Heidelberg business’ in the 1940s
This article by Dorothy & Bill Lemin written in 2006 was originally titled: “Business in brief – Heidelberg 1940s”. 'Heidelberg was much a slower place. The saying was that you could fire a canon down Burgundy St and not hit anyone. Ivanhoe was a more up market place and closer to town. Lack of transport meant that most people shopped at the town nearest their location.'
ROUCH'S TIMBER YARD The timber yard whistle (8am, noon, 5pm) alerted the local residents and the surrounding district to the time of day and many people set their clocks by it.
STATE SAVINGS BANK Business people used the Commercial Bank and ordinary people banked at the SSB. Banks opened on Saturday morning as well as the usual week days.
BRIERTY'S GROCER Brierty's also had stores in Ivanhoe and East Ivanhoe. As a lad, Ken Brierty used to ride his small pony around the surrounding district, collecting customers orders to be made up at the shop and then delivered on an arranged date by horse and cart. Ken always rode his pony at full gallop. Later, he became a Cannon in the Anglican Church.
'SPIDER' (CLYDE) CLINTON'S GARAGE Most people had a nick name and their Christian name was hardly ever used. Spider’s garage was near Cape St. It had been a bike shop before cars became a more frequent mode of transport. ‘Spider’ had an old Chev 4 tow truck.
TOMMY RENAHAN BLACKSMITH'S ‘General Blacksmithing & Wheelwright’ The shop was established in the 1870s. Tommy Renahan, the smithy, was a chunky man with big arms. He fashioned horse shoes and farming implements. He also carried out wheelwrighting, such as putting new steel tyres on jinkers, and general carriage work (eg. fitting new shafts and spokes)
O'KEEFE'S BUTCHERS This shop was run by brothers. It was considered the best and so was the most popular of the butcher shops. Sawdust covered the shop floor. A picture of a Hereford beast adorned the little gate adjacent to the shop
AUSTIN HOSPITAL The Austin was established as a Hospital for Incurables. A cancer ward was built in 1885 for terminally ill cancer patients. Those that went there knew that they would never come home. The saying was that the chiming of its clock sent shivers down the residents' spines because it also meant another patient had died on the hour.
WRIGHT'S BAKERY Located in Cape St, it supplied all the surrounding districts with bread by horse and cart. In later years it was known as ' Granny Davis'.
GEORGE SHEFFIED Senior & Junior, Newsagents Sheffield’s was the major supplier of news papers and all other newsagents stock, although there were other sub agents.
BINGHAM'S 'SHIRLEY' CAFE What seemed a dark, dingy shop, this business sold ice blocks and lollies, as well as some delicatessen lines. You could also sit beneath the overhead fans and have a meal.
TAYLORS’ FUNERAL PARLOUR Later to become, Le Pines. Taylors also had a parlour in Ivanhoe, down the bottom of the street, near the fire brigade station.
THE SIR HENRY BARKLY HOTEL Known to all the locals and others further afield as 'Johnny Dawson's’ after its publican. The vacant block across the road afforded a short cut from there to the Old England Hotel.
Contents |
[edit] Burgundy Street South side
Ranks Hay & Corn Store (Drive way access to railway)
Joey Brown’s Accountant & Estate Agent
Scots Church
Clothes/material shop
Milk bar ‘Laree’ (Spelling?) cafe
Fish & Chip Shops (Con’s)
SSB (State Savings Bank) residence
SSB
HAWDON STREET
Brierty’s grocers ? ? Rouch’s Timberyard (about 4 shops wide)
Taylors’ Funerals
LANE
Rouch’s Hardware
Barbers with billiard room
Vacant
Shop?
Shop?
Clinton’s Garage
Vacant
CAPE STREET Post Office House House House Vacant Block Plumbers Shop Tommy Renahans’ Blacksmiths Renahan’s house Kennedy’s Garage
LOWER HEIDELBEG ROAD
[edit] Burgundy Street North Side
Vacant Railway land
MOUNT STREET
Chemist Jacobson's
Laudimi (spelling?) Fruit shop
Shop- Hairdresser
Jones "Ham & Beef"
Vacant
Apps Funeral Parluir
Commerical Bank
HAWDON STREET
Alexanders" Bakery and Pastry Cook Stan Burley/Burleigh Drapery Private House (Harrisons) O'Keefe Butchers Shop Bingham's "Shirley" Cafe Beatties clothes, matrial, haberdashery 2 shop fronts Butchers Shop Moran & Cato - big grocery shop
LANE Sheffield’s Newsagency Stevens Smallgoods Boococks Fruit & Veg Butchers- Wortley’s? Vacant lot Harrison’s Shoes Vacant Vacant shop (later Dean’s ‘Wander In‘ milkbar) Dean’s grocery
CAPE STREET ‘Dawson’s Hotel’- Sir Henry Barkly
Vacant Block Vacant Shop Milk Bar Vacant Land
[edit] Source
Looking back: Heidelberg and Rosanna in the 1920s and 1940s by Bonnie Banfield, Joan Hope, Bill and Dorothy Lemin Watsonia, Against the Grain publications, 2006
[edit] Further Reading
Makin, Peter, Businesses in Heidelberg 1940s and 1950s, Heidelberg Historian No 253 August 2009 p 3-4.
