Mrs Stanley’s Story
Dixon Lane pet store, Leslie’s material stall.
In the early 1930s at the bottom of Dixon Lane, to the right as one entered the market, was a pet store. This was quite large, had an earth floor and housed, apart from pet food, animals of all descriptions, apart from hens which ran around loose. I loved going there as a small child.
Later – about 50 years ago – was Leslie’s material stall – an Aladdin’s cave for people who made their own clothes. The stallholder would ‘stroke’ the bales of cloth if they were of particularly good quality and he was known to say to a customer he knew if they were short of cash ‘Take it and pay me next week!’ The world has changed!!!