The Portsmouth Music Scene
The remaining Record and Music Shops

Gabriels Horn House 138 Highland Road, Eastney 27th May 1978 to 4th January 1995

"John Conrad" from the1880 Kelly's directory John Conrad musical instrument dealer, 191, Commercial Road. from the1886 Kelly's directory John Conrad musical instrument maker, 3, Commercial Place, Landport. from the1886 Kelly's directory Ernest William Conrad, Piano and music wharehouse, 25, Middle Street, Southsea. 1881 census - Dwelling: 191 Commercial Rd Census Place: Portsmouth, Hampshire. Source: FHL Film 1341278 PRO Ref RG11 Piece 1139 Folio 21 Page 36 -------------------- Marr Age Sex Birthplace John CONRAD M 51 M Germany Rel: Head Occ: Greenwich Pensioner Music Seller Clara CONRAD M 43 F Portsmouth, Hampshire. Rel: Wife Clara CONRAD U 20 F Portsmouth, Hampshire. Rel: Daur Ernest W. CONRAD U 19 M Portsmouth, Hampshire. Rel: Son Occ: Professor Of Music Alfred CONRAD U 18 M Portsmouth, Hampshire. Rel: Son Occ: Musical Instrument Tuner Laura M. CONRAD U 15 F Portsmouth, Hampshire. Rel: Daur Ada B. CONRAD 10 F Portsmouth, Hampshire. Rel: Daur Occ: Scholar Florence E. CONRAD 4 F Portsmouth, Hampshire. Rel: Daur Occ: Scholar Ellen HOBBS U 18 F Portsmouth, Hampshire. Rel: Visitor Marriages June 1855 BUSH Clara I. Wight 2b 763 CONRAD John I Wight 2b 763 Deaths Dec 1888 Conrad John 58 Portsea 2b 312 John was a native of Kusel, then part of Bavaria, Germany who probably came to England as a teenager with an itinerant band, settled in Portsmouth as a musician in the Navy, serving between 1871 and 1873 in the band of HMS Wellington which was the flagship of the Port Admiral. He married an Isle of Wight girl, and on retirement from the Navy and opened a music shop.

Musical Homes 1953 Musical Homes 277 Fratton Road 1958 Musical Homes 273/5 Kingston Road, (H Springett) 1956 Musical Homes 277 Fratton Road 1960 Musical Homes 273/5 Kingston Road, (H Springett) 1962 ??? 1964 Musical Homes 273/5 Kingston Road, (H Springett)

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Ivan Veck

Frank Summerfield and his brother Ron Summefield outside their shop at 187 Highland Road, Southsea from the 1930s right up to when it closed in 1961. He sold records,banjos,guitars,pianos etc. Below, Raymond Franks and his Music, possibly at the Civil Service Club, Hilsea. Far right is Ray Summerfield (Franks), second right Ron Summerfield. The drummer was Jim Bray. The brothers may have played from Reg Banistra? The Summerfields have always been a musical family......John and Keith Summerfield are still in a band called Ltd S..... it was their granddad who owned this shop. Franks shop today

ROSS RECORDS Established in 1970's, by Ben and Tania Ross for records but now include computer games and lots more. Originally in Fratton Road near St Mary's Church and now at Ross Records Ltd 7-9 Kingston Road Portsmouth Hampshire PO1 5RX,

REFLEX RECORDS Reflex Records, was established in 1987, and was originally in Albert Road Southsea and in London Road North End. These ddays can be found at 2 MARMION ROAD (ABOVE FOLIO) SOUTHSEA PO5 2BA and 94 HIGH STREET GOSPORT, HAMPSHIRE PO12 1DS

Pie & Vinyl, 61 Castle Road, Southsea, PO5 3AY

Sweet Memories, Fratton Road, Portsmouth

‘Goody,’

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John W Lyne

ALSO in Arundle Street in the 1950's;- Florence Titmus 321 Arundle Street, Florence Rhoda Titmus ran the Arundle Street music shop but also owned the House of Wax shop in Lake Road. She was born in 1906 in Portsmouth, she died age 61 in 1967 These reed bags and bow tie belonged to Reg Hutty, who joined the Royal Marines Band at the age of 14 in 1916 prior to playing for The Combined Theatres Orchestra in 19th July 1955. After he stopped playing he worked we think at Portsmouth sorting office before retirement. Sadly he died a few years back. Also in with the clarinets was his concert bow tie, also from a Portsmouth supplier.

Emily Collins outside her shop, Collins Music Shop in Albert Road.

"W Allen" record sleeve adverstising the Music Shop. He was the grand father of Dave Allen who was the singer in Rosemary in the late 1960's

Frederick Gray, 7 Marmion Road, Southsea The floor entrance still there in 2015

In the High Street before it was ripped to pieces by bombs This is what High Street, Old Portsmouth, looked like until the very beginning of January 1941. Then, on the night of January 10, 71 years ago, German bombs blew it to pieces, and most of the city centre, in the worst night's bombing of the Second World War. The pictures here come from Ellen Hatton, of Elizabeth Road, Waterlooville. She is related to the Unwins and was named after the two Ellens in this `Music Shop' picture. It shows Ellen Unwin (1876-1976) and her granddaughter Ellen Morris (1924-1982) outside her shop in High Street, Old Portsmouth. It stood next to the Anglican cathedral. Although called The Music Shop it was in fact a sweet shop. It was destroyed that night. From the Portsmouth NEWS 23/1/2012

Orpheus Records, Marmion Road John Cervenka, owner of Orpheus Records

And where else did we buy records and music? W Keast, Commercial Road, also in Kingston Road and Fratton Road. This is from the 1930's, note the Swastika trade mark Wallace Ash, Russell Street & Elm Grove, 12-4-1905 13-11-1906 18-8-1927 31-3-1933 In Liquidation Godfrey's Pianos 17-10-1913 Burtonia, Cosham, City Wireless and Gramophone Dept, Copnor, EA Collins, Albert Road, C Davies, Arundel Street, R.A. Fraser Ltd, (Havant Road, Drayton), J & M Stone in Commercial Road and Palmerston Rd, Haskell & Green’s in Lake Road, (Frank Hasker and Sidney Green) WH Smiths, Handleys, Southsea, LDB, Commercial Road, Co-op, Fratton Road, Record Rendezous in Albert Road, Virgin shop under the Tricorn. Stage One under the Tricorn. A C (Tony) Collett 136 Winter Road, Florence Titmus 321 Arundle Street, Piano makers Papps & Son 382/4 Commercial Road Two other names to mention for buying records were Civic and Rumbelows R A Fraser(Drayton) Ltd., 224D Havant Road, Drayton, Portsmouth, Cosham 78585 Domino Records was in the Tricorn October Records run by Pete Crew was in Fratton Road just north of Fratton Bridge

From the Portsmouth NEWS 23rd January 2013 With HMV in administration there are few places left, apart from a handful of specialist independent shops, in which we can buy records - CD or vinyl. So today, with the help of Portsmouth pop historians Dave Allen and Mick Cooper, we look back at the history of record sales in the city. Dave says that in the first half of the 20th century record sales were never particularly high and records were often sold by independent shops that sold other items. He says: `In Portsmouth, during the 1930s my grandfather had a shop in Granada Road, Southsea that advertised watches, clocks, jewellery, gramophones and records. `Most areas in the city had shops that sold 78s. These included The Music Shop in Lake Road, while Burtonia in Cosham sold "everything musical and wireless".' He recalls EA Collins in Albert Road selling records, gramophones and musical instruments; Wallace Ash in Elm Grove which offered `repairs by our own mechanics', while W Keast promoted His Master's Voice Gramophones and Records before that company had its own store in the city, and also sold wireless sets, mangles, washing machines and baby carriages. They were found in Commercial Road, Gosport and Emsworth. The City Wireless and Gramophone Depot was at Copnor. Some shops had more than one location: Storry's was in Southsea and North End as well as Brighton, Chichester, Gosport and Southampton, while Murdochs advertised 18 stores across the south-east and midlands including one in Commercial Road and another in Southsea. Dave adds: After the war, Titmus's in Arundel Street used its cardboard covers to advertise a range of labels. Weston Hart's sold records alongside "radio and electrical services" and became one of the main record stores in the city as record sales grew in the 1950s, boosted in part by the first British record chart in November 1952. Weston Hart's had shops in London Road, Fratton Road, Cosham, Albert Road and Arundel Street. The bigger city stores including WH Smith, Woolworth, LDB, the Co-op and Handleys also stocked records. Fifty years on, the teenagers of the 1960s remember shopping in a number of these stores. Others included Rumbelows in North End, Collett's in Winter Road, RA Fraser in Drayton, Ivan Veck in Albert Road, Musical Homes in Commercial Road and J&M Stone in Palmerston Road. The megastores came and perhaps they have gone, but the smaller independents survive and still sell vinyl records as well as newer formats. They include Pie & Vinyl in Castle Street, Southsea, and three second-hand stores in Albert Road (Soundz) and Fratton Road (Sweet Memories & Ross Records).

Papps & Son 1894 Kelly's Directory of the Furnishing & Cabinet Trades; Pianoforte Makers & Warehouses include John Henry Papps & Son, 105, St. James Road, Southsea. 1899 Kelly's Directory of the Furnishing & Cabinet Trades; Pianoforte Makers & Warehouses include John Henry Papps & Son, 105, St. James Road, Southsea. 1911 Kelly's Directory of the Furnishing & Cabinet Trades; Pianoforte Makers & Warehouses include J.H. Papps & Son, 382 & 384 Commercial Road, Landport, & 10 Norfolk Street, Southsea. 1914 Music Trades Directory (E. Daynes) lists Papps & Son, piano makers, 380-4 Commercial Road, Landport, & 10 Norfolk Street, Southsea. 1928 Musique Addresses Universal lists Papps & Son, 380 Commercial Road, piano makers. 1938 Music Trades Directory lists Papps & Son, 382 Commercial Road, piano makers & dealers. Papps Pianos, 382/384 Commercial Road. This was where their factory & showroom was located. They later moved to Kingston Road when they closed the piano factory. This shop later became Wilson's piano & was near the New Road turning. They patented "The stonghold frame" which did away with the wooded pinblock & made the piano very stable & able to stay in tune for long periods of time. They supplied pianos to the Royal Navy. Have a look here. --- - Roberts Pianos -

Venn's Pianos, Albert Road, Southsea

Bedhampton Pianoshop

RPM in Eastney Raod

1911-12 Kelly Directory 1918 Kelly Directory 1926-27 Kelly Directory 1929-30 Kelly Directory 1935 Kelly Directory 1939-40 Kelly Directory 1936-7 Kelly Directory 1941 Kelly Directory 1951 Kelly Directory 1958 Kelly Directory 1960 Kelly Directory 1964 Kelly Directory 1976 Kelly Directory