In the town there were 27 shops, 1 fish and chip shop on the corner of South Street and Tennyson Road, 1 garage in Quay Street ( now the Pharmacy), 4 pubs and hotels and 2 chimney sweeps, Mr. Chambers and Mr. Holloway. There were 4 grocers shops – one in Station Road, Mr. Cook’s – later Mr. Burt’s -, one now called Sixpenny Corner owned by Mr. Barnett, Harry Mills in the Square, and Higginbothams. There were coupons given with Bourneville Cocoa and such like. My mother collected enough to get me a wooden pencil box at the Sixpenny Corner shop.
If you took an egg with you when you went to Batchelor’s for chips, they’d cook that for you too. Eileen Smith nee Lansdowne b 1921
Tag Archives: Station Road
Pam Bone: Thorley, St. Swithin’s Church, 1950s, 1960s
As a family we would go to the local church regularly and when I was older I was in the Choir. I went to the local Sunday School run by Miss Pearce and I collected the required number of religious stamps until I had enough to get a free bible.
The church was quite a significant focal point of the village. It was also very significant for me when I started school because it was where I knew the conductor rang the bell for us to get off the bus opposite our house when we came home from school. I used to worry that he would forget to do this and I would be carried off to the wrong stop. Pam Bone nee Cotton b 1948
Pat Burt: Shops, Station Road, Mr. Burt’s 1980s
Burt’s shop had 2 owners before Mr. Burt. When we were early teenage, Mrs Cook kept the Station Road grocers, followed by Mr and Mrs Hannaford, followed by Mr Burt who moved here in 1949 ( his funeral was 2 weeks ago, just short of his 100th). It was through his brother, Jack (Mr. Burt in the Square) that he came down from London. Jack told him there was a business going – he was doing greengrocery on the mainland so he moved here.
Burt’s used to deliver out in the country, to Thorley.
Pat Burt nee Adams b 1929
We used to get a big bag of sweeties from Mr. Burt for 1d.
Janice Perkins nee Pomroy 1943
Colin Smith: Free Time 1930s
We lived in the last house down Station Road just before the station, St Kilda it was called then, Mill Stream Cottage it’s called now. Beautiful views. I used to spend my time off over the marsh there, into the copses, Thorley Copse or Mill Copse. I don’t think you can get into Thorley Copse now, that was the one I particularly liked. We used to go birds nesting and things like that. Not that I should be proud of that now. Colin Smith b1921
Phil Kelsey: Early Days Mill Terrace
I was born in 1, Alvina Cottage in Station Road, then we moved down to Mill Terrace. We were in the one where the passage way went through. At that time in Mill Terrace there was a lot of children. There was the Mussells; there were five or six of them, there was Joe – I think he was the youngest one, Ray, Ruby, another gal, and Perce, the eldest one, there was quite a few. And also there was a big family come to live there, Dicksons from Freshwater; there was about twelve of them kids. He used to ride about on a tricycle and do a few odd jobs. We used to try and pinch his tricycle if he left it up on the Common. Phil Kelsey b 1920
Phil Kelsey: Families in Mill Terrace 1920s
I was born in 1, Alvina Cottage in Station Road, then we moved down to Mill Terrace. We were in the one where the passage way went through. At that time in Mill Terrace there was a lot of children. There was the Mussells; there were five or six of them, there was Joe – I think he was the youngest one, Ray, Ruby, another gal, and Perce, the eldest one, there was quite a few. And also there was a big family come to live there, Dicksons from Freshwater; there was about twelve of them kids. He used to ride about on a tricycle and do a few odd jobs. We used to try and pinch his tricycle if he left it up on the Common.
Phil Kelsey b 1920