NOSTALGIA: Finally, space made for large supermarkets on new Leigh Park estate

Park Parade opened in the mid-1950s to give a decent form of shopping for the newly-built Leigh Park estate.

Before then, anyone wanting to buy from High Street chains had to travel to Havant or back to Portsmouth where most people came from originally.

In the mid-1960s plans were made to extend the shopping area and Greywell was built providing space for large supermarkets such as Keymarket and Gateway. Comic actor Sid James opened it in summer 1966.

Over the years, with many acquiring cars and the opening of the Co-op hypermarket, later ASDA, in Hulbert Road, trade declined and Park Parade and Greywell became shadows of their former selves.

The picture, below right, was taken at Havant in 1963 during the last days of the Hayling Island branch line.

On summer Saturdays three locomotives and two three-coach trains were used for the two down and two up trains-an-hour service.

Loco 32646 is still running, on the Isle of Wight Railway, as W8 Freshwater.

The picture of the garage is of Car Mansions Service Station at Goldsmith Avenue, Portsmouth, in the 1930s. It’s where the filling station is today.

The ‘Mansions’ mentioned, I assume, meant the private garages behind the petrol pumps.

On the left, two affluent-looking business types pose with their car. All the attendants are wearing white coats. No self-service then.

The garage office had two lines, as they used to say back then.

Call the local operator and just ask for 2078 or 2079 to be put through.