I REMEMBER Shirley High Street in the 1940s. In addition to the shops mentioned in the Daily Echo recently there were three high-class ladies’ clothes shops – Downeys, Brookes and Edwin Jones, which I think relocated from town after the bombing.

In addition to these there was also a fishmonger, corn merchants, two sweet shops and tobacconists, several bakeries – including Lowmans and Cadena, Woolworths, Jumbo Ice Cream stall, a doctors’ surgery, a toy shop under the clock at the back of Wilko’s, Clarence Stores Hardware (which is still in existence) and many more, all between Anglesea Road and the Catholic church.

Happy memories of a real shopping centre.

Mrs R Roberts
Shirley