1966-1971 stockport clubs, manour lounge- sinking ship-tabernacle ,so diverse in music never got the acknowledgement over the manchester clubs,i lived in manchester during the late sixties,but could not get enough of stockport it was fantastic the TAB was buzzin every night it was open,and a little pub round the corner down the hill i forget its name,does any body remember? (norma on the platform)

   One of my early memories of Stockport in the 1930s was of the Fair Ground near to the Gas Works on Great Portwood Street. From time to time there were challenge boxing matches in a marquee when one could challenge the 'resident' bruiser. Oh dear, that put me off boxing for life!

Adjacent to the footpath that ran alongside the Fair Ground were advertisement hoardings. One of these advertisements has always remained in my memory. It was a self-promoting ad for a doctor who I believe was an Asian and his specialty was 'Eye and Pile Specialist'. I never quite understood how the two were connected.

Also on Great Portwood Street was the Co-op stores. The service area did not have cash tills in the 1930's and the money used to be put into a cylindrical box that was loaded into a pulley system. The shop assistant then pulled a handle, rather like a lavatory chain, and the box of money shot off up into the upper part of the building. The box returned very quickly with any change due together with a dividend check that were collected by the customer and redeemed for cash quartely.

My first school was Vernon Park and it was upwind from the brewery, the smells of which used to waft across the school yard.

My parents had an allotment adjacent to Brinnington Road and these ran down to the railway line that, I think, ran from Manchester through Teviot Dale and on to Sheffield. I used to watch the engines (steam of course) pulling very long trains of goods wagons (possibly coal). The gradient towards Sheffield was uphill and as a small child I can remember feeling so sorry for the engines that had to pull such heavy loads. They crawled past the allotments with long gaps between the chuffs. This of course was long before the Thomas the Tank Engine collection of stories. Did Thomas ever have such an experience?

   Does anyone remember Froggatt's Funeral Services on Prionce's St. in Stockport. My grandfather George Froggatt was the undertaker and he hadd a chauffeur called Joe Death - it's the truth I swear! I use to love going on the bus from Heaton Mersey down Didsbury Road into Stockport to go shopping with my mum after the war. We would come home home loaded with cream cakes and sausage rolls from the the Cake Shop and on the way we'd always stop in to see my grandfather at his very discreet premises on Prince's St. We always used to go to the Three Shires for coffee and then walk back past the Coop to Mersey Square to get the bus home. Does anyone remember Neil and Hardy's music shop on Saturday afternoons? What fun we all used to have there, we'd get all "tarted up" and my friends and I would go just to see who else was there. Wonderful memories, wonderful days - where did they go?

   My family ran a pub in Stockport during the fifties.It was called The Just Another.I remember how cold it got during the nights.I miss the people and the fish and chips.They just don't make them the same in Canada.I have family still in Stockport.

   My friends and I used to rummage around in old houses in the fifties that had been damaged by the war.We called ourselves the Demolition Gang.Once we pulled down a house and our friends were accidentally left inside.Fortunatedly they were all right.This past year I put my name on your ex pat's page and lo and behold-one of my Demolition Gang buddies responded.We have been in contact ever since.So if any others of the Gang remember a skinny redheaded lanky sod -it was me!

   Does anyone remember the 'mile of books' during the warI think it started at the bottom of Brinnington, past my old school (St. Pauls) and down Portwood. It may have gone as far as Mersey Sq., I'm not sure. Books were laid side by side on the kerb, it was all part of the war effort. What would the kids of today make of that I wonder? Cyril Roberts Southport ( but Stockport born and bred and proud of it!) 588 Liverpool Road Ainsdale Southport Merseyside PR8 3BQ

01704577476

   during a return nostalgic visit to stockport the first since leaving in 62.noted the place we lived 48/62 was demolised.st mary, gate nr the market.now a car park. I was a little shocked how small the area,which supported about 12 houses,9 yards,a passage,3 air raid shelters.and plenty of room for us kids to play.any info/pictures when demolition

   any one left who lived in angel street 1930 1935. i did work house bottom of street and hat factery .pub at top of street .and sally army.still got memerys nearly every was hurt by 1918 war including my grandad john brindley .jumped ship 1952 austraila .if intersted will tell my memorys of stockport .before i joined merhant navy.cheers old pom jim

   I saw in last weeks edition Down Memory Lane the article on the Eden family I have tried to send an email as given in the paper but I keep getting the email returned. Valerie Russell is my cousin and I have not heard from them for many years. do you have any more info ie an address or phone no with which I could make contact.

Peter Eden