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Woodhouse Lane

27 Comments

204 Woodhouse Lane
204 Woodhouse Lane
Photo: John Herries Watson
Views: 4,919
Item #: 30471
My grandparents, John and Annie Whittle at the door of their grocers store, 204 Woodhouse Lane, about 1912. I was born above the shop in 1949.

Comment by: RON HUNT on 17th April 2018 at 18:08

What a great photograph nice and clear. Thanks for posting it. I think this is the shop on the corner of Woodhouse lane and Springfield road.

Comment by: t on 17th April 2018 at 18:26

ron, if you look, it's on the corner of ingram street, opposite the prince of wales.

Comment by: JJF on 17th April 2018 at 19:21

Great photo John

Comment by: Martin on 17th April 2018 at 19:32

I may be wrong but Ingram Street still exists off Woodhouse Lane so it can't be on the corner of Springfield Road?

Comment by: John on 17th April 2018 at 19:36

Ron, it says "Ingram Street" on the side wall of the building.

Comment by: B. on 17th April 2018 at 19:48

Ingram Street!

Comment by: John on 17th April 2018 at 20:22

Between Belle Vue and Prince of Wales pubs is a grassed space where this shop would have been.

Comment by: Mick on 17th April 2018 at 20:25

Errr . . . Ron . . . it's on the corner of Ingram Street - the street sign is above the boot polish advert!
A wonderful pic, John. By coincidence, my great grandfather had a shop only seven doors away, at 218 Woodhouse Lane, but about twenty years earlier.

Comment by: . Ozymandias . on 17th April 2018 at 20:26

Well, if they're selling the stuff in cardboard boxes, then it's definitely Colman's starch for me. In fact, even though I have no use for the stuff, I'll make a point of insisting on having it. Never underestimate the power of advertising.....I also have a sudden inexplicable yearning for mustard as well, on a ham sandwich with Stork margarine on somebody's prize bread. Followed by a pint cup of Lyons tea before polishing my boots and going to bed with a mug of Rowntree's Cocoa. I guess I'm just an ad man's dream.

Comment by: Keith Beckett on 17th April 2018 at 20:40

Ron

It was on the spare land on the opposite side of the street from The Prince of Wales.

Comment by: Ian. on 17th April 2018 at 20:50

What a great photo! Thanks for posting it.
I think its a bit further down Woodhouse Lane, Ron.

Comment by: Spud on 17th April 2018 at 21:32

This shop is on the corner of Ingram st and wood house lane

Comment by: JC on 17th April 2018 at 21:36

Ingram street sign on the right of the Colmans sign. so it isn't there Ronnie.

Comment by: RON HUNT on 17th April 2018 at 22:24

Only just noticed the Ingram St sign.

Comment by: Veronica on 18th April 2018 at 05:18

You can bet there was no shoplifting in Mr Whittle's shop, he has a somewhat over powering presence judging by the way he stands in the doorway. It was a different shopping experience altogether then and not too far in the past to remember when most shops were a family run business on nearly every street corner. A photo to be treasured by the family.

Comment by: MarieM on 18th April 2018 at 09:41

What a lovely photo. Different world.

Comment by: tom on 18th April 2018 at 12:20

my auntie had a shop in caunce rd scholes she sat in the back room watching who came in through a mirror ,three little lads came in and nicked some toffee of the counter i told her ,she still on her chair said its allright tommy ive seen them i know there mothers i will put it on there bills in the strap book, when they get back home they will get a hiding from there mothers and they will stay have to pay .my auntie was mrs cox

Comment by: Cyril on 18th April 2018 at 14:12

Colman's DSF Mustard, wondered what DSF was, apparently it stands for Double Super Fine.

I can imagine the shop had an aroma all of its own, as other shops once had.

Comment by: Stuart Naylor on 18th April 2018 at 16:19

When I first looked at the photo and saw that it was on Woodhouse Lane I indeed like Ron thought that it was the shop which was on the corner of Woodhouse Lane and Springfield Road, which looked identical and which was there up until the 1980's and even then looking very much like the hop in the photo, the shop is still there now, although much altered and it is now a loan shark shop (log book loans)

Comment by: Ken Dodd's dad's dog. on 18th April 2018 at 18:59

Did you become a doctor John?
Did you at one time work with Sherlock?

Comment by: Mr k on 18th April 2018 at 19:26

The date is wrong also.

Comment by: t on 18th April 2018 at 21:03

the shop on the corner of woodhose lane and springfield road was an outdoor license called the odd bottle

Comment by: Cyril on 19th April 2018 at 12:28

t, the Odd Bottle Off Licence had bottles on display in the window and one was scotch whisky, one night the window was broken and the whisky bottle stolen, however the lady who owned the shop told that the bottle contained old tea, I would have loved to see the expression on the thief's face when they expected to savour the malty tones of scotch only to get a gob full of manky old tea.

Comment by: winnie on 20th April 2018 at 09:33

in Atherton in 1911

Name John Whittle
Age in 1911 23
Estimated Birth Year abt 1888
Relation to Head Boarder
Gender Male
Birth Place Atherton, Lancashire, England
Civil parish Atherton
Search Photos Atherton, Lancashire, England
County/Island Lancashire
Country England
Street Address 19 Cambridge St Atherton
Marital Status Married
Occupation Grocers Assistant
Registration district Leigh
Registration District Number 460
Sub-registration district Atherton
ED, institution, or vessel 4
Piece 23234
Household Members
Name Age
William Farrimond 27
Sarha Farrimond 26
Alice Farrimond 2
John Whittle 23
Annie Whittle 24

in Blackpool in 1939

Whittle Household (4 People)
5 North Promenade Boarding House , Thornton Cleveleys U.D., Lancashire, England


FIRST NAME(S) LAST NAME(S) DOB SEX OCCUPATION MARITAL STATUS
John Whittle 07 May 1887 Male Grocers Shop Keeper Married
Annie Whittle 29 Jun 1886 Female Apartment House Keeper Married
Annie Watson (Whittle) 17 Oct 1921 Female Seeking Work Single
Alice Wagstaffe (Heywood) 16 Jan 1914 Female Unpaid Domestic Duties Married

Comment by: winnie on 20th April 2018 at 09:51

defo there in the 1920s when there children were born

Comment by: Paul on 15th May 2018 at 08:33

There is a mix up, the shop on the corner of Springfield Road was Johnnie Browns outdoor licence, Mum (93 now) went for her dad a jug of ale after he had finished his shift in the John Pit, across was Stringfellows coach booking office.

Comment by: Margaret Green on 12th September 2019 at 20:57

This was my Dad’s shop after MrWhittle. Albert Crank. Was on the corner of Woodhouse Lane and Ingram Street. Opposite was The Prince of Wales pub.

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