It was nice having friends with kids so I could use them as an excuse to pop into Redgates. Unfortunately, Hamlyns opened a branch opposite the Peace Gardens which brought competition so Redgates closed followed shortly by Hamlyns.
__________________ A "liberal do-gooder" is someone open to new ideas for progress, tolerant of others and who does good works. - KenH 1/12/05
Moved this into History Forum Jon, yes I remember Redgates and I used to get my Subbuteo teams from there too.....Subbuteo brings back memories, I had many a brawl with my brother over that game when we were kids, he was the clumsy buggar who always broke the players
BTW - wasn't Redgates originally on the Moor before moving round the corner ?
It always struck me as curious that Redgates had that passageway that led into.... Lonsdale Universal... was it.... the stationary shop... fading memory here. Anyone else remember that?
I remember Redgates but don't remember buying much there - Coles' Lego was cheaper and I wasn't interested in much else as a kid You can all blame me for it closing down... ops:
I remember my brother and I going into Redgates every week to pay a few pennies into our Christmas Club. Through the weeks we would wander around the shop looking and dreaming about what we would eventually be able to afford to get with our meagre savings.When it came time to redeem our cards we were SO excited. The atmosphere of the shop was wonderful too, all decked out in trimmings, tinsel and christmas trees and of course there was the mandatory Grotto and Santa.
Of course, this was before the age of computer games and the like. We were more than happy if we could get a new Teddy for our younger sister in those days. This sounds like a whinge but it isn't. I feel sad for kids today cos' they will never have the wonderful memories of childhood that I have. Redgates.... yes... very fond memories !
My memory of Redgates.............. December 1970 - Christmas shopping with my family (aged 6), lift doors opened and out came Father Christmas. W..o..w - and yes, we did get what we showed him - talkie dolls!
I remember Redgates as a child of about 10 year old about 1957 used to go in town on my own on Saturday and head for Redgates from Division Street, not much in the way of buildings around in those days as a lot was bombed.
I would head for the basement and stand watching the Disabled chap operate the Hornby Train set in the middle of the basement I could stand there for hours.
Anyone remember it.
A bit different today, the last time I went into the shop was about 20 years ago.
Redgates, Hamleys and Beatties - why did all the good toy shops go?
__________________ Max: Hey. He fell on the cab. He fell from up there, on the cab. I think he's dead. Vincent: Good guess. Max: You killed him? Vincent: No, I shot him. Bullets and the fall killed him.
I used to buy all my scalextric cars from Redgates, all of which I still have today. I remember they had a model train layout suspended from the ceiling.
not wanting to show my age,but they also had a shop in fizalan square,i got my first pram from there,coach built too ,also i saved my pocket money for a doll she cost me 27 shillings and sixpence,lond blond hair and i cut it all off 3 months later
My Mom used to work in Redgates during the late sixties (long before I was born!) She once told me that when she was working downstairs there on a Saturday afternoon, Woolworths phoned to warn them that they had just thrown a gang of teenagers out for shoplifting. No sooner had Redgates taken the call that the same kids appeared and let off stink bombs in the basement of Redgates that they'd just pinched from Woolies! Apparrently the shop emptied very quickly...
Don't you think that redgates brought the magic to christmas, i can remember been taken their as a child around christmas to see father christmas, the lights and all the toys displayed in the shop windows, it was every childs dream! now all you have is an over inflated priced Murderhell with queue after queue of spoilt screaming kids. And at 33 i was refused entry to see santa!! ha ha ha, had a wonderfull christmas with my 3 kids this year but the magic just dosn't seem to be there anymore, theres too much competition with who gets what and how much it cost! quite sad really!!!!!
As quoted by pauline not wanting to show my age,but they also had a shop in fizalan square,i got my first pram from there,coach built too ,also i saved my pocket money for a doll she cost me 27 shillings and sixpence,lond blond hair and i cut it all off 3 months later
Today I suddenly remembered the name of the shop in Fitzalan Suare, Wilson Gumperts. If I remember correctly it was something to do with Redgates. It was a tiny shop (now an insurance office). The ground floor was the girly stuff but down in the basement it was everything that Redgates was but in minature. Train sets, toy guns, model planes, every bit of space was crammed with everything a boy could wish for.
You can all blame me for it closing down... 
ops:
