Monthly Blog – December 2025

A Tale of Two Parrots

On 2nd December we posted: Very important question: Does anyone remember Fred the Parrot!? 🦜 We are currently sat in The Old Flower Shop debating whether he was in the Pet Shop or the old DIY store?

The answer soon came.

Fred was the African grey parrot that was in the pet shop, where Steve’s bar is now. I remember as we looked after him a couple of times over summer when I was a kid – Ashanti Beveridge

Where Copper is now was a DIY store which had a green parrot, but I don’t remember his name! – Anon

Yes, I remember the wrinkles in the brown corduroy carpet as you walked through to the cafe. the wooden & glass display counter in the hardware shop at the front & the fusty smell in there. The amount of ’stuff’ they sold was quite overwhelming & I was too young to know what most of it was. The parrot was green & in a cage on the right. I bet there were only about 6 or 8 tables in the cafe, little tables. I remember my nannan telling me about the war while I ate a cake. Very fond memories. – Sian Louise Rees

It’s what is now Copper. Eric was the owner, it was a shop that sold everything. His parrot was 25 years old and sat in a cage on the counter. Lovely guy, he retired and sold everything but not the parrot lol 😂- Margaret Stocks

We had Fred the parrot when we bought the pet shop off Mick & Sheila. We took him home and put him in a very large parrot cage and fed him the correct food, he grew all his feathers back and looked lovely and became quite tame and part of the family. After a few years sadly Fed died. We never knew how old he really, but Mick said he was old when he got him. African Grey Parrots live a long time. I’m sure he had many happy years with us and tormenting the dog 🙂. He’s buried in our garden in a lovely spot. – Alison Brinley

Sidney was the yellow crowned green amazon Parrot in the diy store “Whitings” (Now Copper) He was bred by my grandfather, Eric Whiting, who won an award for breeding the first in The UK (or at least that’s what I recall). I have it displayed at home with a feather of Sid’s 🤣Sid lived until he was 27. My grandpa didn’t want the hardware shop to lose its character (and all the kids pulling parents in to see Sid) so allowed the new business owner to keep him in the shop. Sadly it was a poor decision and Sid didn’t survive much after. He’s now at rest in my mums garden, thanks to us kids! Over the years many parrots entertained customers and gave the cafe its name. – Jem Jem

Christmas Tree Festival

We posted an image of a sample of work at the Christmas Tree Festival that is underway at St Jude’s Church. This free family event (with refreshments) runs from Thursday to Saturday 6th December, 10.30-7.30pm. There are over 50 Christmas Trees! Decorated by local businesses, church and community groups. In this image are trees by @studio3mapperley, @razzledazzlepots and @stonebridgecityfarm

6th december

Look who’s back!

53k views and 744 reactions ;ater:

I just drove past and excitedly announced to the whole car that Rudolph was back. I told myself. I was on my own in the car 🙄- Lucy Pitt

So glad about that and I’m 76!! – Sandie Noble

My autistic son loves to tell me he has passed him on the way to and from school ❤️- Colette Wilson

I used to love seeing Rudolph when I lived in Nottingham. The people who own that house can’t ever sell up as it brings so much joy to so many people as they pass. Love it 🎄- Bernadette Clarke

Whiting and Sons – Hardware Shop

Thanks to Tony Gretton, we now have a rare photograph of the parrot that gave ‘The Green Parrot Cafe’ its name, and the man that gave his name to the hardware shop ‘Whiting and Sons’ at 930 Woodborough Road. We are not sure when the shop closed or the parrot’s name, but the photo was taken in 1984 at the Wollaton Show. The parrot was kept on the counter of the shop.

More memories came back:

It would have been a wonderful shop even without the parrot, but with added parrot it was doubly wonderful. – Josiah Saithwaite

Great shop, you could buy pretty much anything useful and things like screws and washers individually instead of a whole box – Richard Smith

Eric Whiting and his son saw me waiting at the bus stop on Mapperley top on my first day at Frank Wheldon in 1972 and gave me a lift to school. – Gordon Brown

Lovely photo of Eric and Sid. I worked there late 80’s in The Green Parrot Coffee Shop. The family were so kind to me when my mum suddenly passed away. Happy memories with Gill his daughter. – Elaine Osborne Brown

OMG.. This is Amazing!!!! Thank you so much for adding. My amazing Gpa 🥰🥰🥰🥰- Jem Jem

Jubilee Memories

Who remembers The Jubilee on Marmion Road? The estate pub built in the early 1970s. Did it get its name from the Queen’s Silver Jubilee of 1977?

38k views and 440 interactions later. Here’s a few of the comments:

Always remember when we were at a party downstairs when a ‘Sandwich fight’ broke out. Egg mayo all down the front of my nice black shirt, cheers Les! Great memories. Then someone spun the Disco Ball and it fell off smashing into a thousand pieces…🤔. Lilla went barmy…🫢- Dave Laing

I worked on that pub when it was built in 1977 by Frost and Leatherland Builders Donkey Hill in St Ann’s. I I remember fitting the hardwood doors on the Skittle Alley. – Stan Coupland

Known as the Coal Bunker when it first opened – Rob Pearce

Great pub, lived on Brockenhurst Gardens. Remember Ray and lilia and Linda. Remember it being built and the Jubilee party. The skittle alley. Used to meet up with Mum Dad and the Needham’s before we went to town on a Friday. – Marie Mansouri

Remember a guy was stabbed to death there. A few days later his wife called in my studio to have a Scottish Piper tattoo in his memory. Was really sad 😔 – Danny Harkin