No Pedlars, Hawkers or Salesmen!

I was going to entitle this blog, Balloon or a Balloon? after an exchange of comments with Liz Blades-Hamilton in Australia, previously 6/6, The Stair. However, apart from going easy on my younger self and saving it for another day, I was also reflecting on the number of  salesmen who had featured in this little run of blogs-Jock the Fishman; Jimmy the Grocer; Mario the Ice Cream-man.

It made me think of a door plate that I saw at a few houses at Morningside when I was doing my early morning paper run for Bairds Newsagents. The sign said No pedlars, hawkers or salesmen. I didn't have a clue what the first two terms meant, but always found the sign interesting. When I read the sentence out loud  it had a certain rhythm to it-like the title of a Cher song. It also seemed quite intriguing too. Even now, there's almost a medieval feel to it.

It's made me reflect on how lucky we were in some respects to be brought up in Oxgangs at The Stair. There was a certain richness of experience in our lives which might have been missing if we'd been brought up elsewhere. We met all these wonderful characters and shared in the vibrancy and colour of communal living. If we'd stayed in the leafy suburbs of Morningside life would have been quieter and much more solitary.

So, No Pedlars, Hawkers or Salesmen certainly wasn't the kind of door-plate that appeared on any door at The Stair. Perhaps, if there had been, it might have been as below!

Or on second thought it might have been any or all of these!

For the earlier blog on Jimmy's Green Van either of the following two badges might have been appropriate!

The Y is unfortunately missing!

The Wednesday Profile #6 Jock the Fishman

A regular flow of pedlars, vendors and salesmen visited our Stair (6 Oxgangs Avenue) each week. One of the real characters was ‘Jock the Fishman.’  He may have been part of the family of the R. & Sons Hunnam, Fishmongers, 30 Comiston Road.  

Jock used to announce his presence with a loud two second blast of his whistle and the cry of 'fish!'

We thought Jock seemed quite old – probably younger than I am today; he looked like a character straight out of Stevenson - an old sea-dog, but perhaps he had never left dry land?

He was always dressed in a big roll neck jersey and a leather waistcoat.

I think he looked a little bit like Sid James. Underneath his flat cap was a weather beaten and lined face - he had a kindly look and a kindly nature. He was friendly and good with his customers and very fond of the children who tagged along with their mums - I suppose it also helped make him the good salesman that he was.

One very clever approach which he deployed was to hand out old comics free to his customers' children.

I'm not sure where he got his stock from - I think he encouraged his customers to hand in any old comics which they were finished with - almost an exchange re-distribution system.

Although a short visitation, it was always an interesting interlude to go to the back of his old red Austin van and see the fish and scales and of course the comics inside; there would be a bit of repartee and he might twist your ear.

Looking back he must have made a reasonable living; I've never thought about it until now, but the one omission from the three shopping precincts at Oxgangs Broadway; the Crescent; and Colinton Mains and indeed also the Store (St Cuthbert's Cooperative) at Oxgangs Road North was a fish shop. Indeed the only rival business, which in reality wasn't, because it was just too far away, was the Newhaven Fishwife, who sold her wares at the corner of Riselaw Crescent to her customers at Buckstone, Greenbank, Comiston, Morningside and the Braids.

Mrs Betty Millar, the Buckstane Fish-Wife (Photograph by Mr W R Smith)