Drivers Milk Bar

[davefnd]

Anyone got any memories of drivers Milk Bar which was situated where the present Bus Station is.I can remember it was a good meeting place and did some lovely ice creams?

[barcroftlad]

Hi Dave- Drivers was the first experience for most of us in visiting milk bars. If you could afford an ice cream on your way home you were in luck.
A favourite memory of the brand was at Lawkholme Lane at the home of Keighley Cricket Club. Adjacent to the main stand was a kiosk for refreshments and above the kiosk was a large wooden sign with the caption/slogan/message " Bowl a maiden over, buy her a Driver's icecream" Cheers.
ps that MIGHT need explaining to non cricket readers.

[lawkholmelaner]

It must be my youth because T'Milk Bar was always a bit out of my age range - t'lads were too big and t'lasses too old - but worth scanning. (If they'd had live music, Keighley would have had a spot to predate "The Two I-s" (?).I once had a knickerbocker glory which reminds me of other connotations. It was alleged that in one of the addresses round the back (ie behind) the cafe was a house of ill-repute with some pretty (probably not) old professionals working there.

[Admin]

I remember it being there, BUT I visited The Palace...down the stairs a little further down Lawkholme Crescent................gloomy but they did a mean cappucino and we would spend hours over a cup.

Think perhaps the Drivers crowd were not my age group either.

Was there also a cafe called the Allassio....the name rings a bell BUT the brain is letting me down.............?

Jan

[Admin]

By the way.....................what on earth does Lawkholmelaner refer to with a "House of Ill Repute"

Do tell?

[barcroftlad]

Lawkholmer is quite correct-I had forgotten about it but it was well known in my time in the early fifties that this place existed in the alley around the back of Drivers Milk Bar. It even had the traditional red bulb lighting the way!! I must add that I have no personal knowledge of the place. cheers.

[lawkholmelaner]

Unconvincing!

[lawkholmelaner]

Sorry, Jan. I overlooked your query. In reply to your innocent query - here's a clue. If you were ordering a hot drink in the Milk Bar, you had to pronounce "Bovril" carefully, or you were directed round the back.

[Admin]

lol

[davefnd]

I believe that some sort of establishment around the back of the Milk Bar was called Hells Kitchen. To the front side was a bookmakers called Fishers.

[Admin]

I have added a picture of Driver's Milk Bar from Allan Smith, which he took some years ago. You will find it on the new page on the Web Site of www.keighleyhistory.co.uk and the page is Memories.

[elfremar]

I remember Driver's having a room upstairs,and that is where I had my first and last Knickerbocker Glory.I was about 8 at the time,and was sick right after draining the glass,so never again.

[elfremar]

The very first coffee bar I remember in Keighley would be round about 1957,and that was Dot's Cafe in High Street.It had a great jukebox and we spent hours in there.What made it more exciting was the fact that my mother had banned me from going there,so I was constantly looking out of the window in case she walked past.

[parkwoodgirl]

I spent every weekend sitting in Driver's Milk Bar. The manager was George Greenwood who later bought it from the Driver family. When it first opened it had a piano under the stairs and any-one who could play would have a go. At the end of the '40's it was replaced by a juke box. there was a cafe upstairs but ~George closed the cafe when he bought the milkbar. The red light shop was known as The Devil's Kitchen. Being a teenager in those innocent days, I had no idea what was down those stairs, only being told by my mother not to go near the place. The other coffee bar was The Palace in Bow St., but Drivers was our favourite - great memories of Drivers and the Mechanics in the early post-war days in Keighley.

[geordielass]

Loved Driver's Milk Bar, I felt so grown up going in there on a sunday afternoon after a walk in Cliffe Castle. When I was a little older we would sit with 2 coffee's for hours just listening to the Juke box, and hoped that someone had plenty of money to keep it going.Oh, and the noise of the coffee machine hissing steam out drove me mad.We also enjoyed the pork pies and mushy peas at Lunch time. I had no idea that there were anything going on around the back of it though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mareliz1412]

Drivers Milk Bar was founded by Laurie Driver who also had an ice cream factory in Silsden. His son Stanley ran it together with my father Ernest (not George) Greenwood. When Stanley decided to sell out to move away, my father bought it outright. I remember being a very little girl and my dad used to make me a milk shake and I was also fascinated by the red coffee grinding machine he had.Every Saturday my mum would listen to Juke Box Jury to find out all the new releases to put on the juke box, and when I was older I got all the 45s that were out of the charts, so built up quite a good collection. I remember all the mirrors and the red and yellow formica tables, benches and stools. Dad owned the building and was approached by Speaks who wanted to extend their premises. He sold the building to them and the Milk Bar closed although the clock remained on display for some time after that. Dad died 7 years ago, but mum is still living and has a wealth of stories about their time at the Milk Bar

Incidentally, I have asked my mum about the so called Hell's Kitchen and she says she does remember talk of a place called that but it closed down soon after my dad took over the Milk Bar - most of the back buildings were just the back entrances to the businesses there eg Willis Walker,there was also a Building Society there apparently. Not keen on the earlier comment that you went into the Milk Bar and had to pronounce Bovril carefully or you were sent round the back - The so called Hells Kitchen was nothing to do with the Milk Bar and indeed my mum was shocked when I told her of what apparently went on - my parents had no knowledge of it at all

[sean1981]

I too remember the Drivers Milk Bar and my memories would be around 1949 when my dad's aunt would take me to Keighley.

The counter was on the left as you went in and to the right was a boxed in stair to the upper floor. We sat downstairs as I remember and would probably couple the trip down from Haworth to go to the Cosy Corner.

John

[clogger]

I was ony a kid goin in there wi me mam an sister sometimes on a saturday after bein round town shoppin but one thing i do remember was a big fan on the ceilling, i thought it was off of a spitfire ( please dont tell me it wasn,t )
Was it referred to in some way as the " American " coffee bar ? clogger

[parkwoodgirl]

My apologies for the incorrect Christian name of your father. I was a 'regular' in Drivers every weekend listening to the juke box and sharing a milk shake with my friends. I had lunch in the cafe upstairs - this was in the late 40's and early 50's. Two of the waitresses were friends of mine, Doreen and Joan, and later Hazel. I remember you arriving on the scene and on meeting your mom and dad with you in the pram! I left Keighley in the late 60's but on the rare occasion I revisited Kly., I called in to the milk bar to see your dad. On my last visit 'home' I was sad to see Drivers had gone. Im too old now to make the journey, but Driver's Milk Bar still gives me wonderful memories of my young days i8n Keighley.

[parkwoodgirl]

Hi Jan - I also have a photograph of me standing outside Driver's Milk Bar, when I was about 18. 1949 - 1952 Im with two young men, one of whom is Stanley Bottomley but I ccannot remember who the other young man is! Ive tried to look at the photo you've placed but I am unable to find it. Can you point me in the right direction.Regards...........

[Admin]

Mrs Greenwood - would love the picture of you outside Drivers......there is one on the Memories page of the Website not the Forum xx

[parkwoodgirl]

Hello Jan - I will certainly let you have the photograph - I would be interested in knowing who the other young man was. Maybe some-one will recognise him, although he must be around my age as it is more than sixty years ago.

[Admin]

Here you are Mrs Greenwood...........Keighley Boy sent me another copy

[clogger]

Super picture Jan, brought back memories for sure, i remember clock and when i was a bit older there was a bookies shop upstairs an to the right ya can just see the sign for the coffee bar where ya went downstairs " the palace" and the "alassio" was down cav on the left.....happy daye eh.

[parkwoodgirl]

Hello Jan - Thank you - thats' a great photograph, it brings back so many memories of my mis-spent teenage days after the war. Also Speaks also holds a memory - when I first met my late husband in 1947 clothes were still rationed and on coupons. His mother saved her coupons and bought him a pair of 'hard-wearing bright green corderoy trousers from Speaks hoping they would last till he went to do his national service. I was appalled when he turned up wearing them on our first date, and he was strictly given the choice of the trousers or me - needless to say, he chose me but I bet there were many times in our 59 years he wished he's chosen the trousers!!!!!!!!

[barcroftlad]

If we had a competition for the post of the year this would be it! I'm still having a chuckle over it. Cheers.

[angler]

Does any-one know what happened to the Clock from Drivers Cafe, It was such a famous Land mark it should have been kept as a memento of the past. Incidentally does any one remember either the Bus Station Cafe near the Bus Station Booking Office near the clock or the one which was on end of the Theater row of buildings on the other side of the Bus Station Angler

[clogger]

i remember the cafe by the bookin office an the one next to the drivers canteen/ rest rooms.
That was the first place i saw hot roasted salted peanuts on sale , they were on the counter in a glass container and the lass took em out wi a little allyminum scoop affair an gave you em in a tiny paper bag.
They sold milk shakes as well an ya could watch em put ya glass under that cream coloured machine that whizzed em up an made em frothy.
There was another cafe as well over by ramsbottoms an across from Bairstows where they sold cricket bats an had balsa wood an paper gliders in the window ( i reely wanted one o them ) the one i use to stand lookin at an longin for was a glider called " the dolphin " bye eh .

[Andy Wade]

Do you mean this model?

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[mareliz1412]

Hi Parkwood girl - you sound to have many happy memories of the Milk Bar -can't believe you actually saw me in my pram! that was certainly more years ago than I care to remember. I remember some of the staff who worked there when I was little. I used to call Hazel - Auntie - she was lovely and also there was Lena - another auntie. I remember Annie Shires who used to do the washing up and owned several properties in an around Hainworth - a very astute business woman and also Nellie Stanbridge who once bought me a fairytale book. Don't know what happened to the clock it was up for several years after the milk bar had gone. As Speaks owned the building, I assume they took it down at some time. My dad died several years ago but my mum is still going strong at 87 and remembers the Milk Bar with affection.