I am 59 now and lived in Cockton Hill in the fifties as a child. What a great site this is. It brings back some wonderfull memories. I used to go to the Saturday morning matanee at the Odeon. I used to get a birthday card off them every year, along with all the other kids though.
Di Palmas ice cream man used to come around on a horse and cart in those days, a crome container of ice cream on the cart, it was really nice.
Mind you, the Coop, the rag and bone man, everyone used a horse and cart then.
I do remeber another cinema halfway down the main street in Bishop, I can not remember its name, I thought it was the Essoldo but could be wrong.
There was never a shortage of things to do back then, even though we never had computors and video games. We were always full of life and energy, and dripping on bread, MMmmmmmm. My Dad was from Middlestone Moor, My Mum from Middlesborough, so some real good Northern conections.
I think is is real strange how your parents would let you catch the bus to town or the City with a couple of mates without fear of being jumped on or taken away. Maybe it was just because I was a child that I had no fear or worries. I know my Mum and Dad struggled for quite a few years with three lads and a girl to look after. No double glazing or central heating, God it was sooooooo cold. Ice on the inside of the windows. But as a child it was fun. It's much warmer down here in Plymouth, ha ha.
Some great memories,thanks!!

The cinema in Newgate Street would have been the King's which was owned by the Essoldo company from 1947and closed in 1960. The actual Essoldo which was in Railway Street is still in existence as a bingo hall (I think) which makes it the last former cinema still standing. The Eden Theatre which closed as a cinema/theatre in 1964 was demolished in the 1974 and the Odeon closed in 1983 and was finally demolished in 1995. The Essoldo closed as a cinema in 1966.





Edited 1 times. Last edit at 02/05/10 07:36AM by Mark.

Thank you Mark for that info on the Essoldo and the others too. How sad eh! it's like people chipping away at your old memories bit by bit until they have all gone.
I knew I was right about there being an Essoldo there, not a bad memory from 50 years ago.
I quite often go onto the Cockton Hill School site and browse through the pictures there, it is a very good site with pictures of Bishop.
I can,t for the life of me understand why I do not remember the Rossis cafe? I used to walk up and down the main street for a pass time. Thanks anyway.

I can clearly remember being taken into Rossi's by my father during the war years and in spite of all the rationing and food shortages - some sweets - aniseed balls, humbugs, licquorice or others were always available! Great thrill! Would your family remember my father - Dr. John Gaiter?

RE: musical Marie

Hi Jennifer,
Yes I remember her as a fraud.I think we all expected The Guinness Book Of Records people turning up, but she fled with the money after the Saturday night, I seem to remember!



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 07/15/10 03:37PM by John maughan.

I was a 13 yr-old when I arrived in Bp.A a couple of years after WWII. Rossi's was the meetingplace for lots of us with its cubicles where you could talk over cups of coffee. Most importantly it was where you could meet girls.... I lived close to Mr Drummond who owned the Eden and my father would take me backstage where we could watch the show from the wings. It was very educational for a young man as some of the touring shows featured what were politely called "artistic tableaux" featuring young ladies with minimal (if any) clothing. My education progressed as such things were scarcely mentioned at King James school!
The theatre was well used by the local operatic and dramatic societies who staged productions such as "White Horse Inn and "The Country Girl" as well as various Gilbert & Sullivan operettas.
I left Bp.A in the late 50s as did many of my generation as work beckoned elsewhere although my mother continued to live there very happily until 1992,
It is sad that so many changes seem to have taken place in the town that it seems a shadow of its former self. Even nostalgia ain't what it used to be.