THE picture of the Victoria Restaurant - the one which used to be where the Wellsprings office block stands now - has prompted many reminiscences.

Jeff Gilpin, of Queens Avenue, Bromley Cross, known to many as the Grand Marshal who leads the French Quarter Jazz Band, tells me he started work as an apprentice in the Victoria in July, 1948, and worked there for two years before moving on to the Midland Hotel in Manchester. He remembers that the head cook was called Jack Eastham, and the pastry and pies operation was run by Annie Mather.

"My wage was 9s 8d a week and I worked from 8.30am until 5pm with an hour off for lunch," Jeff says. "My father wrote a letter to the council saying he did not think I was getting paid enough, so they upped it to 12s 2d ."