Remembering the day Sunderland's Notarianni's closed, 35 years ago today - no more knickerbocker glories or hot milk

A piece of town history was created on this day in Sunderland 35 years ago.

Notarianni’s ice cream parlour in High Street West closed for the final time on October 24, 1988.

An era was at an end but we still have the memories, courtesy of Philip Curtis of Sunderland Antiquarian Society.

No more would Wearsiders occupy the Palm Court and Café Royale of Sunderland and enjoy boat-shaped dishes of ice cream on marble tables.

No more would a visit to High Street West be so looked forward to by children eagerly anticipating a knickerbocker glory or ice cream served with monkey’s blood – and served by waitresses!

Hot milk and water machines

No more the noise of the hot milk and hot water machines in the background making coffee.

The Notarianni brothers ran shops in Renfrew and Paisley in Scotland.

The business there developed further and the arrival of four more brothers from Valvori in Italy brought a move to Wearside.

Shops spread across Wearside

Benedetto opened his first shop in Silksworth Row and other members of the family began trading from two shops in Houghton and two more followed in King Street and Ocean Road in South Shields.

After several years Benedetto sold the Silksworth Row shop to his brother, Luigi, and moved to the south side of High Street West.

Luigi in turn moved to Blackpool and sold the Silksworth Row shop to the Fella family who also came from Valvori via Scotland.

Build it and they will come

When Sunderland Council took over Fulwell and Seaburn in 1928 it wanted to develop the sea front.

But no shops wanted to move there because potential investors thought it would be seasonal work.

It was Benedetto who stepped in and was courageous enough to move into ‘build it and they will come’ premises.

The serving hatch was a big success

He was proved right and business thrived in the post-war years as crowds at Seaburn grew increasingly larger.

The shop had a roaring trade, not only inside the parlour but from the serving hatch on the main road.

When Marks and Spencer moved into High Street West, Benedetto opened his new ice-cream parlour directly across the road.

It was custom-built in 1938 with living accommodation and a factory for ice-cream production.

A fleet of vans and the Bis Bar

After the Second World War, the business thrived with an ice cream van fleet, fish and chip shops, confectionery outlets and the famous Bis-Bar in Park Lane.

It was the original Italian restaurant and became the leading coffee bar of the area.

Benedetto died in 1962 but the family carried on what had by the 1980s become an institution on the town.

An institution still fondly remembered

The doors of their High Street West parlour closed for the final time in October 1988.

So next time you are in the M&S first floor coffee shop, take a window table and look across at the street to where a much-loved institution of the town was always thronged with Wearsiders – Notarianni’s.

Thanks to Philip and the Antiquarian Society for such wonderful memories .

Find out more about the society by getting along to its Heritage Centre which is open in Douro Terrace on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9.30am to 12pm.

You can also visit the Antiquarian Society’s Facebook page or its website which is at http://www.sunderland-antiquarians.org

And to apply to become a member, email [email protected]