Jack Irvin Sweet Maker & Seller, Mayes Rd c1965

Comment by Derek Reynolds on April 16, 2020 at 20:57

Wonderful! Remember it well.

Comment by Hugh on February 27, 2021 at 14:21

Off HoL, the following comments were made by Tony Wheale about Mayes Road in general and the photos above in particular.

The sweet shop was next door to Bodmans cycle shop and I used to hold the fort when Jack or his wife whose name I've forgotten needed to go for a pee. I was always fascinated to watch how Jack would manipulate the molten sugar to make the various flavours of rock and other candies. I couldn't get enough of the coconut ice, although the resident families of mice also had a taste for it, but let's say no more about that ...

I recognise Jack's wife in the picture from their younger years. The sweets display was on castors and it had to be turned 90° in order to push it back into the working space at the end of the day. You can also see part of the front of Bodmans Cycles where I used to work, and one of the brand new Polish kids bikes that we used to sell alongside our refurbished adult bikes.

The cafe over the road was run by the two sisters Aida and Mary and their brother John who was the chef. My usual breakfast was a toasted sausage sandwich with brown sauce and one of Aida's rock cakes with a mug of hot strong tea. Lunch was whatever special of the day John had prepared. Looking back it's quite amazing what they managed to do in that tiny kitchen.

Next to the cafe on the other side of the service road was Rayner's tropical fish shop, run by Cllr Rayner and his wife. A rather snooty couple as I remember.

On the other side of Bodmans, with an empty shop in between, was Jimmy Francis's Hi Fi shop which was managed for him by a lovely guy whose name I've sadly forgotten. Jimmy drove a Rolls Royce, and when he came to visit the shop he got the manager to clean it, although he preferred to have it cleaned while it was raining as he said that the rainwater was more pure than the tap water. The job always had to be dried off and finished by hand with a chamois.

I also used to work sometimes for Graham Anthony and his brother in the pet food shop where they sold, amongst other things, condemned meat and offal from a slaughterhouse in Wales, but that's another story.

Other shops in that small parade included the upholstery shop that was run by Harry and his tiny little wife, the vacuum cleaner repair and spares shop run by Vic, and the crockery shop on the corner run by the lovely Millie who I used to help open up in the morning.

By the way, I think it must be the older of the two pictures that dates from 1965. The newer colour one I would estimate to be from the early to mid 70s

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