Whittle’s Hardware Store
I was wondering if anyone had memories of Claude Whittle’s Hardware Store in Military Road, Spit Junction?
The staff while I was working there in the sixties were Bill Smith, a charming man of wonderful character, he was very kind to all who met him; Mr Claude Whittle, the wonderful elder of the family, served daily to all of his many friends; John, his son, a hard working man also kind to all; myself and a chap – I can’t remember his name but a cheerful person. Claude told me that he had sailed to Australia, so his trip was long, and hard. The shop was a joy to work in and it was quite a famous shop. I know for a fact that it was spoke about in London by travelers in endearing terms. Claude stocked all and sundry, gold fossicking pans, paint, ships fittings, really all you would need he stocked. I hope someone remembers the dear old shop.
Thank you to the Library for this lovely site which I love to go on to look for photos and stories.
— posted by Terry Brown, Wednesday October 10, 2007
Comments
CORRECTION!... My comments re Whittles location was incorrect, I confused this shop with another hardware store in Military Road.
Whittles Store was across from the Kings Theatre on Spit Road, just south of the old Bank of New South Wales, and between the bank and the Masonic Lodge. I remember Mr. Whittle as a very knowledgeable shop keeper who was patient with us young kids who would often ask a load of naiive questions about how to build a billy-cart etc.
My great Uncle was Claude Whittle, but he lived in Flemington, Victoria. He was a lovely old gentleman too. He died in his nineties. He was my grandfather’s youngest brother. My single name was Whittle and I am searching the family history. Originally our Whittles came from Lancashire, UK
— posted by Edna Coleman, Sunday May 11, 2008, 5:58:13 PM #
As a boy I remember the charming and voluble Claude Whittle, A long face with jowels and kindly eyes. He always wore a bow tie and swore that he had the cheapest mouse traps in Sydney.
— posted by Paul Delprat, Saturday June 28, 2008, 8:55:32 PM #
Does anyone remember MT Curran Chemist Shop opposite Belmont Road entrance to Military Road, just past the post office next to King Weddel Radio and TV Shop? My parents owned the shop, Marie and Syd Curran from 1952 to about 1971.
I have many memories of growing up in Mosman as a child and a teenager. Does anybody remember the old house on the corner of Belmont Road, which was part of the school grounds? We used to, as kids, sneak over there and go exploring into the building. It was a wonderful old turn of the century double-storey structure with a pointed turrett tower.
I also remember Claude Whittle very well, having done many errands up to Spit Junction to go to the Whittle hardware shop. There was a flying fox on a cable in the shop into the basket of which you could put goods and they were then delivered to the front counter. Claude Whittle was a really funny and spontaneous guy and yes, I remember his bow tie clearly! The shop fascinated me as it had so much stuff inside and you could walk on the old floorboards right up to the back of the shop and be totally fascinated by all the kinds of stuff he had in there. They also provided good old fashioned service with a smile and sometimes a joke and nothing was too much trouble for them. These were the days when service meant something in a shop, long before the Bunnings afflication occurred.
Does anyone remember the Montana Milk Bar next to the Hoyts Kinema, run by the lovely Italian family? Us kids all lined up there on Saturday afternoons to go to the ‘flicks’. Particularly clear in my memory in the 1950s was the fantastic layout the Hoyts management did for the movie ‘Jedda’, setting up amazing re-creations of scenes from the movie with 3D images of koories in the Australian landscape. It was a memorable and magic moment to walk into the picture theatre that day. And just added to the poignancy and the impact that this movie had on everyone who saw it.
— posted by Ron Curran, Friday October 24, 2008, 6:23:52 PM #
I lived in Cowles Road and would often visit Whittles Hardware in the ‘40s and ‘50s. It was on the corner of Harbour St. and Military Rd. Whittles offered a multitude of hardware items and the front window quite often featured a range of kitchen/gift items. As a young boy I saved my pocket money up for some time and purchased a decorated dish complete with lid, on a warming stand, as a gift for my Mother on Mothers Day.The flat above the store was occupied by The O’Loughlin Family. Mr. O’Loughlin worked at the Oaks Hotel, Neutral Bay. I believe the store changed hands in the 1960’s.
— posted by Bruce Manuel, Thursday November 29, 2007, 12:30:04 PM #