Icecream Vans / Sellers

Bramley4woods · Post by **Bramley4woods** » Mon 25 Feb, 2008 11:38 am

miggy wrote: I remember one seller asking me if I wanted any blood on the ice cream, though can't remember his name. Rossi's was big in the 80s in Middleton. There was another from the 70s with a distinctive van. Like an old escort van, ie. normal car at the front, however, the back was twice the size in height of the front. Can't think of his name either.. Well nobody so far has mentioned Tony Ambrose ( Antonio D'Ambrosio ), who went around the Sandford estate during the afternoon and parked outside the gates of Leeds Central High at lunchtimes.His van was an Austin A40 Devon. It ws rather narrow looking, mean and pinched. The later A40 Somerset in contrast was incredibly round and bumbly looking. Austin had just been taken over by Morris and his van was one of the last with an Austin engine, later models had Morris engines.His ice cream was just plain, made with ice dream powder and milk.(he didn't do "Monkey's blood") he told me. He said his (Italian) father used to make it with cream, evaporated milk etc. but "There was "nothing in" milk to thicken it to make ice cream and fresh cream would make it too expensive to sell to kids in the street.He started simply by yelling "Ice Cream" from his van, but graduated to a set of chimes which worked from a musical box movement which played "Mignon Gavotte". A very familiar tune if you google for it. The musical box movement which was intended to be wound up and played as a novelty once or twice a year so took quite a bashing being driven by an electric motor all day every day. Similarly the amplifier was driven by a vibrator power supply from the car battery, took a lot of current and frequently broke down, I repaired it a few times for him. As far as I know he lived in the Woodhouse / Blackman Lane area.

Troll · Post by **Troll** » Tue 26 Feb, 2008 10:37 am

Hi, yes he did sell those small blocks of icecream with the wafers. Also I have been thinking about it and I believe it was Walls icecream he sold and not lyons maid.

uncle michael · Post by **uncle michael** » Thu 01 May, 2008 7:23 pm

Anyone remember Mr colleto? based in Middleton in the mid 50,s

baldybikerboy · Post by **baldybikerboy** » Sun 25 May, 2008 9:02 pm

Anyone remember Rossi who I now know to be Vittorio. He works the Leeds 12 / 13 areas and has done as long as I can remember.If ever I'm out in the car and I come across him I always flag him down and fit one in!http://www.flickr.com/photos/23365014@N ... 0775927/As usual this link seems to require a copy and paste!

Croggy · Post by **Croggy** » Sun 25 May, 2008 9:33 pm

I know that van well! - He parks on Barwick Road, outside the Primary School this time of year at hometime!

Shazza · Post by **Shazza** » Fri 06 Jun, 2008 3:14 pm

baldybikerboy wrote: Anyone remember Rossi who I now know to be Vittorio. He works the Leeds 12 / 13 areas and has done as long as I can remember.If ever I'm out in the car and I come across him I always flag him down and fit one in!http://www.flickr.com/photos/23365014@N ... 0775927/As usual this link seems to require a copy and paste! I recognise him! He was my ice cream man when I was a kid in the 70s on Gamble Hill Drive. He still uses the same van - registration COW ???K. I also think there was a Fall's one - it used to cover the Swinnows but occasionally the Gambles and he did a shorter fatter flat bottomed cone that he called a "special" that had ice cream, juice etc and a home made lolly stuck in the top! They were my favourites

peterg · Post by **peterg** » Sat 07 Jun, 2008 6:33 pm

In 1939 in Cross Gates there was the Lusardi family selling ice cream. I believe there were two brothers, each with his own cart. I was at school with a Silvia Lusardi. Years later, when I was at St. Michael's College, an ice cream vendor brough his cart to the back gate of the college every day, winter and summer alike, because he always had customers. I think a sandwich cost 3d at that time.

weenie · Post by **weenie** » Wed 25 Jun, 2008 11:57 pm

Shazza wrote: baldybikerboy wrote: Anyone remember Rossi who I now know to be Vittorio. He works the Leeds 12 / 13 areas and has done as long as I can remember.If ever I'm out in the car and I come across him I always flag him down and fit one in!http://www.flickr.com/photos/23365014@N ... 0775927/As usual this link seems to require a copy and paste! I recognise him! He was my ice cream man when I was a kid in the 70s on Gamble Hill Drive. He still uses the same van - registration COW ???K. I also think there was a Fall's one - it used to cover the Swinnows but occasionally the Gambles and he did a shorter fatter flat bottomed cone that he called a "special" that had ice cream, juice etc and a home made lolly stuck in the top! They were my favourites

i also remember rossi on gamble hill drive i lived there until i left home - my mum is still there - same old house and she says he still comes round. they used to be another guy with a beard and he had a sign in the window saying "no coppers please - i dont give you them so dont give me them" my mum used to tell him off as us kids used to save up are smash to get one after school

Samson · Post by **Samson** » Thu 26 Jun, 2008 12:50 am

GranellisI am sure they had one, if not two outlets in Leeds market. My mother and father always popped into the market for a Granellis and i think they always bought the 'sugar cone' (Twist cone) as you could not get it easily. I am also pretty certain that in 1986 when I took some pictures in Leeds that Granellis was still there and selling twist cones, but I am open to correction on that one!

Penz · Post by **Penz** » Fri 15 Aug, 2008 3:36 am

I was an 'ice cream man' in the late 60's and early 70's, which was the hey day for this industry. I knew, or at least knew of, most of the names already mentioned.At first working from a Wall's franchise at Horsforth and then from a Wall's/Whippy franchise run by the DiClemente family in Chapletown, later on I had my own van for some time, buying my products from Guanaria's on Easy Road, Thornton's (they made the best cider lollies ever!) and Treat's (now one of the biggest ice lolly manufacturers in the country). I still have a few photo's of the vans, so I'll dig them out and post them soon.I had 2 rounds and I alternated between them when I got bored with one or the other. One round was Garforth, Swillington & Aberford. The other was the Hawksworth estate, cookridge and West Park and I parked in West Park Girls School at lunchtime, Cookridge Asda during the day and at Golden Acre Park on Sunday afternoons in Summer.Just to correct Wiggy, the rear engine in the Commer Karrier vans were in fact a Ford 100E engine from the Ford Prefect. To answer an earlier question, the Wall's Bedford CA vans were made by Smith's Industries. The pink & cream Mr Whippy vans had coachwork by Cummins and Carpigiani ice cream machines. These were IMO superior to the blue & white Morrisons vans used by Mr Softy equipped with Maria ice cream machines.Wall's were very litigious in those days and threatened court action against anyone using the Whippy name or even copying the Mr Whippy colours. Interesting fact; The reason the cone with a flake is known as a '99' is because Cadbury's were the first company to make chocolate flakes and they were No. 99 on their salesmen's list of products.