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- Опубликовано: 17 окт 2024
- Plenty of household names have come and gone at the western end of Ilford High Road over the years. Building societies have been merged or taken over, retailers have closed down or moved out of the town and new names have replaced them. Between 1991 and 2024 only one business has remained constant at the parade featured. Another disappeared and returned when its name was revived. Do you know which they are?
We used to shelter in the entrance of Ratners one the way home from school, getting off the 86 and waiting for the 169. The Dixons (I think it was a Dixons, not 100%) on the corner had a demo unit of the original Nintendo - we figured out it had a switch on the back that would put it into normal mode. Would bunk school and spend hours in there playing it.
I went and stayed in Ilford for two weeks this summer because of this channel 🙂 Wasn't as big a shock as it otherwise might have been had I not seen all the videos. Considering all the decades, it hasn't really changed that much - a lot of the shop changes are like for like, and some of the bigger changes were a long time coming e.g. Pioneer Market and Centreway had been dying for a long time. One sad change that did strike me was all the homelessness. I passed arrays of blankets in the underpasses, outside the library and by the entrance of Lynton House. One notable absence was the Jehovah's Witness on the high road! He was there every weekend.
I'm so pleased to read that you made the trip back. It's so nice that this channel was motivation and that some of the changes were not as shocking as some comments may describe. I love the stories of getting round demo settings on the old consoles or even just catching music videos through a TV shop window while waiting at bus stops...simple things like that seem to be a thing of the past. You are quite right about the level of destitution in the town. There are some homeless shelters, the containers by the Town Hall run by the Salvation Army are some of the newer ones, but they all seem to be over subscribed. Oh yes - that bearded preacher with the booming voice in the High Road! The present day equivalent is the mute football skills entertainer (did you see him?) often outside the Exchange. In his own way he is making a similar name for himself in the minds of Ilford's shoppers.
I'd like to see the same with before and after scenes in Bayswater, London and also Colchester, Essex. Please??
It's a great idea and thanks for the suggestion. Our historic photos are largely based in and around Ilford and we use our own collection to avoid any copyright claims. That said, we considering ways we could branch out or at least use some of the non-Ilford photos we have in the future.
Thanks for thinking about it and for your reply.🎉🎉
Great video, so many memories ❤
A pleasure and thanks for keeping those memories alive with your own channel too
Out of Town Business Trading estates, Internet, business rates had a massive effect in all major towns in the UK. This is the norm now. I grew up a few minutes walk from Ilford Town centre and I loved the old Ilford. Recently worked in Romford Town centre for the last 8 months and it is the same too. Even the centuries old market is not as bustling as it used to be
Interesting to hear how Romford has changed too. It still has a better variety of shops though but yes the market is a shadow of what it used to be. You're right about all those factors which have played a part in bringing town centres to their knees.
@@IlfordRetro Romford always had more shops than Ilford and both before the regeneration of Stratford were the places to shop in the East London boroughs
@@moynulrashid1909 completely right about that
Ratners, ah! I remember his Crap comment, which earned front page news, as well as pages 2, 3, 4, 5 etc! In fact, he put an apology letter in each of his branches, but to no avail!
It was a masterclass in what NOT to say about your own business! I didn't realise there was an apology in the branches but as you point out, the damage was already done. I wish more of those corporate gaffes happened these days. Well, in fact I'm sure they do, most notably on Twitter but these days they are more likely to gain you a following if not loads of publicity for your brand 😂 .
@@IlfordRetro they say bad publicity is better than no publicity! I'm not sure about that!
@@ClydebridgeStation 🤣
i walked past burger king last week . not sure if it permanently closed or just temporary i thought they did ok for customers. the high road looked so much busier years again
You're right that in previous years the High Road was always packed and on a Saturday afternoon it would be heaving. The old Burger King on the High Road has reopened as Popeye's Chicken which brings some life back to that part of the street. It seems popular enough and will hopefully last longer than the Wendy's that was there before it.
It's permanently closed their lease expired apparently
Apologies June I was in 1991-mode when you first made your comment! You're right about that Burger King in the Exchange, I think it closed in December 2023 and I'll agree with what @Xxlovecongoxx says about their lease expiring. I guess they didn't feel they were doing enough sales to renew it.
I remember what Gerald Ratner said about his business 😂😂😂. I remember my mum brought me a watch from there 3 years earlier for my birthday. 1991 was memorable year in a lot of nice ways especially the summer
It was a complete business-killer which was a shame because Ratners sold a good range of watches at better prices than say, Argos or other jewellers.
@@IlfordRetro Oh definitely. I forgot Argos sold jewellery and watches now you mentioned it. Was Elizabeth Duke.
@@rajnirvan3336 that's the one. I remember thinking Elizabeth Duke sounded so posh!
I thought it was Gerald’s Son who said it…. I certainly remember it well!
@@pikachu6031 I bet he wished he could have blamed someone else for saying it......
OMG
My mother worked at C&H Fabrics😮
I'm sure she enjoyed working there, all the sales assistants knew their stuff. Was she there when it closed down? That was a sad time and seemed to predate all the other fabric shops in Ilford closing.
@@IlfordRetro She had left before it closed.
She also worked at Fairheads on the towels counter till she retired.
@@deborahdiggines3734 Ah, thanks for clarifying. But C&H Frabric AND Fairheads?! Your mother is an Ilford legend.
What was the pub called through the ally where burger king is?
It used to be called The Angel (after The Angel facing the High Road closed) but it is now a branch of O'Neills
@IlfordRetro did not knownot was still there. May pay it a visit when I'm back in the area.
Myself, Frank McGowan, Stu Griggs, Mark Grehan, Si Purslow, Dennis Burns, Gray McManus, Ray Mulvey, Mike (Bev) Aveley, Malc Thomlinson would roam the Ilford streets like we were the owner of those streets in the 70’s. In reality we were 10 year old wannabees who got told off for being late home for our tea ☹
I love that! When we had no cares in the world but were still at the mercy of our parents.........
Ilford high is complete dead now, no longer shops that brough in lots of shoppers from ilford or other Areas
It's a sad comparison to how it once was, but that could be said of many high streets across the country, sadly.