1960s: Is Derby becoming a city with no character or soul

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"Many people are eagerly awaiting the completion of Derby's new, state-of-the-art Westfield shopping centre but the changing face of the city is not to everyone's taste. Sylvia Webb, of Chellaston, recalls with affection the old Derby of the 1960s and notes with sadness the loss of so much of the city's character and atmosphere."

Looking back: Sylvia, aged 22, in 1968

AFTER visiting Derby city centre last week for the first time in ages, I felt really shocked at what has been done to our much loved Derby.

Call me old-fashioned but I really do prefer the old Derby of 40 years ago. We parked our car on Traffic Street and were amazed at the size of the new shopping centre. My memories went back to the time when the grand old cinema, the Colisseum and rows of terraced houses stood on that site.

As we walked along the Morledge, we felt saddened to see yet another part of our past demolished. Yes, the old bus station!

Again, I thought of all the times I had caught a bus to Nottingham from there and of all the many families who had queued there for a bus to take them on their holidays or day trips to the coast.

Then, of course, further along, our wonderful open market had to go. To this day, I still have items which I bought there. On arriving in town, housewives would make a beeline for the market which was often a meeting place for some folk.

On the opposite side of the Morledge I was sad to see the closure of the little fish and chip shop which has provided a good service to shoppers over the years. Myself and many others have enjoyed dinner in there while shopping in Derby.

From there, I walked round the corner and over to Tenant Street. Back in the 60s, it was a very busy street with three bus stops, if I remember correctly.

I used to queue for a bus there every night to take me home after a day’s work. Buses filled up very quickly and, if you were at the back of the queue, the chances were that you would have to wait for the next one, which was very annoying.

But that was what we did in those days.

Also on Tenant Street was an entrance into what was known as the “dog market”, where all kinds of puppies were sold. They were kept in glass-fronted, open-topped pens which were lined with wood shavings. I spent a great deal of time in there admiring the pups.

It was the next best thing to owning one as my mother wouldn’t allow me to have a pet dog.

There have also been many changes in the market hall. I noticed that the little tea bar, which tucked neatly into the corner, has gone.

I often went there for a sandwich and a cuppa. The ladies behind the counter were all friendly and, even though the place was rather cramped, there was a good atmosphere and it was nice to chat to the person sitting next to you.

It is also a great shame that the poultry and fish markets were done away with. The stallholders were always muffled up in coats, hats and scarves as it was icy cold in there.

It was probably as well, though, as the chickens were displayed all the way up the walls behind the counters.

The fishmongers were a cheery lot. It was always a tough decision knowing who to buy from as they used to look at shoppers in such an appealing way, as if to say: “Please buy from me.”

I sometimes felt like buying a piece of fish from each of them so as not to offend anyone – that’s how nice they were.

Shopping was much more pleasurable in the 1960s than today. We loved Derby the way it was and all we can do now is stand back while the very heart of the city is bulldozed away, to be replaced with a load of tat which has no character whatsoever.

It is just as well the older generation can remember with affection the things that were a big part of our lives for so many years.

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This article is from the Derby Evening Telegraph and is reproduced online here.