B&M
Currently, there does not seem to be a number 2 Station Street. B&M are located where it might be expected to be but their website gives their address as Lindley’s Lane/Station Street. They have been based there since at least March 2019. In March 2019, “Now Open” banners were displayed on the building. In a discussion on Facebook, Selina Brown commented that she is in B&M almost weekly now.
it.
The Original Factory Shop
The Original Factory Shop occupied these premises from at least June 2015 to August 2018.
Haldanes
In April 2011, Haldanes were based at these premises. In a discussion on Facebook, Selina Brown commented that she had only been into Haldanes a few times with her grandmother. However, she noted that it was good.
Somerfield
From at least October 2008 to August 2009 based on images from Google, the premises were occupied by Somerfield. In a discussion on Facebook, Paula Twix Cruikshank commented that she thought it had become Somerfield around 2005. This was confirmed by Hales Kirk who said that the name changed soon after having worked there in around 2005/6.
Kwik Save
I am grateful to contributors on Facebook for pointing out that the building was used by Kwik Save before it became Somerfield. That change happened some time after Somerfield took over Kwik Save in February 1998.
I am particularly grateful to Rob Shooter for pointing out that the new building was built for Kwik Save and that this is clear from the photograph at the time of construction.
In a discussion on Facebook, Selina Brown commented that they used Kwik Save often “if money was tight!” but she did not really use it once it became Somerfield.
Hales Kirk noted that they worked there when it was Kwik Save, around 2005/6. It was shortly after that that the name changed to Somerfield. Rob Shooter noted that he was one of the first staff to work there when it was new. His memory of this was a little “fuzzy as he was only 17 at the time. Donna Lancashire had worked at the Kwik Save in Sutton. On occasions, she had had to work at the Kirkby branch.
Nod to the Past
In a comment on Facebook, Wendy Pascall thought that the design of the new building might have included a nod to the past in the form of the triangular facade which is reminiscent of 2 Station Street.
Right – new building when it was Haldanes
Note that both buildings have similar triangular facades
Council Offices
Many contributors on Facebook indicated that some form of Council offices or buildings were located here at some point. For example, Justin Hawkins commented that it was between the café and Chris Spencer’s car sales/garage. He notes, “I was at Kirkby centre school early to mid eighties and we’d go to the chippy or cafe for dinner and cut through the offices to the car park behind festival hall car park.” Allen Pettigrew agreed that there were council offices here, next to the garage.
Prefab?
Christine Evans thought that it might have been some form of prefabricated building that was perhaps a temporary fix until the new offices were built. She recalled paying her council house rent there between 1984 and 1986 soon after getting married. Colleen Varnam Flint recalled that it was there in September/October 1980 as she went there to try to get a house. She noted that you entered the offices from Station Street. Chris Spencer recalled it as a long, thin portacabin. He had to go there to collect the keys for their first home, a council flat. Sandra Ramsell had similar recollections of it being a “low level building like a port a cabin“.
Temporary Offices?
Anne Henshaw noted that her mother had been the “tea lady” at the Council offices. She moved from the Lovelace building where she had been a cleaner. She thought this was late seventies. Steve Clarke thought it was Ashfield District Council’s Environmental Health Office in the seventies/early eighties.
Wayne Shirley commented, “it was the council offices late 70s..to early 80s and it stretched quite away back into the original festival hall car park at the back of Festival Hall. At the side would be the deserted railway line, eventually when it was knocked down it stood empty before a new build was erected…”
Jane Wilson commented that she remembered the train line and council offices from when she was little but “somehow thought I’d dreamt it“. Bev Ruston agreed that council offices had been on this location but noted that they had been demolished. Nellie Bell Evans also recalled the Council offices being there and that Mr Cooper was clerk to the Council.
Bet-Bet Phillips commented that it was an additional council office in the early seventies. She worked at a nursery at Coxmoor and had to go to these offices to collect wages. She also paid rent there and also collected wages there later when she became a warden in 1976.
Use as Fairground
When the council offices were demolished, and before Kwik Save was built, the area was used as a fairground, for example for a Christmas Fair. Allen Pettigrew commented that there where whispers at the time that they were going to build a swimming pool but “that went to Mansfield“.
A Wall to Climb
Michael Proffitt commented that he could not remember any buildings in this are from the mid-sixties. He did comment however, “I deffo remember that wall being there as we used to climb up it as kids.”
Garden Centre
Christine Evans recalled that there had been a small garden centre at this location in the eighties. She found out that it was called Plantland, something which Ann McGarry confirmed. Christine guided me to some of its advertising in the mid-eighties. I found later adverts for a garden centre by the same name based in Sutton.
Chris Spencer, Roberta Knight and Olive Ward confirmed that the garden centre was called Plantland. Chris commented that it was run by a father and son. Olive recalled buying plants there. Liz Molloy remembered the garden centre but she had only been a “tot” at the time. She remembered that her father had shown her where the railway had been. Priscilla Cockayne and Joan Collishaw also recalled the garden centre. Dawn Evans remembered “someone selling plants etc in the void many years ago before the building was erected“. Ann Angel Vernon noted that they had sold garden furniture and that they had preciously had a base on Victoria Road. Sandra Ramsell recalled someone selling plants there.
Car Salesroom and Garage
At some point, there was a car salesroom and garage occupying some of the land currently occupied by B&M, at the corner with Lindley’s Lane. As stated in the post on East Kirkby Railway Station, in trying to look into this, I can confess to being confused at times. This is because there have been a number of car-related businesses in this area and they have operated at a number of different sites. Those include the current Lindley’s Autocentre site, where Swit Swoo is now and here. I have tried, where possible, to describe businesses and activities in the correct location. In addition, there were car-related activities in the old station buildings and they are described here.
Chris Spencer
Station Garage
I now think that the business here was Chris Spencer’s Station Garage. First, I came across this business as one of the shops listed in a window spotting competition. I wondered if this was where Lindley’s Autocentre is now but, according to contributors to a discussion on Kirkby Living Memory Facebook page, including Sharon Griffiths and Roberta Knight, this business was here, i.e. where the B&M car park is now.
Adverts and Photos
I found an advert for Chris Spencer’s Station Garage in the Mansfield and Sutton Recorder for October 1987 which gave his address as Urban Road.
Before Chris Spencer
Apparently, before the business was run by Chris Spencer, it was run by Rob Bannister and before him by Mr Page. Frank Towns recalled that Rob Bannister was a good rally driver and “raced some serious classic cars“. According to Jean Bradley, Mr Page “lived down the Quarries where the kennels is now, Was the most beautiful place with tennis court at the back“.
David Brown Tractors
In comments on Facebook, both Ann Allcock and Andy Hill thought they recalled it being David Brown tractors. I have seen adverts indicating that Station Garage specialised in David Brown tractors.
Fire at Station Garage
I came across an article in the Nottingham Gazette on Monday 20 February 1950. This noted that there had been a fire at Station Garage in the early hours of Sunday morning. Eight cars had been severely damaged. These included an Austin 24 belonging to the owner, Frederick Page. This car was completely destroyed. Another car that was practically destroyed was a Standard 10 belonging to the cricketer Joe Hardstaff. This car was jacked up and in store while he was away.
In a discussion on Facebook, Selina Brown commented that she thought the car sales place closed after a fire. She thought this would have been much later. I am grateful to Alwyn Bowskill for sharing a post with me which was labelled as the last days of Spencers car sales. There is a photo included and this seems to indicate that it was destroyed by fire.
Memories of Station Garage
A number of contributors on Facebook shared memories of Station Garage. For example, Daryl Lees, remembered walking past there many times when he lived on Lindley’s Lane. He commented that, “I can still whiff the oil and petrol from it in my nostrils now”. Donna Lancashire recalled walking past it to get to the Railway pub. Ken Tomlinson recalled walking there to buy petrol. He took a one gallon tin which was filled for ten shillings or 50p.
A number of people recalled cars they got from there. Roberta Knight recalled buying a Ford Escort there in the late 1980s. Karen Upchurch got her first car there, a Talbot Horizon, and she also later got a Ford Escort. Peter Payne recalled getting two cars from there, a Ford Escort and a Talbot Horizon. Dave Baldwin got his first car there, a Ford Escort Mark Two.
Jason Morley recalled working there before Chris Spencer had the garage. It was his first job. Sean Harrison noted that he was there for a short time before it closed and before he had a garage in Hucknall. Mark Hilton worked at Bannister’s cleaning cars on Saturdays and during the school holidays. He did that for a couple of years. Roger Wakefield also used to work there on Saturday mornings and in the school holidays.
Derek Taylor recalled that his friend Ken Jeacock had worked there for many years. He recalled that they fixed David Brown tractors and that there was a “1950s Aston Martin in a corner of the workshop with a dirty old blanket covering what now is a priceless classic car“. Roger Wakefield recalled that Rob Bannister had an MGB GT which was his “pride and joy“.
Railway (Crossing) House
In a comment on Facebook, Audrey Garner identified this as where the railway house was and where the Perry family lived. She identified Mr Perry as a “large gentleman and he used to sit on a stool and manage the gates when they needed to be worked.” However, Royston Nixon thought the house was on the other side of the road and referred to it as the Old Station House. Jane Mawdsley thought she could recall a Scottish family living there. She agreed with Audrey Garner about location and thought it was a detached house next to the railway.
From the discussion, it appears that Royston Nixon was describing part of the station building. Audrey Garner and Jane Mawdsley may be describing a different building. It may be of interest that when KMS was established, it was said to have been established in the old Railway Crossing House
What Happened to 2 Station Street?
At some point, 2 Station Street was demolished and the building that is now B&M was constructed. From photographs, it appears that the demolition was carried out much earlier than the construction of the current building, perhaps late sixties. The current building was constructed during the time Jeff Hoon was MP for Ashfield, i.e. between 1992 and 2010.
Wilson’s Butchers
In 1941, the butcher Fred Wilson and Son was at 2 Station Street. Wilson Butcher appears on Jacques’ List of Station Street retailers circa 1920-1940.
Memories of Fred Wilson
Mark Ashfield
According to Mark Ashfield in “Christmas Pigs and a Summer Donkey” (p23), Fred Wilson only had one arm. Mark Ashfield and his friends often went there to buy pork scratchings.
Edith Searson
Edith Searson, in her booklet “I Also Remember“, noted that the Wilson family had a house and shop from which they ran a family butchers’. She noted that the business continued until the death of the owner.
Other Memories
In discussions on Facebook, several contributors recalled that this was a butchers. For example, LeonardandMaureen Harris commented that it was a butcher’s shop and their mother used to clean there. They recalled that the butcher’s name was Wilson and that this was in the late forties/early fifties.
Kip Herring commented, “can remember going in the buildings at the back when we were kids , it was derelict, think it was a abattoir, there was big beams with big meat hooks in them.”
Bill Curtis?
I came across a photograph of Bill Curtis on Annesley OC Heritage Extra Facebook page in which he is described as a butcher “on lower end of Station Street“. I have not come across him elsewhere.
In discussion on Facebook, Helen Potter commented that his shop had been a bit further down on Urban Road next to what is now Showstoppers. Sharon Mills agreed commenting that Curtis’s butchers had been in the premises that became Crumbs next to what was Blake and Beeleys. By my calculations, that would mean it was 9-11 Urban Road. Lesley Bignell confirmed that Curtis’s was a double fronted shop with meat on one side and baked goods on the other.
An article in CHAD in October 1975 confirmed that Bill Curtis was at 11 Urban Road. Apparently, his father William Alfred Curtis started the business in 1909. At that time, the family had three farms. Bill took over the business in 1945. He was a former President of Kirkby Chamber of Trade.
Residents of 2 Station Street
The Wilsons
In 1939, Fred and Annie Wilson were at 2 Station Street with their son Arthur (b1908). Fred was described as a Master Butcher and Arthur was described as a butcher – all round man. Next to Fred’s entry is written PWC 466/1102. It seems that this was a later entry made referring to a post war credit. These credits relate to higher rates of income tax paid during the second world war which were refundable after the end of the war.
The Smiths
In 1921, Arthur and Emma Smith were living at 2 Station Street with their nine children, William (b1904), Ivy (b1905), Irene (b1906), Albert (b1908), Laura (b1911), Winifred (b1913), Violet (b1915), Verder (or Verdon) (b1917) and Marie (b1920). Arthur was working as a horse keeper for Kirkby Council and William was working as a pony driver at Summit Colliery.
The Dudleys
In 1911, Enoch and Maria Dudley were living at 2 Station Street with their three sons, Leslie Norman (n1898), G W Hector (b1899) and Donald (b1905). Also with them was Enoch’s mother, Mary Ann. Enoch was a coal miner hewer and Leslie was a grocer’s assistant.
The Sharleys
In 1901, Albert H and Clara E Sharley were living at 2 Station Street with their two daughters, Kathleen (b1890) and Laurie (b1891). Albert was described as a builder and contractor.