Memories of Stafford Street

Memories of Stafford Street

Memories of Stafford Street

Charles Street & North Street


North Street. O'Connors the cobblers, is on the corner. Photo courtesy of David Clare.

There were a lot of houses in Charles Street. There was the Four Ashes at the top in Stafford Street and Bowdlers the chemist on the other corner.

There were a couple of sweet shops and then the Broom Girl lodging house, and another pub, called the Fender.

It was a terrible place which came to the back of the Feathers in North Street.

On the other side, at the top, were a couple of little houses by Bowdlers, then you'd got Simmonds and some cheap lodging houses were the rent was 3s.6d. They went all the way down the hill.

The Tin Shop yard was at the bottom and you came to North Street. The yards at the back of the houses were surfaced with pebbles like you get at the seaside.

They were all like that at the backs, all irregular, just trodden into mud which would set very hard.


Albert Marston's lock factory on the corner of Birchfield Street. Photo courtesy of David Clare.
There were three layers of them before you reached St. Peter's Churchyard, and there were all these one-roomed houses with cobble stones at the back. The mud holding the stones, set so hard that when it rained the water would run off.

A lot of the houses had candle lighting, although they had gas eventually before they were pulled down. O'Connor's boot repairers was on the corner of North Street. The Fox pub at the top of Molineux Street did all of the catering for dances and entertainment in the town. It was run by three brothers.

There was a big factory on the corner of North Street and Birchfield Street. Locks were made there and it was very dark inside. It had little windows, but I can't remember the name of the company. Mr Broom's sweet shop was on the corner. They used to make sweets at the back of the house. Trays of treacle toffee, toffee with coconut on the top. You could have a ha'peth of toffee and they would hit it with the hammer and break it up into little bits.

At the top end of North Street was the Molineux Hotel. It had a big bowling green at the front, with pailings all around. We used to hire that and bowl there in later years when I was at Sunbeam.

We didn't have our own sports ground. I used to go there and watch them. There was another bowling green at the back of the Molineux Hotel, where they played all of their own matches.

There was a good view of the football ground and you could watch the match while waiting to take your turn on the green. 


The Molineux Hotel. Photo courtesy of David Clare.

Walters old lock factory was opposite the Molineux. Kitson's food store was in North Street and so was Cohen's antique shop. Mrs Cohen used to play the pianola. There was also Mrs Trusselle's café.

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