LAST week's look back at the old Leigh market brought back floods of memories for readers - from as far away as the USA.

Brian Johnson, of Lombard, Illinois, recalls the wizardry of Fish Lil, and former Leigh shopkeeper, Kath Lisle, and the time of her fashion faux pas.

Brian writes: "I spent many happy hours on Saturdays watching Fish Lil perform her magic with those razor-sharp knives.

"I also had another favourite I called Mrs Allsop. She held my morbid but rapt attention with the fantastic speed she could skin a rabbit.

"This was between the years 1942-49 and I later I befriended a boy of my age, Colin, whose mother is my Mrs Allsop.

"Her name is Edna Watkinson, and I recently found her through a freak identification of her other son Ian's advertisement in the Journal's old pals.

"She is now 94 and lives in Hindley.

"My father, Abraham Johnson, played rugby for Leigh in the 1920s and was well known to many Leigh market businesspeople.

"Our butcher was Harold Hatton, whose sister owned the Duck and Cake shop adjacent to his place of business.

"At Leyland's stall, my dad had a standing order for me to pick up weekly and I used to get a treat to help me on my way, a chunk of my favourite Lancashire cheese.

"Mother had her favourite places too, although I can only recollect Barney's Bazaar."

Kath, of Abbey Road, Lowton, who ran a dance and dress agency in Bradshawgate until 1998, says the market holds bitter-sweet memories for her.

She recalls that in 1962, at the age of 11, she was desperate for a new pair of school shoes, and her dad gave her 25 bob to buy a decent pair from a proper shoe shop, like Faircloughs or Timpsons.

She said: "Me, the poser that I was, had different ideas. I wanted a pair of black plastic winkle-pickers with red bows, forbidden footwear I had spotted on the market.

"I was led like a moth to a flame and kitted myself out with a pair of gradely hoofers which cost me 17s 6d (87p).

"I spent part of the change on a new teenage doll, complete with boobs - really cool - which cost 3s (15p).

"I returned home with change to impress to dad what a bargain I'd got, but didn't confess about the doll.

"Dad, being no fool, wanted to know where I'd got the shoes from and, fingers crossed, legs crossed, everything crossed I told him Timpsons.

"He was furious. You got these off the market he said holding them up and showing me the holes punched in each shoe for string to hang them over a rope across the stall.

"My dad was so smart and so was my backside for days!

"After that, I never dared buy a pair of shoes off the market. Dad's still here and still insists I keep my feet well shod."

On a musical note, Kath remembers spending Saturdays at the record stall, behind the Chinese and carpet shop, where she bought all her soul records.

She also recollects the hosiery stalls where she bought her first nylons and the make-up stalls where she practised putting on false eye lashes and Miner's palest lipstick.

She said: "What characters those salespeople were. Many have gone down in local history as a contribution to when Leigh town centre was a pleasure to shop in, full of small businesses eager to please a multitude of customers.

"As for Danbys, I could only look through the window and stare. What a posh shop - and never to be replaced," she said