 

Vinegar Liz! Ooh!

 

I recollect someone (when we were kids) who wore a threadbare fur coat of sorts and highly "rouged" cheeks who would regularly stroll along Canklow Road from the town centre.

 

I wonder if this was the same "Vinegar Liz"?

 

I'm talking late 1940's, early 1950's here though!

[carsupplier]

It sounds as though it is the same Vinegar Liz, I don't think there could be two of them!

I found this site which you may or may not have seen, unfortunately there aren't any pics of 'Liz'.

http://www.picturesofengland.com/user/pears/pictures//England/South_Yorkshire/Rotherham

[geepark]

I have just had a run up Wellgate and found that the shop that was Conrad's is still a tailors, but is now under the name of Keith Mallison.

I can't recall Stylo's, but I remember going into Davy's cafe and seeing the red mushrooms with white spots on near the counter, I think they were lamps or something like that.

One of the shops, either Muntus or John Speed's had a machine where you x-ray your feet, that was fascinating to me as I was about seven at the time.

Not sure if Schonhut's the pork butchers are still there, I know that there was another butchers who I think were pork butchers by the name of Andrassi and believe they were in the town centre.

Something else sticks in my mind from back in the late 60's to early 70's when I was about eight, was going into town with my Dad and seeing two people fighting, they were named 'Vinegar Liz' and Jimmy Lallick.

Jimmy was a 'Star' seller and I think Liz was too, and nearly everytime you saw them they were fighting or rowing.

I asked about Vinegar Liz but had forgotten Jimmy Lallick, can anyone throw any light on the lives of these people?

[geepark]

Vinegar Liz! Ooh!

 

I recollect someone (when we were kids) who wore a threadbare fur coat of sorts and highly "rouged" cheeks who would regularly stroll along Canklow Road from the town centre.

 

I wonder if this was the same "Vinegar Liz"?

 

I'm talking late 1940's, early 1950's here though!

 

It has to be the same, my wife also remembers the same description, she worked at Wigfalls accounts office on Clifton Grove and she thinks that 'Liz' lived around that area in the 60's

[jwilliamson]

I asked about Vinegar Liz but had forgotten Jimmy Lallick, can anyone throw any light on the lives of these people?

 

The lady in the fur coat was 'Mucky Rosie' she was often seen in the early sixties around Rotherham town centre. Rumour had it that she came from a rich background.

Vinegar Liz was quite a tall aristocratic lady who frequented Rotherham about the same time. She was always very smart, usually in a twin set, but she stood out because of her make up. It looked like a geisha girl's, very white face and red lipstick. She often took out a compact and adjusted it. The rumour surrounding her was that she had lost her boyfriend in action during the war.

We have to remember when looking back at these fifties and sixties characters that a lot of people were traumatised by the war when I think about the bomb sites of my childhood the war definitely came home to south yorkshire.

Jimmy Lallocks was a paper seller who usually stood on the corner opposite Woolworths, he was a tiny man, slightly bow legged, with a very loud voice.

One other character that people living down sheffield road (opposite the forge) will remember, was Eunice. My brothers and cousins called her 'Auntie Eunice' because my Uncle Jim caught us making fun of her when we were children. She used to go through people's bins looking for food scraps and peelings for the pigs. So in order to make us feel ashamed he told us she was his sister, who had been thrown out by grandad for being naughty! It worked even to the extent that we collected the peelings for her before she arrived and left them next to the bins.

I don't have any photos of these people but have drawn and painted them from memory many times.