My first memory of having a drink at a coffee bar was in the sixties was upstairs at Peter Robinson's. I was about 7 yrs old and was with my dad when he was meeting an old friend of his. I can remember thinking how modern it was and hearing the hissing of the coffee machine. Don't remember going in again till I was in my teens and trying on the flares and midi skirts in Top Shop. Great memories.Thank you.
Wonderful as ever. The Dearly Beloved is off in the city today. I must be getting old. Some of the images I remember as if they were from last year. Ho-Hum! Have a great Festive Season.
Hi John,a lovely presentation again,I worked at BB Adam’s on Saturdays and during the week on school holidays,the photo that you’ve shared is the grocery and household items shop,the electrical one was on the other side of Dove Street,the electrical shop sold cheap hi fi appliances,watches,lighters,cameras,radios and the list goes on! The boss was known as Big Barry Adams and he imported most of the stuff from Japan and China (very cheaply) ,the work was non stop but kept me in Brutus shirts and brogues! Great stuff John 👍
Thanks so much Kev, I always thought the shop was the other side of Dove Street until I found the one in the video, so thought I must have been mistaken. But there were two! That's a relief, I'm not going mad! Happy Christmas!
Great memories as always. Back in the 60's on line shopping didnt exist but many people did buy from mail order catalogues such as Littlewoods and Freemans. My parents were local agents for Freemans. I loved looking through the catalogue
I really enjoyed this trip back in time to when shops and shopping were so varied and so much more fun. I'm very sad to admit that most of my Christmas shopping was done online this year. Very handy when looking for gifts for those who live far away - and much more reliable than the postal service! Thank you for a really interesting and enjoyable video. Merry Christmas! ❤🎄🛍🎁
Thank you - shopping used to be something of a hobby, visiting different cities and towns and seeing what they had to offer. Not quite the same now. You're right about the postal service! Merry Christmas to you too!
@@michaellupton335 great! You might like this video. A very early one, so a bit rough around the edges! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-YZfUsPx89jw.html
Another great follow John and another reason to be in awe of our lost buildings 😢... Keep doing what you do, it really is brilliant!! Best wishes for new year...
Yet another wonderful enlightenment John. You bring back to me so much that I have forgotten so thank you so much, your videos are a true gift. Seasons greetings to you and your kin.
Ahh, many happy memories again John - ! 😊 Elmo's the first self service shop in Norwich that still had wooden floors at the time, the bakery at the Co-op with mini Hovis at tuppence each - ! We used to call Hush Puppies 'Shush Dogs', but I didn't know they were of Amercan origin - ! 😅
@@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich And Crimbo was the time I got a 'big' Airfix kit; I could afford the two bob ones, but I would get one of the 17/6d. ones as a pressy - ! 😁 Wow - ! 😀
Hi John, couldn’t help noticing how much better the Christmas decs were in the older photos. Especially the 1986 photo of BHS. Now it’s just lights put in trees that when switched on look like upside down legs.😂 I live a 10min walk if that from the city, done a bit of Xmas shopping in city, but most on line. A Home Bargains where toys of us was will be handy.
Thanks, yes that's a good point about the decorations - the BHS one does look spectacular. Maybe they've gone for subtlety! Although upside down legs isn't exactly subtle!
Well done !! Excellent...that must have taken ages to get all information together !!👍👌 I do appreciate your work. Thank you 👌 Merry Christmas to you and your family 👪
Makes me feel guilty about giving in to online shopping - this year we only went to the city for a few hours, but we did support a few local shops - thorns, jarrolds, city books, the houseplant shop on the market and langleys. We also had pizza at donellis.
If you ask the shop owners, the main issues they have are astronomical energy bills, rents and business rates, not footfall. So don’t feel bad. Plenty of people still prefer to shop. Internet shopping isn’t the primary factor in the high street’s demise.
Excellent video bringing back a lot of memories. Never seen the pre-war Bonds range of shops - they are stunning. Do you know if they were destroyed in WWII or just demolished and redeveloped?
So sad walking into the arcade and seeing it empty. Happy that they kept the models there but we don't go near chapelfield, the new one is completely soulless compared to the old maze in the arcade.
@@lukewolsey I think the whole city is struggling and undergoing transition. I think there have been positive changes in the Royal Arcade as a result of it no longer being owned by Legal & General who (for various reasons) were hopeless landlords. Langleys has had to adapt to the changing retail world as it did when the likes of Argos and Index arrived on the high street ... then Toys R Us ... then Amazon .... then ....
Merry Christmas John, thanks for a great year of videos. my wife and I walked into the city yesterday. the busiest shops were Primark and Jarrolds, not sure what that says about our modern times. I still miss the likes of Andy's records, sometimes you just want to hold what you want to buy in your hand, an LP is a great example.
