Tuesday, 11 March 2008

Mrs Judson’s

 

All this has changed! It used to be where the Liverpool end of the M62 now meets Queens Drive. My colour photo looking towards the Rocket was taken at the end of the sixties. The former cottages, once known as Childwall View had been shops since my Mum was small and the far end one – Mrs Judson’s – was the local grocers. Not sure whether any of it survives or in what form.


The cottages on the left at the end would really have had a view of Childwall at the end of the Victorian era before the houses opposite were built and the trees planted.

When Mum and Dad moved into Renville Road the Judsons continued to be their grocers with Mum and I walking around there to shop. It was a real ‘corner shop’ and seemed to stock everything despite only being big enough for a three or four customers to stand in it at a time. Later, I would go on my own with a list and a large rucksack to do the shopping on a Saturday morning. That rucksack was heavy by the time it was filled but I would never admit it! Later still Mr Judson Mum used to phone the list in and Mr Judson would deliver the groceries in his Morris Minor Countryman.


On the right of this 1973 picture – looking towards The Fiveways, the opposite way to mine - is The Mission Room. This was Miss Smith’s Preparatory School when Mum was small and she and Uncle Eric went there. When GB and I were small it was the Sunday School room for St David’s Church and he and I went there though my stint was only brief. I recall falling backwards off the bench and banging my head. That was all the excuse I needed to convince Mum to let me stay at home.


At the end of the sixties the shop at the opposite end of the row was briefly a sales outlet for Ron Baker’s paintings. Ron’s painting name was Cazier and I shall show some of his pictures on a future blog when I can find the slides. When I was in the sixth form I would often call in on my way home from school and talk to his attractive wife while deciding how long it would take me to save up for a painting. I bought two and then had a commission painted from my own slide of Great Gable.

17 comments:

  1. I, too, used to carry the shopping home on a Saturday morning (presumably when CJ was still too a wee a laddie) but used a large wicker shopping basket (and often another basket to balance things up). I recall that a number of stops were needed between Mrs Judson's and home because of the weight.

    Mum always bought smoked rhoded(sp ?) bacon and, once butter was pre-packed and not loose, Moonraker butter. Later she turned to Lurpack (ugh!).

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  2. I, on the other hand, attended Sunday School at The Mission Room and then St David's Church proper for many many years (and had the attendance books to prove it - one of which was Coopers Creek to Land Tang Two). It was in the very early days of Sunday School when I learned a very hard lesson for a 5? year old. I realised that I was the only one in our group (one of many) singing the hymn and stopped. I was called out to the teacher and asked why I'd stopped. When I offered the explanation that everyone would be looking at me she asked me what made me think that I was that important. It was cruel at the time and I suffered much but I never forgot it and, with hindsight, it was a very good lesson to learn.

    As for Sunday School during my confirmation classes the Rev Cyril F Dunsby turned me against the Church for many years - in fact probably for ever because whilst I went back to Church temporarily in my 20s I never really had the commitment of my childhood.

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  3. What a co-incidence - my confirmation classes (at Knotty Ash church) turned me against the church for many years as well. In response to my questioning some tenet of faith the Vicar told me that the Church was for people who just believed and didn't question. I went through with the classes and got confirmed for Mum and Dad's sake but never againa felt the same about the Church.

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  4. Thanks for posting this great colour shot!

    I recall Mrs Judson too, we used to call
    the shop 'Juddies'. Apparently, she was the
    work-horse behind the business (excuse the
    term), her husband was rumoured to be
    'work shy'.

    The photo-scan is even more important to me
    since I can see my father's Bedford van in the
    shot. Yes, that is where we once lived.

    Happy days indeed!!!

    Around the time 1967-69, I recall 'helping'
    two workmen cut down the tree. All that
    remains in the photo is the stump.Of course,
    all I effectively did was collect and brush up,
    but for my efforts they gave me a full half crown!

    With all that money I thought I'd won the pools.
    :-D

    My father was a keen photographer, and I'm
    beginning (the slow, but sure) process of
    scanning his prints and any L15/L13 dated
    shots.

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  5. Glad it brought back memories Jamese. Hope you find some good photos among your Dad's. It always amuses me that the keener one is on photography the less likely one seems to have bothered taking photos of the immediate neighbourhood!

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  6. Yes, I take your point there, but in our case
    Dad (and I include myself) took a fair number of
    shots of the area. Most of which were on 35mm
    format using Ilford's HP3, FP3, Kodaks Tri-X and
    other slower films which have slipped my mind for
    the moment.

    Dad went mad for HP3 in the early 1970s as he
    got it cheap. He/we used to load it "bulk". That
    way of working allowed me to practise both
    photo-taking and developing to my hearts
    content.

    I have an "old" flatbed scanner which is working
    fine, but I'll need to purchase specifically a neg
    (or neg/photo) scanner if I am eventually to wade
    through the 1000's of shots left behind.

    I'm interested in finding as much dated material
    on L15 as I can.

    Yes, much has changed since you took those
    great shots of L15. But as of Sept 2007, the
    shops or "Childwall View" (and"Juddies") were
    still there. The only outlet not to effectively move
    or change its role is Houghton's sweet shop.

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  7. Hi Scriptor,

    I believe I've located the precise positioning of a 1911 stock Liverpool Corporation photograph.

    Thought you might be interested.

    Unfortunately, the detail is some what limited, but my parents house is to the right (out of picture), as is Mrs Judsons. Obviously even before her time. :-)

    Score Land, first left? Heywood Rd first right?

    jamese

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  8. Meant to add the url ...

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamese007uk/3445995506/


    jamese

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  9. Thanks Jamese
    I'd seen this photo before and always assumed it was from the Fiveways looking towards the Rocket but now I think you are right. That would mean the people on the pavement on the right are half way between my Grandmother's house and your house!

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  10. Hi Scriptor

    You said - "I'd seen this photo before and always assumed it was from the Fiveways looking towards the Rocket ...."

    Me too; and for a long time in fact, as this photo was associated with some shots of the Fiveways.

    However, the more I rationalize it, the more it points to a Queens Drive/Score Lane/Heywood Rd photo.

    There are buildings marked on score lane, as suggested in the 1908 map (also on flickr). That and other evidence (from the photos/maps) kind-of seals it as far as I am concerned.

    What I'd give for the camera to turn right by about 45-60 degrees! :-)

    Did your Grandmother live in one of those Victorian houses before Heywood Rd?

    jamese

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  11. More nostalgia, enjoy ....

    http://www.watcha.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/

    ;-)

    jamese

    PS - the photos are small, but at least they can be saved
    or downloaded.

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  12. Yes - the next to end one on your block. i.e. next but one to Heywood Road. My Mum was brought up there from the age of about two. My grandparents moved there about 1910. It is the middle one of the three houses that composed the picture on
    http://memoriamea.blogspot.com/2007/12/antlers-and-parachutes.html

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  13. jamese - Some of those photos are great. Any chance of your e-mail? Its probably better than this commenting lark. If you leave it as a comment I'll make a note and then delete it rather than publish it.

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  14. Well, this is quite incredible! I distinctly recall the demolition of that house as a child. It was quite a long time ago - must be 1965-1967 I guess? I remember even as a "kid" feeling a wee bit sad at the thought of someones home being taken down.

    And there was that petrol station, or "garage" as we always called it. That too was "rebuilt" around the time 1977-1980. I should know cos' I was taking lots of photographs with my new (bought off Dad!) Olympus OM1.

    Scriptor, if I ever come across a photo-negative of that old house, I'll let you know for sure!!! But don't hold up your hopes, cos' I don't actually recall Dad ever photographing it. Which is actually counter to what he would have done; especially if a demolition was taking place. To be fair to Dad, he may not have found the time to do this - he was always busy at work, and/or pottering around in his cellar.

    As I've mentioned somewhere, I've a large box full of old (mainly 35mm) negs here, but no scanner yet, and my darkroom is not yet set up.

    Anyway, no doubt in time I'll discover something I've not seen before.

    jamese

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  15. For anyone interested, on my flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamese007uk/3811908884/ you'll see a photo taken in May 1961 across the Childwall View Shops.

    Just look how run-down the shops looked. :-)

    I was wondering, if that's you CJ in the pic as young lad?

    Probably not. :-)

    EJ

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  16. Great link, Eric.

    I don't think it's me but I do recognise Mr Judson's Morris Countryman and I'd forgotten about the optician's Francomb's being there.
    I don't remember the greengrocer's though it was obviously there in my time.

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  17. The Grocer at the time was Joe McGinn. His young family lived above the shop, and they soon moved to No 30 within a year or two. They remained good neighbours for many years. J.McGinn died unexpectedly in 1965.

    I didn't realise that was Mrs Judson's Morris - thanks CJ.

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