Life injected back into city centre

Press, 9 August 1982, Page 24

Life injected back into city centre

One person who believes that the development of the mall has regenerated vitality back into the central business area is Mr lan Jackson. Mr Jackson’s career spans nearly 50 years. He worked for Undrills Bros, in High Street, for many years and then joined Hallensteins. As a hat specialist, Mr Jackson came into contact with all manner of people. At that time, hats were considered an essential part of a person’s wardrobe. Sombreros, tweed caps, toppers, bowlers, cossaek caps — they all had their place. One of the strongest selling points, Mr Jackson remembers, was to enquire of a customer how often he washed his hair. Frequently, the answer was once a week and it took little convincing, then, that a hat would be appropriate. Steaming hats and stitching on new bands were all part of the service. The busiest times were Friday nights and Saturday mornings when the family groups would come to town. “The town was so busy tbat it was difficult to walk along the streets,” Mr Jackson recalled. Hotels dominated the area,

with the A-l Hotel on the DJ.C.-Beaths corner, the Wellington Hotel where Herberts shoe shop used to be in Cashel Street, the Gresham Hotel where the Shades Tavern is now situated, the Grand Hotel on High Street and the Union Jack Club (next to the Wellington) for soldiers on leave.

The close proximity of the hotels was mainly due to the 6 p.m. closing. Most employees finished work at 5.30 p.m. and the hotel had to be close to work if they were to manage a drink before going home.

“One particular hotel had stairs leading down to a public bar in the basement — and almost every night an ambulance would arrive after a drunk had again fallen down the stairs,” Mr Jackson says. “There were lots of fights at some of the hotels and often as not, the police would be called in,” he says. Cashel and High Streets were active, lively places. The nature of trading has now diversified in the area but the development of the mall, Mr Jackson believes, has brought back the feeling of a pleasant community trading centre.