Hi George, Not being picky but the grocery shop you have listed on Jodrell Road was probably Mary (Polly) Mitchell's shop but this was on Jodrell Meadow (no. 67   I seem to remember). She sold nearly everything including fireworks, Mitchell's penny swizzes. Her husband, Roland was the accounts manager at Britannia Wire Mill in Buxworth, he had a small hatch in the canteen which was an extension of Polly's shop. He didn't take cash at the little kiosk but deducted any costs incurred from your wages.

Thank you for your responses, yes I think the demise of so many shops is reverse progress.We have to go out of W.B.for so many things both taking up time and travelling expenses. Thank you Mr. G. Jackson for pointing out my error in with Mrs. Mitchells shop, of course you lived nearer than I.

george

Often over the years I have heard people say most of the shops were Co-op shops but I can only remember the following, menswear,  pharmacy, footwear, furnishing, wine and spirits, grocery, butchery and drapery, 8 out of 51 ( I make it). All these shops between the canal and the railway bridge just passed the Uniting Church. 

I am sure as we cast our minds back to all these shops many memories will come back, anyone like to share them.

As far as the oldest surviving business is concerned in the same family is Wild's butchers shop, unless anyone knows better, 

Thank you for the photo Shallcross it does seem familier, It think it might be the shopin the photo I am hoping to attach but not taken as long ago, which shows William Wright (the Footwear retailer and repairer) and his daughter almost on to his left. The small boy wearing the kilt was Leonard Kinder (see the extract from the 1891 cenus also attached). I have been told he was befriended by Dr. Allen senior who was scottish, maybe that accounts for the kilt. I estimate the photo was taken about 1899. William Wright died in 1909 and his daughter Hannah Wright carried on the business into the 1920's.

Mr. and Mrs. Leighton and their son Malcolm took over until 1928 when Mr. Leighton died leaving Malcolm and his mother to to carry on. Malcolm, better known as Mac.and his wife took over in 1932 and were there until 1973.

 The next owners only managed to last 30 years before they were worn out, not 40 years as the two previous owners had each managed. 

george   

File Attachment(s):

!4 Market St. circa 1899.jpg (825kb) downloaded 43 time(s).

george attached the following image(s):

Harold Roome wouldn't change over to the "new money" when we went decimal in the 70s. A few weeks after change over day I went into

Harlod's shop and asked for a pair of kippers. He wrapped them up and said "One and tenpence halfpenny". It had taken me a few weeks to

get used to the new cash and I had to think if his demand was less than the new 10 pence or not. When I decided that it was I

gave him the 10p coin and he gave me an old penny and an old halfpenny, both usless to anyone. I suppose when he got rid of all his old

coppers he finally packed the shop in but it was many weeks after change-over day. G.J.

GJ

Harold was not one for change, he could be seen every morning at the station collecting the fresh fish etc off the early train, wearing his straw boater and his cart with which he wheeled the goods over to the shop for the days trade, I have a photo somewhere of him relaxing in the back room of the shop, just have to find it! Harold Roome came from Macclesfield and there was until a couple of years ago a Roomes Fish shop on Saddlergate in Derby which was a part of the family but thats gone now.

Edited by user 22 November 2010 21:47:35(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Hi

Here is George's picture made smaller and a bit clearer. Maybe a Mod or George will replace his, but not a big problem, don't worry George.

Norm

Norm attached the following image(s):

Thank you** for your comments and norm for sorting out the shop photo and census extract plus the guidence on the general discussion section.

The Amenity Society's book "Whaley Bridge in the mid-nineteenth century" and the update by Nye Rowlands (on sale at Footsteps) show William wright as an overseerer of the poor fund in 1880, (if my memory is correct). He made boots and shoes in the basement. He was also a Quaker and a story goes that on Sunday mornings he went round to local farms witnessing. On one Sunday as he returned he saw a man he knew going in the Railway pub, he said to him "don't go in there Jack, Satan is in there". "If he is he will have to pay for his own" Jack replied.

In the shop window there is a advert for the noted K boot which shows he had a very early agency with K shoes. They started off as Somervill Brothers in 1842 and were also Quakers, this was before sewing machines were invented and the leather uppers were sewn together by outworkers in there own home and the letter K was stamped on the back of the pieces of to avoid substitution of inferior leather. Consequently K became their trade name, there aren't many brand names consisting of one letter for obvious reasons 

The properties along Market Street were re-numbered at some time because the shoeshop was originally no.10 and became no.14.

I apologise if this is boring,I can so easily get carried away talking about footwear.

george

A Whaley worthy I have been chatting with shared memories of Joe Bates (now the pizza shop by the pelican crossing) selling fireworks just after the second world war. When the shop opened at 8 a.m. on the 5th November people were queueing from the shop along Reservoir Rd. all the way to the park entrance. I remember an aunt of mine started queueing at 6.30 a.m. People could not choose which fireworks or how many, a selection was in a bag and it was a case of one bag each, take or leave it. Probably everyone had been used the kind of service during the war.  I suspect fireworks were only sold on that day.

The Co-op furniture shop was double fronted and was situated where Blyth House shop and the ladies clothes shop are now  situated. They also sold a variety of smaller items and radios and T.V.'s The first T.V. I saw working was in the window of the shop one night when they were closed, there was a small crowd gathering for a free show. That was well before the coronation, I expect they were trying to wet peoples appetite to buy one as there was a boost in demand to have one on that day. 

george