LOVELY JUBBLY! MEMORIES OF DEL-ICIOUS TREATS FOR BRIGG KIDS

 

Brigg Blog's recent post about former shops on Grammar School Road got us thinking about how kids cooled off during hot spells in summer back in the 1960s.
Here are a couple of close-ups taken from an archive picture showing Ernie Robinson in his general store which was located near the chip shop close to the Preston Drive junction, with the Ancholme Inn also nearby.
Four old pence (less than 2p) allowed children with sufficient pocket money to buy a Juicy Jubbly - a triangular-shaped block of flavoured ice enclosed in a sturdy wrapper. Jubbly's marketing slogan was The Family Thirst Quencher.
Ice poles, as we called them, operated on the same principal but where cheaper.
Iced lolly brands included Fab, which had hundreds and thousands on the top layer, and Zoom (shaped liked a rocket, as this was the Space Age with Russia and American vying to put the first man on the moon.
Some iced lollies came with a picture card fixed inside the wrapper, and these were eagerly snapped up by Brigg kids attending Saturday afternoon 'Pictures' matinees at the Grand Cinema, which closed in 1965. It was located near the White Horse pub. For sixpence (2½p) or ninepence (3p) a good afternoon was enjoyed by all, with cartoons and a main feature (sometimes an American 'B Movie'.
Sargeant's ice cream van, from Hibaldstow, toured Brigg housing estates, ringing its bell to alert local kids about the prospect of buying a cornet or a tub if Mum & Dad were willing to stump up some cash.
Massarella's (from Scunthorpe) Mr Whippy and Mr Softee also had vans offering ice cream in the town, particularly during hot spells.
Once Glebe Road School opened its swimming pool located within the school's veg-growing garden in the mid-1960s, some sessions were held during the school holidays.
However, local youngsters also cooled off in summer by swimming in the River Ancholme (Old and New cuts). Not recommended then, or now, on safety grounds!
Soft drinks in bottles were delivered to the door by the Laws company, which had a local factory and depot.
However, we recall some companies tapping into this market by offering bottled 'pop' and squash when they dropped off the morning milk bottles.
Also seen here on display inside Ernie Robinson's shop in the 1960s were Fry's Chocolate Cream (popular with Mums but a bit too expensive for most youngsters back then who lived in nearby council properties), bottles of Camp (an affordable alternative to coffee), blocks of Cadbury's Fruit & Nut, and Nux (a chocolate bar made by Rowntree's of York). Remember that?
In keeping with many other Brigg shops back then, Ernie offered a range of sweets poured from jars, weighed on his scales, put into paper bags and sold by the quarter (four ounces).
Rowntree's Fruit Gums came ready wrapped and were a popular alternative, as were its Pastilles.
Sales continued after Ernie had shut up shop for the day and headed home, accompanied by his guide dog..
He had various slot machines located between the premises and the well-walked Grammar School Road footpath, offering bubble gum, chewing gum and novelty items inside plastic containers. A few pennies, threepence or sixpence went in the slot and the handle was turned to dispense the purchases. Did you prefer Beech Nut, Anglo Bubbly or Juicy Fruit?
Fruit salad (individually wrapped) was among the cheapest sweets available at four for an old penny.
Shops that sold sweets to kids in the 1960s included 'Goodie' Binns and Mike Tierney's on Wrawby Street, the tuck shops serving Glebe Road School and Brigg Grammar (run by Mrs Gray and Jack Clark respectively), Bowen's bakery shop on Grammar School Road, Cordock's adjoining the Monument roundabout, Miss White's on Bridge Street, the sizeable Woolworth's (where Martin's is today) and the Spar shops on Atkinson Avenue and Queen Street.
We recall there being great interest among youngsters in the 1960s when Mr and Mrs Lilley, who then ran the shop on Atkinson Avenue, started stocking smooth-tasting Galaxy chocolate bars - then something new to the local market.
Brigg Urban District Council also sold sweets from a small shop at the Recreation Ground, which was handy for those children living nearby on Central Square and East Parade.
The introduction of flavoured crisps, in addition to plain, also found many eager young buyers in Brigg during this decade and into the 1970s. Chicken, salt & vinegar and cheese & onion were among them.