Take a walk down Broad Street in the 1950s

Les Loveridge takes us along Broad Street in Lyme Regis.

Across the street on the corner of Coombe Street and Bridge Street was Crown Stores, which was owned and run by Billy Lucas, who Les recalls sold anything he had and occasionally was the butt of teenage pranks and jokes.

During this period, Crown Stores became Buddens Carpet Shop.

Across the Bridge was the Pilot Boat Pub run by Mr Grainger, which was a popular starting place on a Friday night and famous for it's Lassie story of the Second World War.

Next was the publics toilets which Les stated: "They were always open, what a relief."

Then Arthur Fordham's Hardware Shop, a man who loved being in the Lyme Regis Operatic Society.

Upstairs Jack Dees ran his barbershop, where he was the centre point to hear all the stories and gossip.

The wide entrance to the car park was next and behind the next building the Golden Cap Café as well as several little businesses, one being a dairy where Les' father used to fill next day milk bottles.

Mrs Parnham's dress and clothing shop was next door and then Dr Fernandez's surgery in a large building, with several businesses upstairs such as Mr Saunders the dentist.

Alec Richards had his print shop and behind it the printer works, another man to become town mayor along with one of his workers, Ivor Curtis.

Alec also owned Richard's Gifts next door, run by Milly Sweetland, mother of Cecil Sweetland, a much-revered musician and town band man.

Lionel and Mrs Cornish owned and ran the New Inn Pub next door, which Les recalls was so small on the outside.

The Royal Lion was always iconic to Les, as Bob Dunne, owner, was a social hero due to his prowess on and off the football field as captain of cup-winning Lyme Regis.

Town Council offices were up the steps next door, and below the offices in the council cellar was a site for boys club, offered by Mrs Staples and then mayor to teenage boys of the town of they were prepared to clear out the cellar and fix up the building.

This challenge was accepted and fulfilled by Les and his friends.

Eastman's the butches came next where Les first learnt how to make sausages for his Saturday morning job, where he was a butcher boy delivering wrapped goods.

Lloyds Bank was next door, the manager being Mr Hill or 'Johnny' to all the teenagers because he was also local Scoutmaster.

Mrs Wiscombe ran a small tobacconist next door and the Tudors Bakers and Bake House, which was owned and managed by Lavvy Beer.

Les also thinks between the Tudor and Cases the Tobacconist, there was a little pet food shop.

Next came Cases the Tobacconist and Newsagents run by Eddie Case and Jack Case's wife Anne.

Jack was a carpenter and formed well respected Case and Sons building firm with John Case, Fred Perry, Clive Enticott and Graham Rattenbury.

Next was Connelly's Fruit and Veg Shop owned by Mrs Turner with Ray Perry as her assistant.

Wilfred (Wilf) Turner, her husband, worked behind the counter at the Post Office.

Then came International Stores, in direct competition with the Co-op further up the street.

Les said: They were always stocked with mouth-watering goodies, which prior to the war ending, were things we had heard about but never seen.

"I refer to ham, black pudding, pies, etc."

Les' friend Billy Street worked in the store when he first left school.

Next came Boots the Chemist, with Watson's Garage on the other side of the alleyway from Boots, with its petrol pumps on the pavements and auto accessories in what is now Tesco's.

Les mentioned that the only other fuel outlets in Lyme at the time were Cloverdale in Charmouth Road and Station Garage in Station Road.

The Victoria Wine shop was next, owned and run by Mrs and Mrs Smith.

In the Co-op next door, Les remembers plenty of characters, Mr Weeks the grocery shop manager who was 'precise', Mr Purse who worked behind the cold meat and deli counter, in the back clothes the clothes counter managed by Miss Hooper, who Les remembers telling her customers: "I will have to get it from Bridport, but it won't be long."

Then the Post Office where Ted Ray was postmaster, Tom Stamp and Percy Collier in charge of the sorting office, and Norman and Keith Austin, Herbie Streak Hallet, John Cozens, Brian Collier and Mickey Douglas were postman, and Les was telegram boy.

Molly Raison's shoe shop was next to the post office with Ann Perry her knowledgeable assistant.

Greenham's had the Butchers next up, and at the top of Broad Street was the 'Mad Hatters' café, always full of holidaymakers Les recalls

Les, who was a teenager in 1950s Lyme Regis, remembers having the occasional social meeting at either Woodmead Halls or the RAF Barracks Dance, but on Saturday evening, most teens would catch the bus to the Plaza Ballroom in Axminster, and would be picked up by Lou Wakely at midnight in his taxi.

In the charts at the time was 'Peggy Sue' by Buddy Holly, 'Stupid Cupid' by Connie Francis, 'The Purple People Eater' by Sheb Woodley and 'A Teenager in Love' by Marv Wilde, with teenagers often singing them on the way to the Axminster dance.

The boys would take their football boots to be re-studded by Mr Frank Searle, the cobbler, around the corner of Bridge Street and Combe Street, and a little further along Coombe Street was the Conservative Club, where Les said teenagers went to play snooker and billiard's regardless of our political leaning, run by an ex-RAF serviceman from the Cobb barracks, genial Jim McMurty and his wife Barbara nee Searle, Frank's sister.

Les said: "I don't think any of us realised at the time what an idyllic and truly incisive learning period we were living in, preparing us for the trails and tribulations of forthcoming adulthood."