WALKING down Micklegate, something stirred in my mind, a business I dealt with: Aitkens and Co – but which was their old shop premises? I wasn’t sure. Then, this week, The Press carried a feature on Micklegate, with a photo of the shop.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s I worked for The Veterinary Drug Co at 129 Lawrence Street. We supplied veterinary surgeons with mainly pharmaceuticals and vaccines but as farm animal vets were taking more interest in pets they asked us to obtain various items of laboratory equipment and glassware.
Aitken’s at Cromwell House, no. 29, now the FortyFive Vinyl Café (Photo by York Press)
I would often be sent to Aitkens to purchase all sorts of instruments. It was a pleasure to deal with the owners. They ran the business in a very Victorian efficient way. I can’t remember their surnames I’m afraid, but I’m quite sure it was not Aitken.
Read more: Micklegate: collecting memories and photos for new book
Incidentally, on the corner of Micklegate and St Martin’s Lane, there was another veterinary business: Arnold and Sons, Veterinary Instruments.
This business carried massive stocks of veterinary farm animal and surgical instruments and the manager was Mr Aughton, who lived in Londesborough near Pocklington. He was quite elderly when we dealt with him, and upon his retirement, Vet Drug purchased the entire stock, furniture and fittings and established our own veterinary instrument business in 129, Lawrence Street.
The Veterinary Drug Company was owned by vets and most of the northern practices were shareholders including Alf White, from Thirsk, who most of us remember as James Herriot. I remember my boss Chalkie White told me to take 50 copies If Only They Could Talk, the first book, to a veterinary conference in London, and display and sell them on our exhibition stand. They sold like hot cakes! Well 49 of them did, I can’t remember what happened to the last copy!
Stuart Wilson,
Vesper Drive,
Acomb
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