This is Cragg Fisheries, on Rotherham Road, Maltby. Where the bungalow is now, and near to the spray tan shop and the dentist, near the top of Milton Street is how we describe it's position.
Over the years it's changed hands many times before being pulled down for Jebson's to build their bungalow. It seems to have had it's hey days in the 1970's and 80's - at least according to those who remember. Seeing this photo reminded some of us that it was ever there.
Mrs Taylor ran the shop about 70 years ago, and the Pugh's when you could get chips and mushy peas for 6 pence.
Mrs Law and her daughter Diane ran the shop in the 70's.
It was also owned by the Berry family around this time, Tom their son being a class mate of many.
Many remember working there and especially with a little lady with white hair (who may or may not have been Mrs Laws.)
The Fuller's were another family who ran this chippy.
Anyone living on Rolleston Avenue and Milton St were very handy for the Craggs Fisheries, and chippy teas on a Friday night were "quality".
Young ones from the area used to hang about around the shop, getting moved on regularly, especially when "Skull" was there with his unhygenic habits !
It used to be the only chippy that had free tomato sauce on the counter for your chips ensuring happy and healthy dinner breaks from the Comp School. It was a great chippy and you could go down for school dinner and be back in time for a game of footy on the tennis courts.
If you had to go from Cliff Hills to get fish and chips for mam and dad, you had to run back fast, before they got cold, but it was well worth it.
Many free bubblegums could be had from the machine on the wall outside, using the round end of a chip fork. Apparently, cardboard coins pinched from school worked a treat too for this.
The culprits apologise to the owners of the shop at the time - even if's about 30 years too late.
Several pints of Stones's at the Swan, then to the Crags
chip-shop for supper before going home also made for happy days. As did fish and chips on the way home to Gaitskell Close from the Brooklands Club. All remembered as great times and lovely memories.
Pugh's also had a chip shop just off Addison Rd (Laburnum Parade) which was sold in the early 90's and has since been Zac's Fish Bar.
(I seem to be the only one who has noticed - or is interested - that the name on the picture has double G in it, something that I get pulled up about when writing about The Crags ! )
"Rivals" of Craggs Fisheries at this time were Winstanley's, Barber's and Manor Fisheries.
... and if anyone wonders what happened to those gates, they are still in Jebson's shed.
'a little lady with white hair ' Could it be Elsie Laws? She used to work for my Nanna (Dorothy Pugh) at Estate Fisheries - Laburnum Parade. It's possible she worked at the Rotherham Road shop before that. I don't really know much about the life at the Rotherham Road shop, I only remember the shop on the parade which I think My Nanna built but I can't be sure. I'll have to do some digging on that one. Winstanley's was my Nanna's younger brother, Lawrence. Their father ran Manor Fisheries.
ReplyDeleteHope this helps people's memories a little. This photo must be after Dorothy and Harold Pugh sold the shop as it never had gates when they had it and they sold it in about 1970 when they moved to the fish and chip shop on cliff hills (laburnum parade) which they had built. Elsie Law worked for Dorothy both at Rotherham rd and cliff hills as I recollect. I believe the Pugh's had Crags fisheries for about 16 years. There was no chippy on cliff hills (just a mobile van occasionally) until Pugh's had there's built there.
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