[susie123]

Hello everyone and thanks for the warm welcome, glad you find my memories interesting. Bob, I thought there was a shop I'd missed, just about where you placed Booth's, yet another baker, but couldn't recall it. All the others I could picture vividly, and I recall the name Leonora Leighton, quite exotic sounding in those days.

TubbyLes, the reason I remember the shops is that I ran errands to most of them! And I do remember the trains, standing on the Iron Bridge waiting to be enveloped in a cloud of steam as one passed underneath.

I've also been reading the old thread about the deck which brought back more memories. Someone asked about McKno's tailors on Blackburn Road. My family is related to the McKno family in some way, not sure how, but my great aunt trained there as a tailoress before WWI. I have a photo of her with the other apprentices.

As for the deck, I have arranged to meet many boyfriends there in my time, and yes there were railings in those days, on the corner of Broadway in front of the Town Hall. Also spent many an hour in the Blue Dahlia over a frothy coffee in glass cups and saucers. That was before I used to go in pubs, later when I did I remember the Blockade at the bottom of Edgar Street and the Derby.

Didn't go in the Melbo cafe though I've stared at it often enough. It was on Melbourne Steet opposite the Manchester bus stop which I used to stand at many times as we used to go to Manchester on Saturdays quite a lot. Finally the Astronaut pub on Union Street, didn't go in there myself as a rule but my parents organised my 21s tbirthday party there. That would have been in 1967 by which time I wasa student in Preston and only coming home at weekends.