Introduction
In order to better understand Station Street in Kirkby, where my grandad had a business for many years, I initially compiled a walk up and down Station Street. This developed into detailed posts for each building on Station Street. I have presented these to two local Facebook groups in the format of a walk up and down Station Street.
Differences Between “Then” and “Now“
We have now come to the end of our walk and perhaps it is good to reflect on the main differences between “then” and “now”? To do this, I am going to stick with my original definition of “then” which was around the time of the second world war. Of course it would be possible to draw comparisons with other time periods but, to make it manageable, I am sticking with one.
Air of Prosperity
In October 1975, CHAD published an article about Station Street which featured a number of interviews including with men’s outfitter Edgar Coates. Not only did he talk about his own experiences of working in Station Street, he also gave some impressions of the street overall. He said that the street had “always worn an air of prosperity“, that it was “probably the finest of its kind in Nottinghamshire” and that it was “the Mecca of the town“. He praised its width and considered that the way it had been constructed had meant that it had needed relatively little maintenance.
Activities “Then” Not Needed “Now“
Clearly there were some activities “then” which are not needed “now”, such as a corset maker or a wheelwright. Potentially, the stone masons fall into this category too as might the radio/wireless shop. While we might still buy a radio these days, we probably would not expect a separate shop for this.
Available “Now” But Not “Then“
Also there are some things which are available now which were not available then, such as vaping and electronic cigarettes. Also, the tattoo parlour might fit into this category. Although people did have tattoos at that time, I am not sure if there were dedicated tattoo parlours? Certainly, there wasn’t one in Station Street.
Replaced by Supermarkets
Perhaps many, if not most, of the changes are because there were many shops or stores that were around “then” which have “now” been largely superseded by supermarkets and other similar retail stores. There is “now” a large Morrison’s not far away from Station Street. “Then“, there were six grocers or general stores, three boot makers or repairers, two tobacconists, two clothes shops, three drapers, three butchers, two confectioners, two greengrocers, two bakers, a tea supplier, a beeroff and a newsagent.
None of those remain although there are two convenience stores. There are two specialised clothes shops – a boutique and a wedding shop. There is still one hardware store.
Businesses That Are More Widespread “Now“
There are also some types of shops and businesses which are more widespread “now”. While “then” there were two hairdressers, there are “now” nine including various kinds of beauty salons, e.g. for nails. There is also a tanning centre and a cosmetics shop. There are also “now” five café/bars/tea shops, five takeaways and four estate agents. Also, there is a charity shop, a bookmaker, an amusement arcade and two shops which offer to buy and sell items. There is also a card shop “now” which there was not there “then”.
Some Services Were Available “Then” And Are still Available “Now“
Some of the services that were available “then” are available “now” including a dentist and an optician. Indeed, there are two dentists “now“.
Services Available “Now” That Were Not Available “Then“
Plus, there are some services which are available “now” which were not available “then”. These include a foot health clinic, a taxi company, a dry cleaner and a funeral director.
Services Available “Then” That Are Not Available “Now“
But, “then” services which are no longer available included a herbalist, an auctioneer and valuer, an accountant, a picture frame maker, two libraries and more than one firm of solicitors. Station Street no longer has any bank branches although there is a Building Society.
Empty Shops
There are currently eight shops which are either empty, recently closed or have been converted to housing. However, there are also 12 buildings which have shops now which either did not have an entry in the 1941 Kelly’s Directory or which were residential at that time.
People Living in Station Street
Finally, I don’t have details of people living in Station Street “now” so it is not possible to make a comparison. But, it is possible to make a few observations.
“Then” A Lot of People Lived in Station Street
The first is that there were a relatively large number of people living in a commercial area.
Some Were Linked to the Shops They Ran
While some, like my grandparents, were clearly living in the shops they ran, many were not.
There Were Many Miners
There were perhaps unsurprisingly a large number of people working in mining. What I had not appreciated was the diversity of roles within mining – banksman, hewer, onsetter, ripper etc. and it has been interesting to learn a little about those terms and that world.
There Were Many Working in Manufacturing
I had also perhaps not appreciated the extent of manufacturing in Kirkby at that time and there were many people working in that sector “then” particularly in relation to hosiery.
Few Married Women Worked
Many of these were single women. Another feature of note was that almost none of the married women were recorded as having an occupation beyond “unpaid domestic duties”. The only exception was some shop owners where a married woman was listed as the confectioner, draper etc.
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