Wigan Album
Bryn Street
25 CommentsPhoto: Frank Orrell
Item #: 29038
The object in the lower right corner would appear to be a stack of spare wheels for a Tan-sad. I could have made a beltin' trolley with four of those, but instead, had to make do with the four different sized ones that I'd managed to purloin from a variety of different sources. People rarely chucked good stuff away back then, unlike nowadays. Thinking about it now, that's probably why my shed is half full of pram wheels to this day. It must be some kind of deep rooted psychological defect that was triggered by being the owner of the wobbliest trolley on the street.
Open All Hours! x.
Also I've just noticed, the bag hanging on the stack of canes, the one at the very bottom. I think they were a gas mask bag. Kay's in Darlington St. used to sell them for coppers. Everybody had one backin the 60's. We used to take our brew can and butties to work in them. I had mine for years. I suspect the only place you'd find one now would be at one of those stalls at a military show, and I daresay you'd have to fork out more than a few coppers for it as well.
Remember johnnie moggie's well and on this pic he is showing a fair old undercarriage.
You can bet there was no shoplifting in there. Doesn't look much room to browse either! He must have been quite a character and the last of a dying breed bless him. It just doesn't look safe to go inside.
Most of the goods looks secondhand.
When I worked at Stones colliery, he was known as "Hapenny Jack" because if some thing was going well he would put up the price by a halfpenny. When the Americans were stationed on Haydock park during the war, he would sell them bikes and when they moved off,would buy them back and sell them to the next contingent that came along, making a profit.
Ozymandias, I remember Kay's and those gas mask bags very well. Every kid for miles around had a gas mask,a paratroopers beret or something that originated at Kay's, lol.
i bought my 1st set of darts from jonny moggies. the rest as they say is history.
Dave, he looks to be presenting hydrocele, maybe it's what the lady with the pram in the original photo is looking aghast at.
If expressions are anything to go by, I should imagine trade wasn't too brisk that day.
Can you get that hydrocele at Brabbin and Rudd's Cyril, or would I have to go to Screwfix for it ?
Ozy, I got mine from the missus. They do get upset when you forget Valentine's Day don't they ?
A proper man cave that.He's even got a mongrel to guard the gate.
Brabbin & Rudd, that takes me back, are they still going, that was another place with its own distinctive aroma, shops all seem to smell the same now, even Screwfix, unless it's my shnoz.
Like Irene always says, I would love to have a snoop in there lol.
Wonderful photo. Open All Hours indeed. What a character he must've been. People like this don't exist anymore. That shop would be shut down in a second today by the council sticking their noses in with their health and safety nonsense, and people would be moaning because they wouldn't be able to get their wheelchair, pram or family hatchback-sized mobility scooter in.
Makes you wonder if the old chap had all the hardware hung up as booby traps to deter any 'pinching'! Imagine trying to get out of there quick! I bet he was a veteran from the 1st WW as well!
How right you are, Ab.
Brabin and Rudd are still in business Cyril,they are doing well,they have shops in Wigan and Bolton,I still go there.
Good to know that Maurice, are they smelling nice and sanitised too now, I suppose the aromas in differing shops derived from products and substances deemed to be dangerous and banned long ago by the EU, even though they had been in use for years with no harm coming to folks.
When I worked at cromps I would walk round Ashton on my dinner break,i would always look in John Morris's shop although nothing ever changed.
There won't be many plastic goods in there either.
Notice the two rolls of Pyramid felt made by Vulcanite of Wigan
For more comments, see items 936 and 937.