I was a
part-time employee at Lyons during my
final years at Stationers' Company's
School, Hornsey between 1957 and 1959. I
began my short career working saturdays at
the tea shop in Wood Green High Road. My
duties were of a general nature, ranging
from clearing tables, washing dishes and
replenishing the self serve
counter.
One of the
more memorable tasks was polishing the
brass plate that ran the full length of
the front window, and cleaning the window
itself. I remember being taught the art
using the scrim cloth to wipe the window
dry, but somehow, never quite being able
to bring it up to a smearless
shine.
Later I
moved to the tea-shop in Enfield. This
branch featured a dish washing machine,
which removed the drudgery of standing
over a sink for what at that time seemed
long periods. Commuting by bicycle from
Hornsey, the ride to and from Enfield
afforded welcome relaxation in the fresh
air, which regrettably todays traffic
denies.
I spent
the summer of '59 working full time at the
Corner House in Piccadilly. While duties
were as mundane as they were in the
suburbs, working in the city heart added a
whole new dimension to the experience.
Such a variety of people and so many
interesting places to vist during lunch
breaks. Carnaby Street was in its heyday
at that time and although Lyons wasn't the
biggest payer, the latest in men's apparel
was not unaffordable and many a paycheck
ended up in Carnaby Street.
I was very
impressed with the training received at
Lyons. Before being posted to the
workplace, I was given a week's course in
kitchen and counter procedures at Orchard
Street, learning many skills that have
lasted to this day. Particularly
impressive was the tea fountain - a 'lazy
susan' of steel and chrome which kept
four four cup pots of tea ready to serve
at all times, with instant boiling water
for scalding the pot prior to adding the
tea. another favourite was 'coffee with a
dash' - served from two urns, one
containing hot black coffee, the other,
hot milk. A serving comprised a cup with
half from each urn.
I worked
for a manageress - management at the
branches was in my experience all female,
as were most of the staff. Manageresses
tended at that time to be middle aged,
single and totally dedicated to their work
- certainly there never seemed to be any
problems with staff relations in the
workplace. On the whole, working at Lyons
was a satisfying and enjoyable
experience.
After
leaving uniiversity I started work as a
computer programmer at the Milk Marketing
Board. Lyons at that time was in the
business of developing the Leo series of
computers. Although I toyed with the idea
at the time, I never did get around to
reapplying for employment there. As they
used to say in the Red Rose Tea Ad, pity
!
I also
worked for a while at a number of ABC
teashops in London
Les
Humphreys, Almonte Ontario, Canada
|