Albert Barber
When working at TVC Shepherds Bush was a technicolour haven of delights. You could buy anything from underwear to fruit, Records to tools. There was even a car parts shop nearby!
Those were the days!
Paul Thackray
Everything I have read, suggests that the market is being refurbed not closed, but with a period of closure to make the changes (which is not popular with some traders)
Additional development in the ‘unused areas’ around the market. (I went last year and quite a few empty units)
Dave Newbitt.
Albert’s mention of the market delights including “Records to tools” immediately had me recalling W.G.Stores under the arches at the Uxbridge Road end of the market who covered both. Nostalgia had me Googleing which threw up this absolutely fascinating ‘Alternative History of Shepherds Bush’ https:// www.richardgregory.org.uk/history/shepherds-bush-history.htm#sbm
So many place names, street names, shop names suddenly sounding familiar again. Masses of photos, facts and figures.
WG Stores also had a shop frontage actually on Uxbridge Road which was brilliant for tools. In the 60’s there were still factories in Sheffield that made unbranded tools, and WG had many such. These days most would run a mile from purchasing the unknown but these were as good as you could get. I remember long snipe nosed pliers with one leg forged through the other, not just a pivot with one on top of the other. They sold unbranded paint brushes with masses more bristles per sq.inch than offerings from Hamiltons, Harris and the like. I also bought there (and still have) a 1/2” Sq. drive Kamasa socket set which was actually made in Japan – I bet that’s a rarity.
Fings ain’t wot they used to be!
Graeme Wall
I still have a pair of those pliers in my toolkit!
Ted Kent
I remember the tool shop and still have some of them in regular use. Also a vague memory of a Chinese restaurant, but this was over fifty years ago. I remember getting decent meal was difficult when working at the theatre. Lime Grove wasn’t much better in the evenings.
Albert Barber
Spot what was and will be…1960.
Alasdair Lawrance
I bought my first LPs at the Market – Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9, ‘From the New World’, and “Country Music, Connie style”, by Connie Francis. Safe to say my tastes have changed since then, as anyone who has caught a glimpse of the Grand Ole’ Opry on Sky Arts (yes, really!) can judge.
There was a story, possibly apocryphal, of a producer who was working at TC when John ‘The Dalek’ Birt introduced Producer Choice. He (the producer) wanted a particular disc from the Library to select music and discovered it would cost tens of pounds to his budget, before even selecting the track.
He went to the market in his lunch hour and bought said disc for 37/6d, and charged it to his budget as usual, and used it in the programme.
And then kept the disc. I really hope it’s true.
BTW, I remember the Chinese restaurant in Goldhawk Road, made soup the consistency of wallpaper paste, with the odd corn kernel floating about – didn’t know any better, thought it was normal!
Paul Thackray
The obvious flaw in the producer going for the record is that producer choice was early 1990s and the uk went decimal in 1971. Even Shepherds Bush Market had updated its prices from ‘37/6d’ by the 90s!
The basic story is true , but ignores the cost of the Producers time.
The ‘cost’ of a library is far more the people running it and the store room etc than the actual stock.
Dave Newbitt
There was also an Indian we used to frequent when working at TVT or LG. It was on the South side of Shepherds Bush Green, down steps into a basement area, called Tommy’s as I recall. It closed after {I think) domestic cats were found to form part of the meat content.
You are likely correct Dave as I’m not sure what I ate for breakfast this morning! I said Indian because for certain an Indian in the vicinity was the first time I had encountered their cuisine. In my ignorance I chose a dish that turned out to be hot enough to be connected to the central heating. Trying not to advertise my ‘up from the sticks’ lack of sophistication I toughed it out as though it was well within my compass.
For some reason the only one of our group I remember for sure being there was Dave Hughes. I don’t think I fooled him!
Alec Bray
All I can remember is a mountainous pile of spaghetti bolognese in a caff on Uxbridge Road …
Nick Ware
I don’t remember an Indian, which is not to say there wasn’t one, but used to like the Bertorelli opp Shepherds Bush tube station. In Goldhawk Rd. Close to TVT and LG, was another Italian that I can’t remember the name of, and a Workmen’s’ cafe which was in my opinion, the best locally. Bertorelli’s – dinner for two plus a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau for a fiver! Those were the days!
Shepherds Bush Mkt was a voyage of discovery every time. Also, places like Useekia in Goldhawk Road just opposite Lime Grove. Over my years there I built several mixer units, made with metalwork cut, folded, panels drilled, even anodised to absolute precision right there in the shop. The rest of construction all done in our spare bedroom. Hand drawn and etched PCB’s. Pic shows one such mixer that earned its cost back many times over (P&G faders, also made locally)..
And just down the road from there: Audio Ltd, home of early radio mics. Not far from there, in Old Oak Road, the home of Goodmans loudspeakers, built on the premises – nothing Japanese, Chinese, etc. We could do it all in those days!
Graham Giles
There was an Indian at the far end of Shepherds Bush Green on the opposite side to the tube station. There I had my first experience of chicken phal. Never forgotten !
There were 3 ‘restaurants’ I remember in Goldhawk Road. My favourite was the Ritz where I loved the liver, egg and chips followed by peach flan and ice cream for 3/6. Almost next door on the corner was the Cafe Rest
– a bit cheaper than the Ritz. Meal vouchers were 3/- then I think. Oddies (Oddy’s ?) was favoured by those working at the TV Theatre as it was the nearest. More expensive too it had a restricted ‘club’ in the basement where artists and production team would often go. There was the Bush pub opposite which also served food. I patronised WG Stores over the years and bought many LP’s in the market but more from the Reckless Record shop further back along the road. I still have them – good sound (with crackles).
Dave Newbitt
The excellent photos posted in this thread galvanised me into looking through a folder on my HDD labelled ‘around the Bush’. Here is one pic from the folder – a shot of the Market which I obviously found online but I have no idea where as it was a fair while ago.
Down at the Goldhawk Rd end of course. Brown coated lady left of the bicycle enjoying a Woodbine is great. Caption has Shepherd rather than Shepherds but I’ve left it as I found it.
You may well have seen this LG demolition photo. Not much left of where you stood!
Geoff Fletcher
Nice to see my old photo in use. I took it from Lime Grove Studio D fire escape on 20 August 1964. Waited a while to catch the tube trains in the frame.
Tony Grant
Do you remember the bloke in the market with a slightly off-tune radio who asked passers by if their radios sounded a bit dodgy like the one burbling away in front of him, as he had just the remedy – he then connected a condenser to the aerial lead – voila, in tune again! I wonder how many he sold?
