The Old Seacroft Shopping Centre

wiggy · Post by **wiggy** » Sat 01 Mar, 2008 11:25 pm

ackers72 wrote: A contact of mine put some pics on flickr that he took from around the time it was closing and bits being demolished, here is the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23757949@N06/Also another pic looking up Brookland Ave to the row of shops behind the centre taken by Dave Hopkins who is I think a member on here?? great picture,the houses there,above the shops are 'market square',where i spent many a happy evening 'twix the sheets ' in no6 with my old flame...whos name she would not mind me saying...but i won't.thanks for the memory ackers,good pic.

Scotteh2k8 · Post by **Scotteh2k8** » Mon 03 Mar, 2008 8:23 pm

Whoa memory lane!!!To be honest im surprised that library has lasted as long as it has!

exiled in essex · Post by **exiled in essex** » Tue 01 Apr, 2008 9:33 am

I remember Seacroft Shopping Centre well. I remember the stage downstairs which indeed, sometimes had steps and railings around it and sometimes not. I'm trying to remember if Santa's Grotto used to be set up on that stage or was it just at the side of it? I am going back to the late 1970's, I think they did away with Santa's grotto later on. The chippy outside was called the Skyliner but later became the Seafarer, the Yorkshire Bank always had people queueing out of the door, didn't the original Job Centre used to be outside at the end of the parade or am I getting confused?Just inside there was a hairdressers, a Marlene Joyce, a cobblers (Scraggs?), YE shop, Jack Fultons, Romart 'Walk Round Store' as it said on the sign (I used to love the tat in there when I was 11!). There was also a furniture shop called 'House 'n' Home' although this was later on. The big mosaic was on the back wall and there was the huge ramp going down to the lower floor where you'd find the Co-op supermarket and pharmacy (where my sister had a Saturday job, the tales she used to tell us!), Man For All Seasons, the dodgy cafe (which definitely used to be a Wimpy), the Sovereign pub, the market which had a stall that sold ex juke box 7" singles and it was here I bought my very first piece of vinyl, an ex juke box copy of 'The Cutter' by Echo and the Bunnymen (I was only about 10 at the time). If you went along past Patels towards the entrance to the flats, I remember there being a 'Malcolms the Bakers' and a haberdashers amongst other things. I never used to go down there much so my memories are a bit vague. I think there was also a childrens clothes shop down there. I remember the illuminated sign outside which for years read 'SEAC SHOPPING CENTRE' as the 'ROFT' was broken and they never repaired it. As an aside, does anyone remember the toy shop in Crossgates Arndale Centre (as it was) called 'Wonderland'??

Croggy · Post by **Croggy** » Tue 01 Apr, 2008 12:54 pm

The cobblers was Craggs and they stillhave a shop now in Crossgates.Yes, Wonderland was a great toyshop.

kierentc · Post by **kierentc** » Tue 01 Apr, 2008 1:09 pm

wonderland was fab. i used to go and mooch around there while my mum looked in every clothes shop in the crossgates centre <yawn>i remember saving up and buying a 'john mcenroe' tennis racket from there. it was wooden <blush>. and they had loads of dolls house stuff tooi thought the cobbler may have been craggs too, he has a shop at the moor allerton centre too. i'm one of his best customers...

electricaldave · Post by **electricaldave** » Tue 01 Apr, 2008 6:52 pm

The rent office used to be on the lower corner just past the banks.The Jobcentre or 'joke shop' was in the building to the right og the top main entrance.There was a story going around that the DHSS had set up an assessment centre in there for people who were claiming incapacity benefit, and this was on the first floor, anyone who made it up the steps was given the third degree, anyone who didn't had failed to attend their appointment Catch 22.The benefits investigator did used to work from the building above the rent office, but they were very easy to spot since they all seemed to drive very official looking black cars whilst on surveillance. One trick they had was to try pretend they were tv licence inspectors to gain entry into a house - and then while they were in there they would look around to check for evidence of homeworking, they had quite a few other little tricks too, using various pretences to get into folks houses.

Post by **chameleon** » Tue 01 Apr, 2008 9:25 pm

kierentc wrote: wonderland was fab. i used to go and mooch around there while my mum looked in every clothes shop in the crossgates centre <yawn>i remember saving up and buying a 'john mcenroe' tennis racket from there. it was wooden <blush>. and they had loads of dolls house stuff tooi thought the cobbler may have been craggs too, he has a shop at the moor allerton centre too. i'm one of his best customers... And one in town now too, oposite the Town Hall; Romart are still trading, just off York Road next to Iceland by Lupton Avenue.

compton · Post by **compton** » Thu 03 Apr, 2008 9:23 pm

When I used to live in the area I remember a mate of mine having a sly dig by telling me a riddle, "what do you call someone in the Seacroft centre dressed in a suit" answer, "the accused"

electricaldave · Post by **electricaldave** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 2:40 pm

How do you starve a Seacroft chav?Hide his giro under his workboots.

DEE · Post by **DEE** » Tue 20 Jul, 2010 6:18 pm

Here is a list of the shops I remember when visiting Seacroft Shopping Centre; starting at the top end on the outside there was the skyliner chip shop, the job centre, the post office, down a few steps to TSB bank and then an off licence and then Fourboys newsagents, a dentist,a doctors, a bookies. Top flooor of the centre itself on the right was a hairdressers which I think was Gloria Gee's (same lady who had a clothes shop in Crossgates Arndale), Burrows fruit and Veg which became a wallpaper shop and then Jack Fultons, a grocery shop, Mc Colls newsagents, Thurstons bakers, a shop that sold fancy goods/toiletries/household stuff, YEB and Romarts. On the left was Craggs Cobblers, Broms clothing (closed on Saturdays owing to Jewish faith of owner), Farm stores, A fishmongers, A pet shop, a TV shop. a shoe shop (possibly Stylo). Downsatirs left side was Man for all seasons, a chemist (later taken over by COOP chemist, Woolworths later to become COOP, Sovereign pub. turn left and a womans clothing shop by Gloria Gee(again), knobs and Knockers DIY, A carpet shop, a cafe I think called the Derrisford, then over to the sports shop that became Canny Man, then a card and record shop, a discount toiletries shop, a butchers, Bonnie and Dots bakery which became Malcolms, a fruit and veg shop, a childrens clothing and lingerie shop which became Halfords and then Patels. turn left towards the market and there was a DIY shop, a frozen food shop, Ali's clothing shop, Dewhirsts butchers. go past the market and then you had Wimpy, The Gas board shop a jewellers and then Liptons supermarket which used to be Savemore but i think was originally Liptons, hence the later namechange back to the original. Outside at the Queens flats end was Lockwoods tobacconist/sweetshop,a hairdressers,Sandroy fancy dress,a launderette,a solicitors and a bookies.Thats all I remember and some of these may have had other shops in between which I have forgotten about.