I can still smell the mothballs

Ivy's second-hand clothing shop in Church Street

Photo by Henry Bruce

Ivy's is still there today

Photo by Henry Bruce

The Windsor Tavern eventually turned into the Earth & Stars

Memories of Church Street

By Anthony Wells, North Laine resident

I have fond childhood memories of the North Laine area – particularly Church Street.

My family had shops there

Living in Moulsecoomb at the time, I was a child of 7 or 8 in the 1950s when my mother regularly brought us down to Church Street where she was born. Her parents and two of her brothers had shops there which have since been demolished to make way for..... goodness knows what!

They were tailoring shops

My Granddad William Brown had a tailor’s alteration shop, as did my Uncle Phil. My Uncle Frank had a bespoke tailors shop next door to my Granddad’s. I believe he once made a suit for Hermione Gingold.

Ivy's is still there today

I can still smell the mothballs from Ivy’s, near the top of the street. Then there was the Windsor Tavern, where my Granddad was a regular I believe. And further down I had my first proper haircut in the barber’s.

Other memories

I think the fresh fish shop was there at the time and of course there was the Library and Museum. Last but certainly not least there was ‘Prinny’s Palace’.

There were lots of other interesting places and shops in that very interesting street.

[Previously published in the North Laine Runner, No 207, November/December 2010]