Central Restaurant

Thank you to Alex Macdonald for providing this photograph of a party for staff and family at Central Restaurant.

Alex wrote:

Fish & Chip Shops

"There were two fish and chip shops in Union Place:

-  Central Restaurant (seen in the photo above) and

-  The Deep Sea.  It had a tea room upstairs.

Both were owned by Italians.  The Central was owned by Premo Bosi. Most of the staff that worked in the Central were local.  I remember a lot of them."

The Photograph

"The three girls in the front row are (left to right):

-  Dorothy Bell

-  Betty McPherson

-  Lena Murphy.

The chap on the right in the front row is Harry Robertson.

Just behind Harry is James Clark, and at the opposite end of that row is Evelyn Bell.

Mr and Mrs Bosi stand out near the centre of the picture."

Alex Macdonald, Peffermill, Edinburgh: September 8+9, 2009

Adverts

I was interested to see the adverts in this photo.  They are left to right along the tops shelf:

-  [not identified]

-  Players Means Pleasure

-  Cidona sweet sparkling apple drink

-  Walls  ice lollies for 3d, 6d, 3d. What is the middle one? - "F..stie" ?

Menu

The menu can be seen on the right of the picture.  Most of the items on the menu are obvious from the first few letters:

-  Pudd...

-  Pie ...

-  Egg ...

-  Baco...

-  Saus...

-  Sam...

-  Cold ...

Unfortunately, the menu prices are not in the picture.

Peter Stubbs:  September 9, 2009

Recollections

1.

Eric Gold

East London

Thank you to Eric Gold who wrote

Shop Layout

"I loved the layout of the chip shop with the old lights hanging down.  A wee bit of art deco, I thought, or maybe late-1940s."

Eric Gold, East London:  September 10, 2009

Recollections

2.

Eric Gold

East London

Thank you to Eric Gold who wrote again:

Prices

"The shop had character, and the prices were very cheap - say, 1s 3d (old money) for fish and chips."

Eric Gold, East London:  September 10, 2009

Recollections

3.

Matt Rooney

Ayrshire, Scotland

Thank you to Matt Rooney who wrote about the 'Players' advert in the fish and chip shop.

Matt wrote:

Players Means Pleasure!

"These 'Players' signs normally had a clock where the black square is.  They were painted in the colours of the cigarette packet.  Kensitas, I think, was Red and White.

There were a Lot of Ciggie Clocks in those days.  I used to smoke either Players or Senior Service.

Free Issue

"When I was stationed in Malaya, we got a free issue of 50 ciggies in a round tin each week. We also got a bar of chocolate.  I remember, once helping to empty a box of Duncans chocolates.  Most NAAFIs sold them.

The wooden box was tin-lined and soldered.  It was made at Robert Lamb's, the box maker.  Lamb's factory made all sorts of stuff, and of course there was also a cooperage, just off Beaverbank Place.

Matt Rooney, Ayrshire, Scotland:  September 15, 2009

Lamb's factory was beside Duncan's factory at Beaverbank, Edinburgh.

Photos - around Edinburgh

Edinburgh Recollections

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