Well done such a wonderful story, except the sweet shop across the side road of the Chronicle was Rossmans owned by the Brenner family, and I think the fire at Camperdown house was in 1954 I remember going to Economy Bazaar and stealing goods from the fire. (Eric)
The following are a few that I remember fondly:
Justin Smith Pharmacy - Owned by Justin Smith and then Troy Granelli.
Central Arms and Cycles - Owned by Monty Ellenbogen
Townsend & Butcher - Owned by Wally Townsend and .... Butcher
Paul of Carnaby Street - Owned by Paul Jaffa.
And of course all the sports clubs which would require a whole editorial of their own.
What was the name of the Jewish sports club which originally was in town and then moved to the Weismann Country Club somewhere out in Stragglers direction.
Angelo
Thank you for the trip down memory lane, it was so much fun, being a Convent girl and having gone to the convent from 4 years old then ended up in Rhodes House, which you didn't mention but then I did not know Fenella Redrup. I so enjoy all the references you made. Great.
Cynthia
Oh yes and I remembered the name of the Chauffeur to the City's mayoresses !! It was of course Mr Porter!! Thanks Nicola.
From Unknown - Bradlow's Building - The worlds tallest !!!
Just seen a photo of Bradlows building on Abercorn St !!
I remember Bradlows Building well.
As a little lighty in1953, 10 years old. A mate and I, Michael Columbine I think .. walked into town from where we lived in Westgate, the railway suburb on the SW side of the city, formally known as Kopjiesite. We had a load of bottles to sell at Lambes Bottle Store on 13th Ave., The proceeds would be enough to see the "Derango Kid" at the Palace Bioscope, on Abercorn St. just across the road and down the street a bit from Bradlows.
Before the flick began at 2 o'clock we wondered what it would be like to go to the very top of what we thought was the tallest building in the world. No building could ever be higher than Bradlows, all 10 stories of it.......until they built the African life building. That was 14 stories. It would be like being in an aeroplane from the top of that building, we thought, and so that's what we did, we climbed the endless stairway all the way to the top. We had thought about the lift, whether we could get to the top in that, but we knew the lift man would most likely not allow it, thinking we were just a couple of mischievous kids...... so we walked !!
At the top I remember how captivated I was by the view. I had never been anywhere that high before and to see the surroundings of Bulawayo from up there...was amazing !!!
Equally amazing was all the stuff we found on the top of the building on the flat roof. Piles of rejected junk... old furniture. wooden boxes, empty jam bottles, ....you would not believe it !!!! but right in a corner next to the entrance to what must have been an electrical room... there in a wooden crate underneath a piece of cardboard was 9 empty beer bottles that still had their Sable label on them. Empty Sable beer bottles that were there for the pickings. If we could stuff those in our shirts and get down those stairs back to Lambes bottle store before the flick started, we could watch the "kid" and eat a Flakey at the same time....the thought was ecstasy. Thats what we did !!
Bradlows Building was also where Alick Stuarts sports shop was or next door to Bradlows, the shop with an endless supply of fishing equipment, hockey sticks, football boots and you could even buy a real gun at Alick Stewarts....if you were old enough.
I remember the poster in the window advertising Phillips bicycles. The guy on the bike peddling like hell with a grin on his face and full of confidence that he could go faster on his Phillips bike than the big black maned lion on his tail in hot pursuit chasing him.
That poster eventually became quite iconic in southern Africa.
Yes Bradlows is always there when I occasionally think of all the tallest, most well known buildings in the world, as if embedded in the hard drive of my mind.
Nicola Gouma
Thanks for sharing . Later on all sorts of businesses were operating up there. My mom being one of them - Conrho insurance, Dr. Pretorius was there, Pete and Gwen Kersten's little gym, a dentist, Kit Hawkins. It's was a thriving business spot.
Keith and Carole Stewart
And the Coffee Pot run by my in-laws, the Disleys (In Kirrie Building )
My dad Arthur Barrie who lives now with me in Harare, and was from Lonely Mine Trehearne farm, and born in Bulawayo.
I do remember that my dad's dear sister, Marge Barrie, was married to Douglas Rowland, mayor fo Bulawayo at one time
L.B.
Ah Yes... those were the Good Old Days !!!