Austin James. hairdresser, Lydney (General)

by peteressex , Monday, July 23, 2012, 17:12 (4509 days ago) @ ivan_elsmore

I'm pretty sure it was Regent St or thereabouts, Ivan. It wasn't far from the end of Forest Road, but I couldn't swear to it having been on the same site as the sports shop. My cousin and I were regulars at Austin James, and the only other two gents' hairdressers in Lydney in that era to the best of our recollection were affectionately known as "Sniffy" Lewis and "Slasher" Evans. I don't know their first names.

Again from recollection, Austin only performed one operation: short back and sides followed by a dollop of Brylcreem, but he would always ask after us kids and the family if he was passing in the street. That's the sort of thing that made me love being in Lydney rather than back home in London - people had time for people and it was difficult to be anonymous. I don't remember having any tufts pulled out by accident, but I was in such a hurry to escape from the joviality about expensive London cuts that I probably wouldn't have noticed.

I don't recall what effect it may have had on Austin's trade in his latter years, but eventually "Sniffy" retired and was replaced by the newer sort of gents' hairdresser who attracted the lads by wanting to know whether you were after a Boston, a tapered or squared-off neck, crew cut, college cut, razor cut, bob, shampoo and all that palaver, but Austin's modest repertoire meant he still knew what was good for both him and you if he knew your dad had been in the Army and your "Grampy" had been in the police!