CHAPEL STREET - c1910 to c1960

My wife & I both live at No 61 Chapel Street opposite the Church whch is now used by the Sea Cadets and is called T.S.Defiance. We've been here since 1984 and we'd love to see more photographs of Chapel Street.

My first school was the "New" infants school just above Chapel Street. Chapel Street had everything a young boy could wish, a Fish and Chip shop and a sweet shop. Then there was Howells the cobblers and a gentleman named Del White used to run a barbers. He only had one style that I was aware of for which he used a ceramic pudding basin and cut anything off that showed from under it. I think "Sally" Flowers also had a salvage store just up the lane from the school.

Yes Trevor, quite true! Girls and boys all came out like clones with identical haircuts! Del was also famous for his magnificent 'burps' which came out occasionally as he cut our hair and of course set us all laughing. Then he would look at his watch and say, 'now all behave yourselves I'll be back in a minute' and would walk into Woolgars passage to have his breakfast at Featherstones cafe while all the boys practised 'burping'. What a character !!!

My memories of Del White are of him cutting a chunk of the top of my ear then telling my mum it was my fault because I would not sit still.

Del White must have been the slowest hair cutter ever and as already stated, " a one cut wonder ". He used to slip into the kitchen and have a sip of Scotch and I think it was this that produced that famous "Burp" Remember those hand clippers pulling your hair!!!. Anyway, back to Chapel Street. During the very bad winter of 1962/3 I had to go to the Jolly Sailor to repair a burst pipe in an old outside gents toilet. Bill Sims, the landlord, found the keys and unlocked the door. He told me that this door had not been opened since he locked it at the start of the second world war. When he opened this door, this toilet was filled up to his chest hight with empty fag packets match boxes and anything else that got thrown over the top of the door during those years. We removed several sacks of rubbish before I could repair an old lead pipe. On completion, I believe, he relocked that door, never to be used again. At least, the urinal part was in use. Now, I often wonder, what a scoop that lot would have been to an avid collector of today.

I thought I might be one of the only people to remember Del White and his hairdressing skills - to say nothing of that infamous burp that accompanied every session. I used to be sent along to see him by my Father, Arthur Longly who was manager of the Co-op Department Store from about 1950 until about 1970 and always wished he wouldn't!!

Bill Sims didn't drink and didn't smoke, didn't sell wine or spirits and didn't keep bitter. Further west, Brickwoods' mild beer was known as "Bilgewater from the Solent", yet that which Bill served was the finest pint you would find anywhere. No gas and no refrigeration, it always had a fine head and was at the right temperature; he told me this was because his cellar was below high water mark. The door on the left of the two was to the "Bottle and Jug". This was screened from the Public Bar, so you couldn't tell who, if anyone, was there. A conversation you might hear was: " 'morning Florrie" " 'morning Mr. Sims" "usual?" "yes please". I never did know who Florrie was, but she obviously thought it too risque to be seen in the Public Bar!

I remember "Uncle Bill" from the pub in Chapel Street and Del White. I lived at 73 Chapel Street with "Auntie Lil Jetty" until she died in 1951. She was a very good friend of my Mums. My name then was Margaret Collier. We moved from there to South Heighton then and I really missed good old Chapel Street.

My Grandfather (Reginald) and Great Grandfather (Albert) Corden lived at no 61 Chapel Street in 1891 (until 1901).