pram shop

[kakx2934]

Hello,wondering if anyone can shed some light ?!
I have a 1960's coach built pram at home here in bonnie Scotland.
It has an original sticker on it which reads" Gambrills of Hastings"
Curious to know a little about how & where my pram started out in life ?

[ColinL]

Hello
Attached press cuttings from the 1950s. Ken Gambrill was educated at Hastings Grammar School and former pupils were known as Old Hastonians. He was active in the Old Boys Association.

Hope the attached are interesting

[ColinL]

Images

Gambrills were the sole agent for Marmet in Hastings. The cuttings are from the local paper The Hastings & St Leonards Observer. Queens Road was then one of the two main shopping streets in the town. It was always busy. (Other people may disagree but the other one was Roberston Street. - any bids on alternatives)

All of the shops of the 1970/80s and before have now either gone out of business or moved elsewhere except for Halfords.

Sorry that is the extent of my knowledge

[Richard]

Halfords has just closed down in the last month:

http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/news/ ... -1-7565752

[kakx2934]

Gosh,that's absolutely fantastic ! Would that have been "the place" in Hastings at that time for the young mother to be to purchase her pram then? Can anyone say how long the store was in business, and if it would have been a "fair size" of store with several employees?
I realise Hastings is a whole world Awa from me,size wise,as we live in the country,where you can imagine is brilliant to go out walking with the coachbuilt pram.
Very interesting to know about the person who founded the store too !
Thanks guys ! Karen

[ColinL]

The newspaper items were from early 1950s. I remember the store up until late 1970s when I left the town but I have no idea when it was founded. In the period pre and post 1950 there were a number of stores in the town centre (and possibly St Leonards?) that would have sold such baby things. Perhaps the other main one of quality would have been Cables in the Old Town. (Advert 1951)

Plummer Roddis was a local department store that sold children's items, though from the attached advert probably not prams (Advert Date. 1952 year I was born). There was also a small shop on Cambridge Road called 'Only six steps down to the ...child in Town' for todlers & young children clothes.

[ColinL]

I have found this from the local paper dated 14 Dec 1940 that shows that the then existing firm was taken over by Frank Gambrill that month so it may have existed for around 40 years

[mrh2-slos]

I remember a pram shop in George Street, next door to the newsagent and a few door west of the Pump House.