Harry Parkes

[achilles]

RIP Harry

Great times looking around his shop... seeing things I couldn't afford!
Great memories!

[Percy McCarthy]

I remember he had a shop near the law courts?

That's the one.

[simboy]

When did the shop close?

The first time I realised it had shut was before the England v Spain game, Erikksons first, when I was drinking in a bar thinking 'Harry Parkes must be next door to this' and when I went outside I realised that pub bar was the old Harry's.

Which building used to be his shop, out of interest?

The shop was in the Pitman Building Corporation Street - it became Bar Med (I think) in about 1998 - I used to work in the same building in the offices above

[martin]

like many others, Harry Parkes first became known to me through the sports shop on Corporation Street rather than the Villa.

It was the only place in town where you could pick up a BRMB t-shirt without winning one in a phone-in.

And not having a phone in 1976 this was quite difficult.

So off we set on the bus.

But when we got there there were none in stock.

A quite unsympathetic middle-aged man who could have been Harry advised us to try the radio station itself.

But we got lost on the way and chased by some black lads.

Cheers Harry.

[Moorski]

I remember he had a shop near the law courts?

Indeed he did, The door had a cricket bat as a handle and in those days it was the sports shop to go to if you needed anything.

"Beckenbauer super" football boots is a special memory for me and Harry made sure they fitted a treat!

[PaulTheVillan]

Everytime I went into HP's as a kid I was always begging my folks to buy me a full set of goal posts.

[sfx412]

Have some great memories of the man stretching over many a year from our first meeting in his shop when my dad took me to buy my first pair of Adidas boots when I was 9/10 to chats at Villa when he was a Director. Lovely man full of stories and great memories and a war time pal of my Dad's with whom he played pre war.
Sad that another giant has moved on.