HISTORY - Gornal Wood c.1960 including Catsell cafe memories


The article below the following readers' contributions was originally published more than two years ago, but interest remains high and we are pleased to note the latest postings from Janice (19/1/05) and Zac (3/2/05).

Zac Hickman (now of Norwich) Turner & Sons (butchers, see photo below) was eventually run by my grandfather - Edward Turner (Ted) and his brother Alec. Their sister Kath also helped in the management of it. Ted went on to have his own haulage business which his son (Joseph Simon) now runs. Ted (now retired) lives on the Himley Road. Alec died about 10 years or so ago, while Kath has lived in Seisdon for many years. My Mother (Susan Hickman nee Turner) has many memories of helping out in the butchers shop and also the fruit and veg shop that was also run by my grandfather. My Fathers side of the family (Hickman - Leonard Hickman used to have a haulage busineess on Redhall road) have many memories of the cafe in the village.

Janice McNulty (nee Bayliss) from Telford With reference to the Caf down Water Road. During the 60s it was once owned by Aggie Friend who lived at Brook Street, Gornal Wood before later moving to Red Hall Road. I used to live at 31 Brook St [now demolished] before moving to Telford in 1976, The photographs of the Duckle and Turners butchers shop and slaughter house bought back countless memories for me. As a child, I would be coming home from Red Hall junior school and I would watch the animals being herded into the paddock in front of the butchers shop. In those days I had no idea what fate awaited them how innocent was I?

Donald B. Southall from Sydney The cafe created a cultural revolution when it opened in the early fifties. I remember my mother telling me, at that time, that the building that was converted into the cafe was once a coffin-makers workshop ! John Jones of Zoar Street was the village under-taker but I am not sure if he was also the coffin-maker.

John from Peterborough JCAPARI@aol.com I remember as children watching animals being slaughtered in the yard through gaps in the fence (late 50's).. Does anyone recollect the cafe that was situated down the alley alongside the post office? the proverbial greasy spoon! But a good meeting place for us very young rockers. My paper round used to cover much of this area but with age many memories have gone except for the carnival days. Do you still have them?

Dorothy I remember the cafe down the Catsell as it was called. Also, the Post office that is shown in the photo was Share's Book Shop as well as the Post Office. I used to love to go in there and see all the books on shelves up to the ceiling, some were really old books. Your correspondent (John from Peterborough) is my link in my family tree.I also loved to go in to Turner's butcher shop with my Mother, you always had to wait in a queue because their meat was the best you could get. We always had a piece of beef of the Sirloin for Sunday dinner for about 15 Shillings (75p) now that is what was called meat not like to-day no taste.

A Look back at Gornal Wood Yampy is indebted to Jim Williamson for this photo of the village before the row of shops from Spar to Dudley Building Society were built. At first sight it is not easy to pick out the scene, until one replaces the Gornal Wood Post Office sign with Millards Bakery. The buildings that are Massey's TV & Video and (until recently) MR Timms Solicitors can also be recognised. The latter has also seen duty as a Post Office in its time, while the former - believe it or not when one considers that it now lays claim to be the smallest electrical shop in England - was once a doctor's surgery, although one would have to be around a hundred years old to recall the crusty but efficient Dr. Ballenden. Gornal Wood Pre-precinct - Click Photo to Enlarge The shop set back from those still standing today, on which '& Sons' can be seen, was Turner & Sons, the butchers. This belonged to two brothers. A daughter, Megan, married into another well known Gornal butcher's family, the Bowyers, and locals will know of course that she still has a clothes shop in Gornal Wood today. The slaughter house was adjacent to Turner's, and the fenced off area that can be seen in the photo in front of the premises was a paddock where the animals would roam prior to their short final journey. We haven't established a date yet, but guess that it is late '50s or very early 60's. At any rate, it was before the graffiti was scrawled on the side of Millards! As always, the photograph captures and holds a moment in time and raises more questions than it answers; who was the man in the phone box calling? The little girl standing patiently outside may only be in her 40's now - what is she doing today? The Albert Finney character is striding purposefully towards the Red Lion - thanks to Arthur Hale for identifying this person as being Derek Bridgewood, who still lives in Mount Road. The rather more staid gentleman with briefcase seems equally as determined to reach the now demolished Chimneys! If any Yampy reader has any comment about the people or places shown, or has any similar images to share, we would be delighted to hear from you at admin@yampy.co.uk

Andy from Gornal andycashmore@hotmail.com Your photograph of the old post office in Gornal Wood brought back a few memories for me... although I am not as old as the photograph, I am quite sure that I can remember the old post office as it is seen there. My Grandmother refered to the area where the telephone box, and where the traffic island is now, as the Duckle. She said that there was once a pond there with ducks on it. Further down the village, where the post office is now, was called the Meadow and if you carried on past the Fiddle you would come to Bob's Brook. I would be interested to find out when the post office moved down the Meadow as this would confirm, or refute, my claim that I can remember it.

Jim from Gornal jwilliamson@lowergornal.freeserve.co.uk The mention of the Cafe by John from Peterborough brought back memories long since forgotten. After we married in 1964 my wife lived with her parents in Water Road until I found accommodation for us in St Helens, which meant I visited Gornal every five days or so. I returned to camp one Sunday night, arriving in St Helens by train at 9.20pm and completed the short journey to Haydock by bus. As my room was empty I visited the NAAFI for the last hour or so. A decision I had every reason to be thankful for. At approximately the same time as I was arriving by train in St Helens a person was attacked in Gornal. During their enquiries the police visited the Cafe to be told that there was a stranger (me) seen in and around Water Road. I was fast asleep in bed the following Wednesday morning, having been on night duty, when I was awoken by an RAF policeman at about 11am. He asked me to get dressed and come to the Guard Room. This did not please me one bit, and I told him so in no uncertain terms, but he insisted. When I arrived in the Guard Room I was introduced to two St Helens detectives. They questioned me at length about an incident which at that point I knew nothing about. I formed the opinion that their tone was becoming threatening so I said, "Hang on a minute, are you accusing me of this?" This resulted in their attitude changing completely. They said "no, no, no, we are not accusing you of anything, we are only making enquiries for another police force." That virtually ended the interview and, rightly so, I heard no more about it. I was just thankful I decided to visit the NAAFI and therefore had witnesses to my whereabouts. Words were later exchanged between my wife's family and the then owner of the cafe, and I can't therefore say that I look back on John's 'proverbial greasy spoon' with any affection.