'PARCHED peas! Come and get your parched peas.'

A familiar cry to many of the town's cinema goers some 50 years ago and more.

Many readers called to tell us where you could buy the famous savoury snack.

Thomas Bamber, of Ashton, who is in his eighties, said he often used to enjoy parched peas from a tumbled down little shop in Crooked Lane, just down from the Prince's Theatre. The street which still exists, is in between St John's Shopping Centre and Tithe Barn Street, but the theatre and the white-washed shop have long since been demolished. "I went to the Prince's Theatre as a lad some 60 or 70 years ago," said Mr Bamber: "They showed all the big Hollywood films.

"It was owned by a fellow named Will Honda. He also had another cinema called the Brackenbury, opposite the English Martyrs Church."

Mr Bamber said that, according to rumour, Will Honda's real name was Hugh Rain and he was a former circus performer.

Another Prestonian who remembers the good old parched pea days is William Charnley, of Broughton.

He said: "There was a sweet shop next to the Hippodrome, and the parched pea shop was opposite the Prince's Theatre which was known as the 'ranch house' because it screened cowboy films.

"The shop was a little 'rooting room' just 5ft by 5ft. Local children used to use love the parched peas, they came in handy for their pea shooters."

If you have a recollection from the past, why not share your memories with other Citizen readers? - Give us a call on (01772) 255523 or write to us at 3 Winckley Court, Chapel Street, Preston, PR1 3JJ.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.