For those who were born and brought up in Norwich the following may bring back some memories.
Until the age of about 12, I lived in a greengrocers' shop in Reepham Road, Hellesdon. Hellesdon was and is a suburb of Norwich and was much smaller then than it is today. The greengrocers at 157, Reepham Road, was I believe known as Northgate Stores. It was next to Dixon's Hardware store and today is part of the Dixons emporium.
The shop was originally owned by my grandfather - Arthur Steward - who also owned a bungalow and land just across the road at 122, Reepham Road. I believe he also owned a dairy just across from Dixons.
So I was brought up in a shop - which was good when I wanted sweets (probably too many for my own good). After going to Kinsale Avenue School, I obtained a scholarship to the Norwich School. To get there I would get the 84 or 86 bus to Tombland. Coming home I had even more choice as I could catch the 84, 85, 86 or 87. They all went from the same stop just across the road from the school.
The 84 and 86 went down Reepham Road before splitting at the Bull roundabout with one continuing as far as the Man in the Moon Pub (now a doctors' surgery) and the other going left down Middleton's lane. Both the 85 and 87 went to Windsor Road and that was just a five minute walk down Meadow Way to my home.
Buses were different in those days. They were all double deckers. The drivers were in enclosed cabs and they all had conductors who would issue tickets from strange contraptions where they turned a dial on the top and then cranked a handle. They were the only people it seemed allowed to ring the bell to stop the bus. I seem to remember that these were activated by a bright red button on the roof. Some of the conductors were real characters, often bursting into song and shouting out the names of the stops in a very loud voice that the whole bus could hear. You indicated that you wanted to get off by standing up and moving to the back of the bus because the entrance/exit was at the back and not the front as it is today. You got on at the back and the steps to the upstairs were immediately in front of you.
Smoking was allowed upstairs which usually led to a horrible fug of tobacco smoke - which must have been incredibly unhealthy. Each seat had a stubber on the back to put out cigarettes. I remember much of the route of the 84 and 86. I would get on at Tombland and then go through Stump Cross onto Aylsham Road with stops at Philidelphia Lane where the bus stop was outside a fence that was painted dark green (strange how so many of these seemingly irrelevant memories come back). Then it would be onto the Boundary, Overbury Road, Hastings Avenue and my own stop at Berkley Close. From there it was just a few yards to home.
If you got the 85 or 87 you asked for a ticket for "All The Way". At the age of 12 my family sold the shop and we moved close to Windsor Road and so I caught the 85 or 87 which went down Cromer Road to the Boundary and then along Aylsham Road, past the swimming pool at St Augustine's and onto Tombland.
There were inconsistencies with regard to the bus tickets for school at the time. If you lived over three miles from the school you got free travel. The decision on what constituted three miles seemed to be an arbitrary one. My house in Reepham Road was under three miles but my friend's house which was a few yards further down the road was over three miles (I must have lived pretty much on the border). We got on and off at the same stop. I had to pay but he got free travel.
When we sold the shop and moved further round Middleton's Lane I got free travel!! The passes were always scrutinised intently by the conductors as there was always the threat of the dreaded Inspectors - a kind of super conductor - who could board a bus at anytime and check tickets. If you want to get a flavour of that have a look at old editions of the comedy television programme On The Buses ("I hate you Butler.")
Well that's about all the memories I can dredge up today - more at a later date.