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Trevor Edwards | all galleries >> Sheppey Pictures and Postcards >> Sheerness, Town > Marine Parade
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Marine Parade

Looking towards Neptune Terrace


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Graham 11-Jan-2015 07:20
I remember that little arcade - Alfies. One of those arcades had an "I tell your fortune" machine outside that had the moving dummy inside. I was so terrified of that thing, that nothing could induce me to come anywhere near it, and I still remember my screams to this day. Funnily enough, I still find ventriloquist's dummies very spooky to this day.
Terry Scarr 27-Dec-2012 12:18
Hi I think I can shed a little more light on this photo, Harry Simmonds Snr owned the bigo hall he died in the 1950s, his wife run the arcade in the fairground before the Holland family took over the fair ground. Harrys son Harry Junior and latter his wife had the cellar club just over the parade as Madeline said, there was an arcade not owned by the Simmonds family later called Ks Casino and at the other end of the parade was Alfies amusment arcade from the 1940s-till late 50s when he died and it was returned to a house, Harry also had a daughter who owned the kids roundabout at the sea front side of the fair ground before Hollands took over and Mrs Simmonds sister owned the Rifle range in the fair, and also Harry Jnr had the Pink Parafen round in the Winter based in Hope Street. I worked with them in the 1950s and early 1960s as I recall
Guest 30-Oct-2011 19:08
the railings on the left is the entrance to the mens toilets,underground,and the ladys was round the corner just out of photo.i did use the gents once as a kid just before thay shut them down,very dirty inside,
Graham Bentley 28-Aug-2008 21:28
Derek - you are correct - they were public toilets behind those railings. I used them quite a lot as this was where we would go on the beach most of the time. We would walk up that slope in the foreground, where the woman and child are headed now. That would be Neptune Terrace behind the penny arcade. It looks like this was taken in the fifties. So that child and lady could be my mother and I. This is almost like a time machine. Fantastic.
madeline holmes 08-Nov-2007 15:55
can anybody remember the cellar club?it was down some stairs at the back of the penny arcade.
my first husband john everest and i managed it for harry and his wife ann in 1961 for a while.
what a treat your site is and how great to read everyones comments .
i know so many names but am having a hell of a job remembering faces
Derek Faulkner 28-Aug-2007 15:27
I also seem to recall that the railings on the left with the two bikes against, were the entrance to underground public toilets.
Malcolm 17-Nov-2005 12:24
To the right of the picture is the penny arcades, these were owned for many years by
Harry Simmonds who was a relative of the Hollands who owned the fairground. The building
that has the sign on housed many old penny machines, some were large cabinet machines that when you put your penny in would run a scene that opened and shut things and ghosts
would pop out or a drunk scene in a pub, across in the other building was Harrys Bingo and one arm bandits and pinball tables, I still think today the bingo is still going strong while the penny arcade is now the snooker club
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