Greenock Telegraph | News | Nostalgia to the Fore

Friday, 21st November, 2008

Published: Thursday, 20th March, 2008 16:30

Nostalgia to the Fore

By The Viator

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PORT Glasgow reader Jean Saunders was delighted to see my recent old picture of the town’s Fore Street.

Jean was just 14 when she left Chapelton School to work in McAlindon’s boot and shoe shop, one of the business premises featured.

Jean’s maiden name was Stein and she was brought up in Glenburn Street, an area of Port Glasgow long gone.

She told me: “I couldn’t believe it when I saw the photograph in the paper. The shop was owned by Margaret (Maggie) McAlindon, who lived at Craigard, above Port Glasgow railway station.”

Jean said McAlindon’s was next to Docherty’s the cobblers, the shop most prominent in the picture.

She later went to work at Clark’s thread mill in Paisley and then became a bus conductress with the former Greenock Motor Services and the Western SMT.

This led to meeting her late husband, Martin, whose father was Jean’s regular driver.

I also heard from someone who was brought up in the building which housed the Docherty and McAlindon businesses. The gentleman, who preferred to remain anonymous, said: “I felt it was the heart of the town and we had good neighbours.”

He mentioned this block also incorporated Dove’s newspaper shop and a cafe owned by a family of Italian extraction.

My recent picture was also of great interest to expat Jim Thomson who has lived in St John’s, Newfoundland, and Labrador, Canada, for the past 34 years.

Jim was an apprentice with John Willis, Electricians, of 9 John Wood Street, Port Glasgow.

He said: “The company had the contract for doing electrical repairs for the town council and I travelled all over the Port Glasgow area. This would be from about 1952 when I was 16 and started my apprenticeship.”

Jim’s name has appeared on this page before. A while ago, I reported he had received a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to jazz music in St John’s.

He was brought up in Regent Street, Greenock, and later

moved to Mitchell Street in Gibshill.