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Sarsaparilla bars - any one remember them?

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When I was in my teens I used to go to the the Langsett Music Centre and waited for the bus (81, 82, 83, 84) at the sarsaparilla bar on Langsett Road. I know there was one on Abbeydale Road aswell. They always intrigued me. What were they? Are they still there?

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I never went to the one on Langsett Rd but by a coincidence I used to knock about with the son of the owner, their surname was Winter or Winters. When they closed the bar they used to have one of the old yellow electric clocks advertising Durex up on their living room wall!

 

I used to go to one on Broad Lane opposite the entrance to Jessops Hospital next door to the overated Butlers pie shop.

 

These bars were 'Temperance' bars set up by the Temperance Society to try and compete with pubs - never had any effect on me!

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I remember the Sarsparilla shops

 

Before the coffee bars came into their own we used to for for a drink in the sarsparilla shops.

 

We used to drink hot Bovril, Sarspailla hot or cold and cordials such as blackcurrant.

 

They also used to sell licorice root, cinnamon sticks ad all manner of cough (spice) and lozenges.

 

I remember Rickson's on Middlewood Road opposite the Chinese Laundry and also one two or three doors away from the laundry, I think it was next to Atkinson's pie shop.

 

The other shops I can remember is the one already mentioned on Langsett road.

 

I think it was roughly opposite Burnaby Street.

 

The only other one I frequented was in the Kelvin area on Langsett Road next to another pie shop.

 

On a Sunday night we were pretty tame compared with today's youths, we used to walk the 'Monkey Run'from one end of Hillsborough to the other end hoping to meet of with the girls.

 

At each end we would call for a drink at one of these shops.

 

We were too young to go in the pubs and money was short so that.s what we did along with many more who probably too proud to admit it nowadays.

 

Happy Days

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I can remember Jacks Sasperrella shop on langsett road, I was only a little girl about 5 or 6 but my dad used to take me to have a drink of sasperella somtimes. I remember that the drink tasted funny but I liked it! I allways used to like the neon durex sign in the window (I was too young to know what it was then). If my memory is correct I recall that there was wooden panneling over the bottom half of the window so you couldnt see in and there was a counter with stools round it towards the back of the shop, although my memories of this are fairly hazy it was such a long time ago

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There was one in Hillsborough opposite (?) where Halifax is now.

We used to go there before going to the Kinema.

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What about the Mikado Drink Shop on Stubbin Lane, Firth Park?

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There used to be one on Ecclesall Rd opposite the old Star Picture Palace,and we used to go in after dropping of the tram after footballing in Endcliffe Park and sit like men of the world drinking Sarsaparilla from the same type of pint pots our Fathers drank from in the Pub,and we felt real men of the world!!,as you say PopT Happy Days.

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The kids of today would'nt understand that you can have a good time without getting drunk,taking drugs or sniffing glue and acting like hooligans.

Those drink shops were as good for meeting girls as any disco.

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There used to be one on a corner on Rushby Street at Firvale. I can remember jars of herbs, liquorice root, and two pub style hand pumps with pot handles for serving the drinks. It disappeared many years ago, my memories are of the earlier 1950's.

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Originally posted by prioryx

The kids of today would'nt understand that you can have a good time without getting drunk,taking drugs or sniffing glue and acting like hooligans.

 

So you reckon you can, then?

 

LOL.

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the durex sign, I'd forgotten about that!

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Matsella

 

You were right.

 

There was one next to the pikelet shop where you had to go up two steps on Hillsboro.

 

There was another as well that I had forgotten opposite the tram sheds on Holme Lane.

 

What Memories!

 

Happy Days

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