Roker Avenue shops had it all -
THE SUNDERLAND WOMAN WHO RECALLS EVERY SHOP FROM HER YOUTH INCLUDING THE DELICIOUS SAVELOY
If it’s memories of old Sunderland shops you’re after, look no further than Jacki Thew. To say she has a very good memory is an understatement. The 55-year-old mum of two, born in Cooper Street in 1961, has shared her recollections of great shops in the Roker Avenue area. And with the help of photographs from the Sunderland Antiquarian Society, it’s a real trip down a retailers Memory Lane.
Jacki Thew is something of an expert on Roker Avenue. After all, she was born in the area, raised in Sunderland, married in Roker Avenue and now lives in the St Peter’s Riverside area. The veterinary receptionist said all of her family have had links to the area since late Victorian times. For Jacki, it has meant lots of memories of Roker Avenue shops. As Jacki said, she started “at the bottom and worked my way up” the street. There was a drapers, and - on the corner of Cooper Street - there was Stevie Mckenzie the money lenders. Next came David Gilmore’s the paper shop and Lipton’s, described by Jacki as “the first supermarket I ever remember, there was hardly anyone ever in there as “me mam said it was too dear” Mrs Puncheon’s was “a typical type corner shop that sold everything. Further along was Austin Brown the butchers, and next to this was Nelly Master the greengrocers,” said Jacki. “I always remember Nelly with her long coat, boots and a shawl. The shop had floor boards and once I remember watching a little mouse running riot in the front window when the shop was closed.” Next came Ralphie Carr the newsagent. “Always went in there with aunt Jessie to pay for papers and loved all the toys in the window,” said Jacki. Around the corner was a second butchers belonging to Austin Brown. “I remember Peter the lovely butcher who worked there and always got a hot sausage roll off him. They were delicious. “On the next corner, which is now an angling shop, was a baker shop I think by the name of Masons. I remember a lovely lady who worked there. “The shop was immaculate with all glass shelves filled with delicious loaves and cream cakes.” On the opposite side of the road, Vic Jackson had a corner shop with loose biscuits