Saddler's shop in 1950's

[barneydog]

Does anyone recall a saddler's shop in the area around London Road/Ecclesall Road (I think! - could have even been near Clarence Street) in the early 1950s? The owners were Edith and Eddie Benton. My grandma sometimes took me there to visit as the Benton's were friends of hers. I remember the saddler's shop was dusty and smelled of leather - quite fascinating to a little child! Hope someone else can remember it - they'll have to be even older than I am I expect.

[suzyoo]

yes there was a saddlers shop it was on ecclesall road

3 or 4 doors past Clarence Street going up ecclesall road on opposite side to the co-op

[hillsbro]

The shop was at No 40 Ecclesall Road and the Bentons must have taken over the business but kept the name of a previous owner, as directories from the 1890s to the early 1970s show the business in the name of a John Lawson - here is a scan from the 1965 directory. In fact as long ago as 1878 "Joseph Cowley, saddler" is shown at 40 Ecclesall Road..

[barneydog]

Thank you for the information. At least I know I'm not imagining visiting the shop! The directory extract it really interesting, thanks. My Grandmother had lived in the Ecclesall Road area as a child. In fact, she was born at a public house on Pear Street (off Pomona Street, I think) It was called the Two Poplars and my great grandfather was the landlord - must have been in the 1890's.

[DUFFEMS]

My father-in-law used to say that he was born in his grandparents pub which was the Solferino somewhere around Ecclesall Road/Napier Street though I've never heard of it.

[barneydog]

Duffems - I do remember my Gran mentioning the Solferino. I think there were lots of little pubs (or publics, as she would have called them) around there at that time. Plenty of people worked around there and might have needed to quench their thirst!

 

Hillsbro - when I saw the name Lawson I realised I had made a mistake - the family were called that : Edith and Eddie Lawson. I had mixed up the Benton surname with another of Grandma's friends!

[DUFFEMS]

Duffems - I do remember my Gran mentioning the Solferino. I think there were lots of little pubs (or publics, as she would have called them) around there at that time. Plenty of people worked around there and might have needed to quench their thirst!

 

Hillsbro - when I saw the name Lawson I realised I had made a mistake - the family were called that : Edith and Eddie Lawson. I had mixed up the Benton surname with another of Grandma's friends!

 

barneydog: thanks for that information. As I say, I never knew of the Solferino pub and my father-in-law used to stretch the truth a lot. You're right about pubs on every corner, they were as frequented as grogery shops.

Regards,

Duffems

[hillsbro]

...Hillsbro - when I saw the name Lawson I realised I had made a mistake - the family were called that : Edith and Eddie Lawson. I had mixed up the Benton surname with another of Grandma's friends!

It seems there's more to this than meets the eye.. I found a John Edmund Lawson in the 1911 census, where he is shown as a saddler aged 22, the son of John Lawson, saddler, of 377 Ecclesall Road (they had two shops at one time). And - lo and behold - in 1921 John E. Lawson married Edith Benton! So I imagine John Edmund was known as Eddie, and the Lawsons and Bentons were in-laws. John died aged 82 in 1971; the shop is still shown in the 1971 directory (compiled in 1970) but by 1972, No 40 is no longer listed - I imagine this is because the properties had been demolished.

[barneydog]

That's amazing, Hillsbro, you have jogged my memory! Edith Benton was an old ?schoolfriend of Grandma's. She must have married Eddie Lawson. Coincidentally, gran also died in 1971 but was a bit younger than Eddie. I'm finding all this fascinating1