Andrew Moulding continues his walk through Axminster of the 1950s

I have just crossed the top of Castle Street from the Axe Vale Creamery Dairy and straight into W J Harris & Son grocer and baker of Trinity Square. The business had been running from the late 19t century and dear old Joe Harris (a small man with pointed features and a pristine white apron) was in charge.

I believe Joe was grandson of the original proprietor and the family business was continued by Joe's son Ted, another stalwart of the town who only passed away a short while ago at a ripe old age. Harris's was renowned for good quality local produce and baking on the premises. I seem to remember that there was a café on the first floor and a distinctive smell of ground coffee.

Next to Harris's was "Frederick Baker & Son" (now known as Trinity House). Baker's was predominantly a ladies' clothes shop, but also had a fine selection of shoes. The managers were Les Spoor and Alan Lodge, true gentlemen, who epitomised customer care.

Just at the end of Baker's was a small jewellery shop, run by Jack Gosling. You rarely saw Jack in the shop as he was invariably stood on the doorstep, smoking his pipe and watching the world - and the girls - go by. If you took a watch in for repair, you never heard from Jack for weeks. Following a polite enquiry, it was always the same reply "I'm sorry – I just haven't had the time!"

Then we come to the Midland Bank (currently Morton's chemists) on the site of the original Post Office. I have an intriguing story about the Midland Bank.

My building firm had an urgent call from the bank one morning. There had been an attempted break-in via a window at the rear of the bank, where the building was accessible from the yard of the adjacent Old Bell Hotel. Fortunately, the burglars appeared to have been disturbed and disappeared.

When I arrived the following morning, there were bank security officials all over the place and our firm was detailed to arrange for security grills to be replaced. The burglars had attempted to cut through one-inch diameter bars with oxy-acetylene equipment they had stolen from Axe Vale Engineering.

The new grills were made and our operatives commenced work on the ground floor window, which was where the attempted break-in had taken place. Beneath the window, the ground did not appear too firm. A concrete base, probably only about three inches thick, was removed, which exposed the top of the old original coal chute, which would have fuelled the boiler in the basement for the old post office. You may have already guessed that the cellar was then used by the bank for cash storage! So instead of trying to get through a window with one-inch diameter bars; all the burglars needed to do, was to put a boot into the concrete covering and they could have lowered themselves straight down into the vault!

Next to the bank as I have already mentioned was the Old Bell Hotel, run by the White family. I don't remember Mr White senior, who was the proprietor, but I remember his son Alan, and his son-in-law Ron Turner, with whom I briefly played football. I also remember Cecil Kerle, the barman, who was always able to serve us boys in the early sixties, with a crafty pint.

Proudly standing on the corner of Trinity Square and Victoria Place, and opposite Dawkins, was W G Potter & Sons, selling furniture, carpets and soft-furnishings. For many years, Ken Pritchard was in charge.

And there, opposite Potters is the George Hotel, recently restored to glory and always a prominent landmark in Axminster. The George Hotel was an old historic coaching inn, said to be the resting place for King George III, who visited Axminster in 1789 to choose an Axminster Carpet from Thomas Whitty's Carpet factory.

In the 1950s, as a child, I can remember the stables in the area which is now a car park for the George Hotel and I can also remember when the south-western side of the building was "sliced away" to provide for the widening of Lyme Street. I remember Joe Heath as the owner in the late fifties, as I played football and cricket with his son Barry. In those days the ground floor was split into two bars, the main bar for the younger element and a "snug" bar for the "elder statesman" of the town. The hotel also boasted the renowned Adam Room, with its Adam fireplace and minstrels gallery. The Adam Room rivalled Gill's Cafe as THE place for functions in the town.

I'll never forget my first visit to a function in the Adam Room, which was a dinner to celebrate the first season of Axminster Tigers youth football team. The meal had gone well and presentations had been made. I'm not sure what happened, but all of a sudden there was a fight in the middle of the floor! But was it two of the young footballers? No - it was my father and Bob Rogers, father of one of my team-mates David Rogers. It soon got sorted out – no doubt it was a case of too many pints of Watneys Red Barrel!

Over the road from the George, was Barnard's newsagents – the shop seemed to be crumbling then and it certainly is now!

Next door to Barnard's was another bank – the National Provincial Bank, later to be Nat West. The manager was Mr Yeo, well known in the town, particularly for his treasurer's role with the Operatic Society. His assistant aanager was Bill Andress, who I knew well, as his son John was another footballing compatriot of mine.

Then we had another Axminster butcher's shop – "Eastman's", a nicely laid out shop, with a cashier's office at the rear, where Mrs Down had her beady eye on you, in case you were nicking a string of sausages!

Next to Eastman's was the wide entrance of Webster's "Top" Garage. Wally Hoare managed the top garage, with a number of mechanics and other personnel. I remember Tom Adams, Jack Askew and my dear friend Barry Manley, who died far too young.

They were a good bunch at Websters and always up for fun. My uncle became a joke with them when he bought a new Daimler, which he probably only drove about once a week – each time followed by a visit to Webster's. He was nicknamed "Squeak a Week".

Next door to Websters, remembered better by my associate John Jeffery, was a Mrs Hawkins greengrocers and Gilbert Ridgeway's Hairdressers. These premises were on part of the site now used as South Street car park.

The road narrows significantly at the junction of Lyme Street and South Street and has been the scene on several occasions of accidents caused by the failing brakes of heavy goods vehicles pounding down Lyme Road. Some of the lorries have finished up in the frontage of the Bell Hotel! Indeed, I can recall an R Moulding & Sons lorry being hit by a runaway vehicle, which if it hadn't careered into our vehicle, could have caused death, injury or damage further down the road.

Further along South Street, on the western side of the street, was the Post Office, together with the sorting office and ancillary buildings, used as a maintenance garage, storage, etc. I seem to remember a Mr Matthews as the Postmaster in the fifties, but the character, known by all those visiting Axminster post office was Sidney Bowers. Sid Bowers was tall, almost military, with a deep sophisticated voice and aristocratic countenance. Sidney gave you the impression that he was in charge and he supported many voluntary organisations and appeared in all the operatic productions.

I can't remember who looked after the sorting office in the fifties, but some years later my old school friend David Evans was in charge. In those days, at Christmas time, the sorting office and postal delivery system would be action stations! My building firm had to install special sorting units to withstand the "Christmas pressure". I believe the Drill Hall was used for "Christmas pressure" in the fifties.

The telephone and GPO engineers also worked from the post office buildings, before the new telephone exchange was built in Woodmead Road.

Next o the Post Office van park in South Street was Mayo's bakery, where the family boss was dear old Tom Mayo, who was also a priest at Axminster Church. Bread, buns, cakes etc were all produced on site and sold in the adjacent shop, where the small co-op store now resides. My grandmother lived opposite; so as well as sweets from Enticotts, my sister and I were also occasionally treated to doughnuts from Mayos.

Just past Mayos were a few cottages, one where the Broom family lived - and I believe nine children were brought up. I remember Mr and Mrs Broom and particularly Eunice (now Eunice Beer) and Cecily (who worked at Somerset Cricket Club when I was working there).

Growing up in the fifties, Eunice and Cecily took turns in baby-sitting duties for my sister and myself, whilst my mother and father were probably ballroom dancing at the Plaza. I also remember Phyllis (Pitman), Don Broom (who shared a garden with my father), Les Broom (who worked at Axminster Carpets), Bill Broom (who made some fantastic models of Axminster, which now reside in the Heritage Centre). There was also Bertha (Leach) mother of Martin Leach, probably the best footballer ever to come from Axminster, and also Nigel Broom, another fine footballer, who became an excellent plumber, working out of Colyton.

(It looks like I've remembered eight of the Broom "children" – I'm sure Percy Downton and others will remind me of the other one?)

Beyond the home where the Broom family lived were four cottages, set in a "courtyard" style. They belonged to Mr Bertie Vince and when the last tenant vacated, the cottages were demolished and Mr Vince donated the land to the Virtue & Honor Masonic Lodge, where the Masonic Hall was built in 1960.

Next to the Masonic Hall site was a shop which eventually became Wallis Tomlin's electrical shop – John Jeffery and I were not able to remember who was there before it was an electrical shop.

I then remember Miss Hussey's guest house (now the dry cleaners). Miss Hussey had a sign outside advertising accommodation for members of the British Cycling Tourist Club.

The premises next door to Miss Hussey's was eventually turned into a high-quality gents' outfitters by Fred Hopson, with the inevitable shop name of "Hopson's Choice". It then became "Just Julia's", a clothes shop run by the lovely Julia Chown (nee Sansom), another well-loved Axminster person, who died far too young.

Roy Munday operated his joinery business, behind double doors in South Street, alongside Stuart's butchers, belonging to Lionel Stuart and later to his son, Bill. I remember Norman Smith and Cyril Richards behind the counter, with an excellent selection of meats, as a fore-runner to "Complete Meats" today.

Around the corner and across the road was the Cedars Hotel, run by Cecil Chaffey and his wife Kath and distinguished by the lovely Cedar trees in the garden in Musbury Road, sadly felled some years ago. The Chaffey family also ran the Chaffey's Removals Company next door, recognised by the brown and cream colour theme on the building and on the removal trucks.

As we walk into Church Street, we find the Pannier Market, the centre for market sales every Thursday. On market day, there would be sales of market produce – poultry, eggs, fruit, vegetables, etc. I remember Denis Davis as auctioneer in the Pannier Market, but it was also where the likes of Andy Middleton, Jim Rowe and Graham Barton cut their teeth on the auctioneering trade. About once a month the building would be used for furniture and antique sales and was a mecca for antique enthusiasts looking for a bargain.

Further down Church Street we find the Axminster Surgery and Rest Harrow, the home of Medical Practice in Axminster for decades. The doctors in the fifties were Morton, Finzel, Leach and Parkinson. My doctor was Dr Finzel, a quiet, sympathetic man. When you visited him, he would say "You poor old thing" and you probably felt worse than when you went in!

The next "wave" of doctors were Church, Sutton, Evans and Hodges, followed by Taylor, Vann, Halford and McKenna. There is no doubt that we have been excellently served by our General Practitioners in Axminster.

It is pertinent that we celebrate our health service, whilst I write these memories during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic.

IN THE NEXT EDITION OF "Moulding's Memories", WE WILL COMPLETE OUR TOUR AROUND THE TOWN AND FINISH UP IN THE TOWN CENTRE.