Yes it’s the Market Place, but looks to be a very old picture; in the foreground the fence is wooden and not iron as it was later. On the left of this photograph Fenby’s general dealers can be seen; this is now Barclays Bank. Next is the old cottages removed for the construction of the present Arbroath House, then Riley’s emporium (this was replaced by the Regal Cinema). We then come to Charles T. Cammell’s shop, next is William Maxwell Race’s premises followed by the Golden Lion Hotel. These premises are the source of the old joke about a Race between a Camel and a Lion in Loftus Market Place.
Derick Pearson also advises us: ”This is older than one I have which was dated 1910 also my great-grandfather who had farms at Tranmire, Redmire and Low Wynns Farms, used to travel to Loftus for provisions and had an account with a shopkeeper before that time. He told me a tale some 55 years ago that there was once “A race between a camel and a lion Loftus Market Place. He let me ponder as a child for some time before telling me the truth; which was… There is Camel’s shop on the left of this photograph and the Golden Lion on the right of the photograph with Race’s shop in between. Hence the ‘Race’ between the ‘Camel’ and the ‘Lion’. So one of these may well be those shops.”
Image courtesy of Joyce Dobson and Keith Bowers, also thanks to Derick Pearson for the information.
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