Edwards' Grocery in Granby Street

[jasper]

Does anyone remember Edwards' Grocery in Granby Street and Ted Bramwell butchers across the street?
I was a grocery delivery boy for Edwards' in 1955/6. The boss was Mr Norman who used to tell me about being a machine gunner in the trenches in the 1st World War. He was a very nice man but he sacked me in the end because he said he wanted someone full time.
I got £1/2s per week plus tips of 10s on Saturday. I suppose it would be about £50 in today's money. I had to pay it into the house though which I resented because my father spent most of the family income on drink, cigarettes and horse betting.
Afterwards I did the same job for Ted Bramwell butcher but he never paid me the proper rate and I left when I was 16.

[shytalk]

I remember Ted Bramwell, my mother used to buy our meat there when we lived in Granby St. 1959-64. His delivery guy at that time was Charlie Scott who lived in Bloom St. We had a shop at the other end near Parly. Bramwells stood out from the other butchers shops, he had a refrigerated display that filled the whole window. Below is a picture of our shop.

[jasper]

I remember Charlie Scott quite well. He later worked as a doorman in several Liverpool night spots. My mother was rather fond of him.

Granby Street was very lively in those days. It was more cosmoplitan at the Upper Parliament Street end and tended towards lower middle class/working class gentility at the Princess Road end. Apparently Princess Road was populted by the Jewish community at one time (perhaps just before the war).

What did your shop sell?

[shytalk]

Groceries mainly but a bit of everything. I don't remember the one you mentioned I do remember Rynns with the tiled wall saying 'Rynns for bacon', also Owens was a successful grocery shop until one of the sons got caught with stolen goods, went downhill after that. Do you remember Mr. Sud with the turban?, he had a clothes store. Or Baij the Indian guy?.
Last I heard of Charlie Scott he had gone to live in Ireland. That was in the 70's.
My shop was the one on the left in the picture. It had originally been a dairy and the front window was made to open, it didn't when I was there. The shop on the right was a small chandlers store. The car was my pride and joy, a 1954 Rover 90.

[Davec]

I remember Mr. Sud, but I knew him as the fella in the ice-cream van - unless it was a different guy.

[shytalk]

I remember Mr. Sud, but I knew him as the fella in the ice-cream van - unless it was a different guy.

The Mr. Sud I was talking about was a huge guy, must have had a 60 inch waist. I don't know what nationality he was but he wore a turban, This fella would never fit in an ice cream van. He used to drink whiskey out of a pint glass in Hessians pub.
He sold out before I did in 1964 and went to Canada.

[jasper]

Granby Street was pretty well 100% european in my day. I left in about 1958when the immigrants were just moving in.

There was a chinese laundry though and Jamaican barber shop.

[shytalk]

The chinese laundry was a few shops up from me. I used to go to Macs barber shop, he always had American car magazines.

[Dave H]

Granby Street was pretty well 100% european in my day. I left in about 1958when the immigrants were just moving in.

There was a chinese laundry though and Jamaican barber shop.

I was at Granby Street primary around then. The laundry was Yau's and my best friend lived there. I used to go there to read his collection of DC comics, sometimes use the ironing machine on small items under the beady eye of his gran (hard to believe now that people got handkerchiefs laundered) and admire his sister who wore cheong-sams.

I remember a butcher/fishmonger on the other side of the road nearer Parly. They used to give talks on fish to parties of schoolkids who trooped down to stand outside the window.

[jasper]

Granby Street was almost entirely a street of shops. There were no shops in either Mulgrave Street or Kingsley Road that ran parallel to it.

Does anyone know why that was?

[shytalk]

DaveH, I remember the fishmongers shop, I think it was called 'Warburtons'.
It was on the block south of Selbourne St. I think.

[jasper]

There was a fishmongers between Ponsonby Street and Cawdor Street that was owned by a large lady. There was no refrigeration and the flies used to buzz all around the shop. It was completely open to the front.

She used to sell rabbits too. They were hung outside complete with their head and skin.

She used to run charabanc excursions to places like Blackpool and Southport.

[Dave H]

The other thing about Granby Street was that there were no pubs. I think that there was some restriction imposed by the original (Methodist?) owners of the land that kept any development 'dry'.

[Dave H]

DaveH, I remember the fishmongers shop, I think it was called 'Warburtons'.
It was on the block south of Selbourne St. I think.

I think you may be right about the name. It sold various meat items as well as fish. When I remember it, it was run by a stout, jolly couple. They sold exotic items like shark. At one point in the 70s they bought in a huge whole tuna and there was a photo in the Echo or Post of them struggling to get it through the door. All you could see was this enormous fish and some legs below.

[shytalk]

I remember the Tuna incident.