Neilson's where one could enjoy a penny vantas drink. The next close
at one time housed the town council offices and then John Antonelli's
shop before he built the New Cafe.
A stretch of the old sea wall came next before Jock Hastie's garage
where at one time a big part of his business was charging accumulators
for wirelesses. Pat Cullen's low roofed house was followed by Mary
Machie's with her outside stair before Belfield's house and his
famous pottery. On the corner was the Cuthill store, now the Lady
Susan, and then round to Mathieson's Yard before the Cuthill School.
We did talk about the kids and the brickworks, but it would take
too long to mention all of them so coming back again on the other
side we have Brodie Allison's and her mother, with her man's bonnet
on, sitting smoking her clay pipe.
Cuthill was a village on its own with Front Street, Middle Street
and Summerlee Street, and each one had its own set of characters.
Going back you reach the Gothenburg, at that time one of the best
pubs in East Lothian and the publican Mr Fewell always immaculate
with white shirt and black tie and well parted moustache; then the
Redburn with old Cockielaws yard and Johnny Turnbull's shop at the
corner. Next Jock Samuel's and then up three steps to Balquanqual,
joiner and undertaker, before some low cottage type houses with
one of those old iron wells in the middle of them.
Cookies Wynd came next and the old Salvation Army hall with a barber's
shop next to it. The latter became Hay's Groceries and many an apple
was stolen there from the boxes on display outside the shop.
As you continued, you came to the gas works, then the old cemetery,
which is said to have the grave of either Burke or Hare, those body
snatchers; after the headmaster's house the gas works offices, then
Tarn Hood's the bootman. The store hairdresser's in those days was
in place of the Bakers Dozen but then came our town hall.
On the other corner of New Street was Willie Wilson, draper — the
Royal Bank of Scotland — Aggie Bagnall's, fruiterer extraordinary
(what a woman, she used to go her rounds with her old horse and
it was hardly fit to pull the cart), Greig's ironmonger's, and where
the new shops now are before Mathers Pub or the Railway Tavern were
some houses which stood back a little from the rest and these housed
the Bellanys and the Baillies.
Ayres Wynd had the Buttercup on the corner and Bob Galloway's chip
shop a few doors up, McLennon's dairy, then Kennedy the grocer's
and a more or less second-hand furniture shop, Bryce's Close with
the cobblers shop next, then Grants Buildings and the Queens Arms
Hotel, at that time
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