Cafe in New St Stevenston 1960s/1970s

[5siamese7]

Yes maybe your right JD. Any way their custom fell away probably because they didn't use the beer recipe.

[stivis]

Fair enough

[John Donnelly]

Yes maybe your right JD. Any way their custom fell away probably because they didn't use the beer recipe.

The restaurant only went downhill after it changed hands.
JD.

[peterm1711]

Wonder if that was the same Ferguson family who had the Ailsa tearooms near the Ardeer Hall. That was Bobby Ferguson's family. Bobby was goalkeeper for Kilmarnock, West ham and Scotland and was from Ardrossan, but I believe his mum was from Stevenston - Bobby Ferguson is in Adelaide now.

Yes, it was Bobby Ferguson's mother who ran the wee tearoom near Ardeer Halls, and she was indeed from Stevenston.

I'm sure after she married, she ended up living with her family in Churchill Drive, Ardrossan.

Her maiden name was Margaret Thompson, and I've a relative who worked with her in the Lauriston Hotel in Ardrossan later on, where she was a cook.

I knew her brother very well, and I'm sure some on here will know him and his family too.

He was Sam Thompson originally from the bottom end of Stevenston, and he was married to Isobel Dillon from Saltcoats. They lived up the top end of Stevenston for years raising their family.

Their family are Sam (Jr), Matt (Macky), Drew and Margaret.

Sam frequented the masonic club in Stevenston, and sadly died on holiday in Spain around 17 years ago.

Myself and my family attended his funeral, which was in the Livingston church at the bottom of the Rec.

Sam was obviously the uncle of ex-goalkeeper, Bobby Ferguson, and looking at Hughie's picture of him, I can see a strong resemblance between them.

[michaelm]

Peterm, I remember Sam Thompson snr well - and also two of his son's, Sam and Matt, from when I was growing up in the Hayocks area of the town.
He was indeed a very well known and likeable man.

[JQuin]

Thanks everyone for the replies. Togneri's was the one. For the life of me couldn't remember the name. Cheers

[imajrk]

I was brought up in New Street. Across the road from us was Togneri’s Cafe. Tina and I had the same birthday of March 26th. That was in the 50’s. My friend and I as teenagers frequented that same cafe, but the owner was a bit weird. I didn’t like him at all. That would have been in the early 60’s.

[John Donnelly]

I was brought up in New Street. Across the road from us was Togneri’s Cafe. Tina and I had the same birthday of March 26th. That was in the 50’s. My friend and I as teenagers frequented that same cafe, but the owner was a bit weird. I didn’t like him at all. That would have been in the early 60’s.

Hi Jean,
I remember Togneri's too.
The old man was Mathew, known as Mattha.
JD

[tapnagol]

Re this subject. I recall that around the period stated, Anna Tortolano (spouse of Aldo) , and a Mrs Lee (spouse of a former Saltcoats policeman opened a tearoom around this location. This may have been once a cafe.

[imajrk]

I remember Anna’s cafe, it was further up New Street. Same side of the street as Togneri’s.

[Mannar]

Hello, Regarding Reid's Fish and Chip Shop on the corner of Glebe & Boglemart Streets and The Ironmongers in New Street Stevenston ....
Jenny (Jinet) Mann nee Dunbar and Allan S.Mann were my parents.
Originally Reid's Fish & Chip Shop was owned by my Grandfather Daniel Dunbar (Auld Danny... Janet's/Jenny's father - he managed the White Hart Inn prior to this and that is where my Mother Jenny was born), together with my Mother Jenny and two maiden 'aunts' Jen & Jeannie Johnstone. They all worked there from before 7.00.am until it closed, walking there from the Station Gates and back. It never traded on a Sunday, but was open every other day except some public holidays.
The name 'Reid' came from my grandmother, my Mother's Mother's name ...Jane Russell Reid.
My Grandfather always made up the batter for the fish and sausage .. he only ever used a small dinner plate to measure the flour and cream of tartar (just an edge of cream of tartar) never weighing them, and then added water, never any beer.
It was a real family affair as my mother's brothers Dan & George (Dunbar) and their wives (Isa & Jessie) also helped out at weekends in the shop.
It was very popular in the 50's & 60's and they had regular customers who travelled from as far as Kilmarnock to get their Fish & Chips. One regular who later owned the fish shop at the top of New Street (Alec Gentleman) had emigrated as a boy with his family to Canada/USA(?) but he returned as a young man, and I can tell you he stepped off the plane and came directly to Reid's, suitcase in hand, for a fish supper! I was there when he arrived.
Correctly, my father worked at Ardeer in Nobel's 'Black Powder' before moving to ICI's Nitro-glycerine plant; he would come home from his shift at 3.00.pm'ish, have his dinner, a quick snooze, then off up to the Chip Shop on his bike to work until it closed.
The shop was eventually sold in the late 1960's when my grandfather and Jen & Jeannie were in their late 70's. It was then that my mother bought what was Leach's Ironmongers in New Street. She was not related to the Leach's in any way.
My father soon afterwards retired from working at ICI, and helped my mother in the Ironmogers in New Street. George's wife Jessie also helped my Mum in the shop, until they decided to finally retire when in their 70's. They soon emigrated to Australia where I live, and by then my two sons; their grandchildren were what drew them out I think. They died here in OZ in the early 21stC, and are buried at Hawkhill Cemetery Stevenston.
If anyone out there has a photograph of Reid's Fish and Chip Shop or of Woodburn Cottages by the Station Gates in the 1950's I'd REALLY like to hear from you.
Cheers, Allan R. (guess what the 'R' stands for!!!)

[stivis]

Woodburn Cottages