Nostalgia time. Who remembers Lisle St. & Tottenham Ct. Rd. In their prime (UK)

[Gyro]

Well it's the weekend, time for a bit of nostalgia, one for the UK folks.

Who remembers Lisle Street and Tottenham Court Road in their prime? I guess Lisle street (being in Soho) has had several 'primes' for various reasons in it's time and I suspect it's probably quite select these days. I guess I should also mention Edgeware Road too but the shops there always seemed a bit up-market.

I first started visiting them, I suppose, in the late '60s on outings with my Grandfather. In those days Lisle street, a poky little side-street around the back of the Odeon Leicester Square was just a mass of electronics shops, most of them had started by selling ex air-ministry stuff post-war. Nearly every shop in the street had piles of boxes spread across the pavement full of all sorts of magical items, acorn valves, precision servo pots, crystals (the Bakelite ones where you could take them apart), circuit boards, you name it! There was also a shop that specialized in Japanese test gear (Eagle?), multimeters, sig gens etc.

Tottenham Court Road was similar but rather more spread out, At the top end was Z&I Aero services, and in the middle was Proops, but I have vague memories of others. One I remember had a big basket of mains powered long leaded mains neons flashing away merrily on the pavement for several years much like a large vase of flowers, those happy days before health and safety.

Sadly the shops slowly faded out over the years. Lisle street street, looking back, was probably a bit 'dodgy' but I was too young and innocent to notice the addicts weaving their way down the street and the ladies of 'easy virtue'. The last shop to hang on was Service Trading Co, (technically in Little Newport Street) they used to specialize in variacs and unfeasibly powerful black-light tubes, but loads of other treasures too.

Proops and Z&I Aero survived in Tottenham Court road for years longer, in fact Proops still exist down in Hove. I remember dragging my still-to-be wife around Proops. She used to go and sit on the steps half way down the shop while I spent hours rifling through all the boxes (they had Gyros too!) and every few minutes someone would stoop down and ask her if she was ok. They also had lots of early computer logic boards (all transistor) which were useful for parts. It would all probably be quite collectable these days.

Edgeware road was a bit sparser, Henry's Radio was the main draw, but several early microcomputer shops sprang up too.

These were magical times for me...The train ride up to London, the Tube and then these Aladdin's caves of stuff to spend my saved-up pocket money on! Topped off with plaice and chips at the 'high class' fish restaurant just round the corner from Lisle street  . I guess the closest these days would be a young kit being let loose in the electronics district in Hong Kong.

Anyone else have similarly magical memories of those times?

[MK14]

Yes, I remember.
Tottenham Court Road, with many interesting shops.

Watford Electronics (not that far away, by suitable transport), was effectively an early computer shop.

Foyles bookshop, to get those all important Electronic's books. (Top floor, if I remember correctly, by lift?).

Bi-pak or bi-pre-pack (probably WRONG spelling by me), was a sort of early "Cheap Chinese ebay Like", source of quality, "surplus", multi packs of components. (Mail order only). Amazingly cheap (for the time), stuff.

Further away. Stewart of Reading, with a great choice of (somewhat old), second hand test gear and stuff.

EDIT: I couldn't remember the name. But now I can.
Display Electronics. Had a lot of surplus, moderately priced, miscellaneous odds and ends. The sort of odd stuff, like Dave gets in his mail bag.
For example (NOT 100% sure, I got them from Display Electronics) I got some very early numeric displays (digits 0 to 9), which used amazingly tiny bulbs (1N4001 diode sized!), for each digit, and had magnifying lenses and/or black and clear plastic cutouts, so that the digits appeared as if they had been produced on a typewriter, i.e. perfectly formed). Not sure of age, but somewhere in the 1940's to 1960's range, I guess. Maybe later.

[coppice]

Many of the shops from Lisle Street actually moved to Edgware Road, not far from Henry's Radio. When Lisle Street was really active, Henry's Radio and a place selecting high end refurbished test gear were about the only electronics shops in Edgware Road.

[coppice]

Foyles bookshop, to get those all important Electronic's books. (Top floor, if I remember correctly, by lift?).

Don't forget Dillons (now Waterstones) near UCL. They used to have huge ads on the bus stops outside Foyles saying "Foyled again? Try Dillons". 

[MK14]

Foyles bookshop, to get those all important Electronic's books. (Top floor, if I remember correctly, by lift?).

Don't forget Dillons (now Waterstones) near UCL. They used to have huge ads on the bus stops outside Foyles saying "Foyled again? Try Dillons". 

The problem in the "old" days, was that there was no internet, and little opportunity to meet other Electronics hobbyists. So I don't think (remember) I knew about Dillons having Electronics books, a long time ago.

In the old days, even Tandy (Radio Shack), in London (before they became somewhat widespread), sold some useful things for electronics hobbyists.

[coppice]

Foyles bookshop, to get those all important Electronic's books. (Top floor, if I remember correctly, by lift?).

Don't forget Dillons (now Waterstones) near UCL. They used to have huge ads on the bus stops outside Foyles saying "Foyled again? Try Dillons". 

The problem in the "old" days, was that there was no internet, and little opportunity to meet other Electronics hobbyists. So I don't think (remember) I knew about Dillons having Electronics books, a long time ago.

It faces the engineering faculty of UCL. It stocks every set book for colleges in the University of London, and was actually owned by the University when I was at UCL. It had a better selection of technical books than Foyles. I imagine that's still the case now its Waterstones, considering it physical presence so close to UCL, Birkbeck and the central facilities of the University of London.

[Gyro]

Just found an interesting Lisle street history. It covers Tottenham Court Road, Edgeware Road and a few others too...

http://www.retinascope.co.uk/lislestreet.html

[MK14]

I faces the engineering faculty of UCL. It stocks every set book for colleges in the University of London, and was actually owned by the University when I was at UCL. It had a better selection of technical books than Foyles. I imagine that's still the case now its Waterstones, considering it physical presence so close to UCL, Birkbeck and the central facilities of the University of London.

On the one hand, you have saddened me, because I could have gone there (ages ago), and got some nice Electronics (and may computing), books.
BUT if I had a magic time travelling telephone, I would have said, DON'T buy any electronics books. Just pool all the money I can get (in that era) together, and buy as many Microsoft (ideally 1975) shares, as possible.

Proper databooks were especially difficult to obtain then, for hobbyists. If I remember correctly, Maplins and Radio Spares (RS), would allow photocopies of just a single component to be bought (or sometimes free with purchases of the same device).

[Gyro]

How did we get onto bookshops and databooks? 

[Gyro]

EDIT: I couldn't remember the name. But now I can.
Display Electronics. Had a lot of surplus, moderately priced, miscellaneous odds and ends. The sort of odd stuff, like Dave gets in his mail bag.
For example (NOT 100% sure, I got them from Display Electronics) I got some very early numeric displays (digits 0 to 9), which used amazingly tiny bulbs (1N4001 diode sized!), for each digit, and had magnifying lenses and/or black and clear plastic cutouts, so that the digits appeared as if they had been produced on a typewriter, i.e. perfectly formed). Not sure of age, but somewhere in the 1940's to 1960's range, I guess. Maybe later.

I remember Henry's, (might not have been, the closest one to the tube station anyway) had a nice display of Nixie tubes in the window - sadly well out of my price range.

Edit: I remember now, it was GW Smiths who had all the test gear in Lisle Street.

[MK14]

EDIT: I couldn't remember the name. But now I can.
Display Electronics. Had a lot of surplus, moderately priced, miscellaneous odds and ends. The sort of odd stuff, like Dave gets in his mail bag.
For example (NOT 100% sure, I got them from Display Electronics) I got some very early numeric displays (digits 0 to 9), which used amazingly tiny bulbs (1N4001 diode sized!), for each digit, and had magnifying lenses and/or black and clear plastic cutouts, so that the digits appeared as if they had been produced on a typewriter, i.e. perfectly formed). Not sure of age, but somewhere in the 1940's to 1960's range, I guess. Maybe later.

I remember Henry's, (might not have been, the closest one to the tube station anyway) had a nice display of Nixie tubes in the window - sadly well out of my price range.

I definitely remember buying stuff at Henry's (or at least going there), but I can't remember exactly what I bought (it was a very long time ago).

As you said/hinted at earlier. London was the place to go, if you were an Electronics hobbyist, ages ago.

EDIT: But there were some interesting electronics shops, at various other (UK) locations. Just not so many, and not such a big range of stuff (typically).

[MK14]

I remember Henry's, (might not have been, the closest one to the tube station anyway) had a nice display of Nixie tubes in the window - sadly well out of my price range.

Edit: I remember now, it was GW Smiths who had all the test gear in Lisle Street.

I don't recall Lisle Street, and Nixie tubes. Possibly because we are talking about different years/eras.

As regards London. Cricklewood Electronics (Dollis hill underground station) was a common visit for me. I use to buy tons of stuff for projects from them. If I remember correctly. A very long time ago.

[mikeselectricstuff]

I'm not quite old enough to remember Lisle St. but I was a regular visitor to Edgeware rd and/or TCR every weekend. The former was best for components in the later days - Bradley Marshall, Technomatic & Henry's come to mind. I also have vague memories of a surplus type place in a sidestreet near the Bakerloo line station, and a place that sold old test gear on the other side of the flyover (Praed St or Chapel St.?). And a place that seemed to mostly sell folded ali. boxes near the station one Edgeware Rd- something Smith?

TCR was more about hi-fi & AV, though ISTR there was a shop that sold test gear and tools ( on the left coming from TCR station) where I bought some early stuff like Thandar SC110 scope and my first DMM (Kaise autoranging). Possibly also my Fluke 77.
And of course Proops - only have vague memories of Z&I Aero - mostly valves ISTR

I also bought my first scope from Stewart of Reading - an old Telequipment rackmount thing.  They were having some sort of clearance sale where they dropped prices 10% every so often (day, week?)

Elsewhere - Direct Electronics in Romford Rd Manor Park ( think they may still be there), a dodgy place on the same road further towards Ilford, also Job Stocks in Walthamstow - lots of army surplus run by a rather creepy bloke who swore he'd invented an engine that ran on water, or something similar.

I also have a very vague memory of somewhere Islington-ish, near a market, would have been late 80s early 90s? Maybe mis-remembering that one.

I also remember a computer/electronics surplus place that opened just down the road from me in South Woodford - it started in a couple of rooms of a big house, moved round the corner to George Lane, then to Epping. We simply called it "The Shop". 

[mikeselectricstuff]

These days even TCR's Hifi & AV shops are dwindling fast after many decades. A few weeks ago I needed to get a tie-clip mic in a hurry, and only one shop in the whole street had one.
I have happy memories of carting home the latest bit of hifi and reading the manual on the Tube. Still have some of it.
 

[coppice]

I remember now, it was GW Smiths who had all the test gear in Lisle Street.

GW Smith were the UK distributor for TMK and several other small Japanese test equipment makers.

[coppice]

I also remember a computer/electronics surplus place that opened just down the road from me in South Woodford - it started in a couple of rooms of a big house, moved round the corner to George Lane, then to Epping. We simply called it "The Shop".

In the 60s and 70s there were lots of pretty reasonable electronics component shops scattered around the periphery of London. Frank Mozer's was a well known one, because it was on the North Circular Road, so many people saw it as they passed.

[switcher]

Not a Londoner, so sadly not.

I do remember Stewart of Reading (still going), also John's Radio, who were up north somewhere, but did mail order, from their ads in Wireless World / Electronics World.
I bought my first Tek scope (a 465) from John's Radio, 30- odd years ago, it nearly bankrupted me.
To this day, I still remember the excitement of opening the box when it arrived.

Where abouts in Hove are Proops ?

[tggzzz]

I remember all those London shops, plus:

• buying from Technomatic, Watford, Bi-Pak and the like
• buying newfangled 6-digit digital clock chips and enormous (0.5") LEDs from California, and paying by international money order
• the Lisle-St-type shop in the school near Southampton University
• the Lisle-St-type shop near the horse butcher in Kingston
• Gees in Cambridge

Memo to self: you must visit Birketts this year.

[mikeselectricstuff]

Frank Mozer's was a well known one, because it was on the North Circular Road, so many people saw it as they passed.

Only went there once, when they were closing down due to North Circular expansion, but the guy was too mean to let anything go cheap!

[IanB]

I used to cycle to Mozer's when I was too young to drive a car. Bi-Pak had a shop in Ware and I used to cycle there too. When a bicycle is your only means of transport it is amazing how you shrug off distances where people would normally drive.

[SeanB]

I bought from Cricklewoods via mail order, using bank drafts that were cleared by Barclays Bank PLC London. Those cheques from my local bank, using a cheque book held in the bank managers safe, were a lovely thing to see when you got them, with all the figures, details and numbers typed in by the managers secretary using an IBM Selectric typewriter, before being signed by the manager and then embossed with the sending bank seal.

Last ones I got were less so, simply dot matrix printed off a sheet of bank stationary.

[Gyro]

Not a Londoner, so sadly not.

I do remember Stewart of Reading (still going), also John's Radio, who were up north somewhere, but did mail order, from their ads in Wireless World / Electronics World.
I bought my first Tek scope (a 465) from John's Radio, 30- odd years ago, it nearly bankrupted me.
To this day, I still remember the excitement of opening the box when it arrived.

Where abouts in Hove are Proops ?

I guess I was lucky twice over. I ended up moving from Sidcup to Reading so got the benefits of regular outings to Stewarts too. What's more, later on they were within 'group lunchtime outing' distance from work... That's when they were in the old corner shop near Cemetry Junction. They had a fantastic 'junk room' out the back full of stuff too cheap to be worth listing in their adverts (I never could afford the stuff at the front). Stewart of Reading was previously called Chiltmead by the way. I haven't visited them since they moved to Mortimer Common (I've moved again too), I don't know if they've had time to establish another 'junk room'?

Proops have moved again too, they're now up in Leicester. Their business has changed again, last time I looked they were selling surveillance stuff, crossbows and all sorts of weird stuff. They now have a good website stocking tools and engineering supplies, some interesting looking tools that could be re-purposed for electronics too. Funny to think that a tatty little shop started in 1946, selling war surplus stuff now resides in a building called 'Technology House'.    I'm glad they're still doing well...

http://www.proopsbrothers.com/

[Dataforensics]

I used to get most of my early stuff from Jobstocks too. My pocket money did not often stretch to TCR or Edgeware.

I remember getting a new/old stock Russian marking type 19 set complete with rotary converters from Jobstocks all in wooden boxes. No idea how much it cost as was a birthday present in my very early teens. My dad was bemused by my interests.

[mikeselectricstuff]

In Walthamstow there was also a place called Radio Unlimited in Hoe St - I think it was mostly a repair shop but they also sold components and had a box of scrap boards you could rummage through

[German_EE]

I grew up in Manchester so I missed out on a lot of the London shops until the 1980's when I had my first trip up and down the Edgeware Road. I never even knew about Lisle Street so all of that experience is now lost.

In Manchester had a much smaller selection. On Shudehill we had three or four shops plus there was Berwick Electronics on Tib Street and New Cross Radio at the bottom of Oldham Road. New Cross Radio was a real junk shop and until they closed their doors there was a massive pile of 'useful' stuff including AR88 spares. Finally there was Mazel Radio on London Road which as well as electronic surplus also sold records, amplifiers and valves/vacuum tubes. Sadly they're now all gone and my visit to Manchester in 2006 was not a happy experience.

[nali]

I used to cycle to Mozer's when I was too young to drive a car. Bi-Pak had a shop in Ware and I used to cycle there too. When a bicycle is your only means of transport it is amazing how you shrug off distances where people would normally drive.

Bi-Pak was just about cycling distance for me too as a teenager, about 20 miles round trip down the busy A10. There was am old surplus shop next door too, whose name escapes me? I sort of remember it being full of dusty old relays, meters etc which I wasn't particularly interested in at that age.

[sca]

...John's Radio, who were up north somewhere, but did mail order, from their ads in Wireless World / Electronics World.
I bought my first Tek scope (a 465) from John's Radio, 30- odd years ago, it nearly bankrupted me.

John's Radio was, IIRC, on the A58 just off the M62. My first scope also came from there - a Phillips - which is still under a bench in the garage somewhere. I remember the place being absolutely rammed floor to ceiling with gear, the vast majority of which I was too young / inexperienced to recognise.

I remember the lady in charge when I visited being very helpful considering that I was presumably right at the bottom of their typical spend.

sca

[chris_leyson]

Bought a Creed 7B teleprinter from a shop in Lisle Street, can't remember the name but they advertised in WW and PW, I remember Henrys Radio in Edgeware Road, Ralfe Electronics, Z and I Aero Services, Cricklewood Electronics, Foyles bookshop and the Modern Book Company in Pread Street, those were the days.

[chris_leyson]

I think it was G.WSmith and Co. in Lisle street also bought a WWII 88set there and remember wiring 90V across the heaters 

[woodchips]

Some more.

Electronic Brokers, had real test gear but their catalogue was the only way of knowing what was available.

Was it Bi-Pak in Southend? Or Bi-Pre-Pak? Used to buy lots from there, amazing how much you can stack on a motorbike even with a 60 mile journey ahead.

AH Supplies in Sheffield, just off the M1 then the A52? Visited there a few times from Suffolk.

Mustn't forget Arthur Sallis Radio Control in Brighton, bought lots there.

Anchor Supplies in Nottingham Cattle Market, still there I think, also at Ripley. They got hold of a load of 141 spectrum analysers just as the EMC regs came in and started selling them much cheaper than at Johns Radio. Also a 466 which I still have.

Johns Radio, and yes, I remember the helpful lady who ran it.

Some place in Liverpool, just outside the city centre before they rebuilt it, last there it was a waste land of mud and concrete.

Wasn't it Ralfe Electronics in Pread Street? They moved outside town some years later.

Chiltmead, bought a Solartron 1212 scope there just after I started work in 1971, cost over £100. My cousin thought I was mad but that scope had some use until replaced by a 547 in the mid 1980's, Leicester Radio rally. Then my dad used the 121 until he died in 2008. I reckon that scope taught me more than the degree, at least in how to design things so they worked.

Other modern possibilities are Leavesley's at Alwras on the A38, Woods group in Crediton, Ramco in Skegness.

[rch]

I remember as a child in the late 1950s going with a family friend who ran a small but innovative medical equipment company (name withheld!) to one of the higher grade surplus shops in Tottenham Court Road to buy surplus wirewounds for production!   I can't remember which shop though, it was another few years before I got to window shop there myself as a teenager.  Their was quite a good surplus shop in Leeds, somewhere near the football stadium where I remember buying a 22 set because I couldn't afford a 19 set, but I can't remember the name.

[alanb]

I remember buying an oscilloscope kit from Heathkit on Tottenham Court road in the mid sixties on a visit to London with my parents.

[SKPang]

I used to cycle to Bi-Pak is well. They are in Ware. Not too far from Harlow.

[SKPang]

I also remember the second Maplin store opened in Hammersmith. I think it was 1980.

I used to used go there on a Saturday to get my electronics bit and walk across the road to Tandy and play with their TRS-80.

[nfmax]

• the Lisle-St-type shop in the school near Southampton University

Forum Stores - the SSTF junk shop in the Tram Shed just off the Avenue! I used to haunt that place while I was at Southampton University, 1975-1981. I still have a small stock of Lemo connectors acquired at ridiculously cheap prices. They'll come in handy one day.

Going even further back, I remember visiting a shop called Selctradar in Erdington, that sold me OC71's and AD161/162 'matched' pairs when I was at school. There was another radio place in Corporation Street, I think it was, in Birmingham city centre. Thought itself very superior as it catered to proper licenesed radio amateurs.

[tggzzz]

• the Lisle-St-type shop in the school near Southampton University

Forum Stores - the SSTF junk shop in the Tram Shed just off the Avenue! I used to haunt that place while I was at Southampton University, 1975-1981. I still have a small stock of Lemo connectors acquired at ridiculously cheap prices. They'll come in handy one day.

That's the one! I still have a PCB containing photodiodes for reading punched cards. I don't think that will come in handy, but I'm not getting rid of it

I was at the university 75-78.

[nfmax]

I was at the university 75-78.

Did you read Electronics starting in October 1975? So did I!

Max

[tggzzz]

I was at the university 75-78.

Did you read Electronics starting in October 1975? So did I!

Max

Yup. Does your surname begin with H and did you spend some time in Huntingdon? If so PMs are probably more relevant

[Gyro]

Sounds like we now have a Nostalgia AND Friends Reunited thread! 

The thing I regret is the number of things I bought and then pulled apart when I was too young to know better. I once bought a lovely Mercury relay from Z&I Aero, all glass construction so you could see the steel plunger being pulled down and raising the Mercury level up to the contacts. Unfortunately I broke it to 'salvage' the mercury. I did find another one there a few years later but the tube was already broken; the Mercury had presumably worked its way through the floorboards!

Another time I bought a crystal oven from (probably Henry's) in the Edgeware Road. It was beautifully constructed, a solid milled aluminium cylinder inside, about 8 inches long with a glass crystal in the bore (taking up very little of the length). The whole length was wound with an element and lacquered in red. I still have the little 60'C mercury thermometer with wire fused into the side that it used as the temperature sensor but the rest is gone. If I still had it intact it would have been ideal for putting an complete voltage reference circuit inside.

I sometimes wish I could just go back and give myself a 'clip round the ear'.    (I can see why my dad sometimes used to resort to that now!).

[SeanB]

Sounds like we now have a Nostalgia AND Friends Reunited thread! 

The thing I regret is the number of things I bought and then pulled apart when I was too young to know better. I once bought a lovely Mercury relay from Z&I Aero, all glass construction so you could see the steel plunger being pulled down and raising the Mercury level up to the contacts. Unfortunately I broke it to 'salvage' the mercury. I did find another one there a few years later but the tube was already broken; the Mercury had presumably worked its way through the floorboards!

Another time I bought a crystal oven from (probably Henry's) in the Edgeware Road. It was beautifully constructed, a solid milled aluminium cylinder inside, about 8 inches long with a glass crystal in the bore (taking up very little of the length). The whole length was wound with an element and lacquered in red. I still have the little 60'C mercury thermometer with wire fused into the side that it used as the temperature sensor but the rest is gone. If I still had it intact it would have been ideal for putting an complete voltage reference circuit inside.

I sometimes wish I could just go back and give myself a 'clip round the ear'.    (I can see why my dad sometimes used to resort to that now!).

Still have a crystal oven that takes IIRC 8 crystals. Must dig it out and post a pic of it. Looking at the box it probably is in, but that one is at the bottom of the pile.....

[Gyro]

Time for a little more UK nostalgia...

I just found this thread on the UK Vintage Radio site - more memories of Tottenham Court Road:

http://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=139501

It also links to some photos from before the mid '70s redevelopments:

https://news.fitzrovia.org.uk/2015/05/21/tottenham-court-road-before-central-cross/#prettyPhoto