Wollaston Streets and Businesses

The initial discussion centred upon the industries in and around Thrift Street.  Who remembers -

• Likisma
• Wollaston Knitwear
• Trylon
• Co-op Dairy or coal yard where Alison Printers is now
• Bakery, butchers, grocery and dairy on the corner of High Street and Thrift Street
• A corner shop that sold sweets
• Shelton’s Shoe Factory
• Humphrey and Smart in Backway and then Irchester Road
• The Feast Field fairs
• and finally Mrs Yorke's fish and chip shop opposite the Feast Field?

 

Following the above, Pete racked his brains for more shops and businesses in Wollaston from the 1920s & 1930s.  He remembers: 

In the High Street:

• Gas Showroom
• Seamarks Butcher
• The Stute (Institute) - cards, billiards and dominoes for ex-soldiers from WW1
• 1939 the Health and Strength Club
• 1940 Air Training Corps
• The Post Office
• Fred Cooper, Carpenter, who made his own coffin!
• Newsagent & general store
• The Excelsior Band Club
• Tony ? rush mat maker.  He cut his reeds from the river and sold sheet music
• Percy Shelton, piano lessons
• Harry Lucas, blacksmith, beer sales
• Gracey Brown, hand-made shoes
• Gordon Harris, Farmer
• Lloyds Bank
• Mrs Lack, confectioner and general store
• Williams, Butcher
• Walker, telephone exchange
• Talbut, newsagent and general store
• The Boot Public House (now a private residence)
• Kate Rogers, second hand clothes and shoes
• Frank Palmer, tailor (polio victim)
• Semalina Brown, general store
• Mr Pitts, boot maker
• Annex, school teacher gave private tuition in schooling
• Co-op haberdashery
• Co-op confectionary and bread
• Co-op hardware
• A bank

London Road

• Denton & Stewart, boot manufacturer
• The Marquis of Granby, public house
• Mrs Loaks, general store
• Lucy’s Laundry
• Bill Howe, coat merchant
• D R Baxter, saddle maker
• Harry Eaton, general carrier (two lorries)
• Harry Eaton, greengrocery and telephone
• Lew Rivet, general store and carrier
• Mr Hayes, men’s outfitter
• Working Men’s Club
• Bill Cooper, Dairy, milk, cream, cheese
• Mr Houghton, grocer
• Lenny Cox, general carrier
• Mr Pearson, bicycle sales and repairs
• Mac Palmer, general store
• Nag’s Head, public house
• Fowler, tannery.
• Two sisters, Miss Ball, fish and chips
• Blacksmiths
• Mr Shouler Poultry Farmer
• Ginny Summers Tea Room
• Nutt and Rice, boot manufacturers

Hinwick Road

• The Crispin Arms
• Tommy York, General Store
• Brown’s Carpenter & Undertaker
• Harry York, fish and chips
• Jim Smart, one man farm
• Lucy Simco, ladies buttons, ribbons, bloomers, etc.
• Joe Maycock, farmer
• Mr Harvey, milk round

Thrift Street

• Co-op Bank
• Co-op Grocery – four serving assistants
• Co-op Butcher
• Co-op Baker
• Co-op Coal
• Co-op slaughter. 
• Winter stable for Co-op horse
• Mrs Darnell, grocery, pills and potions
• Isaac Murdin, bric-a-brac
• Watson Partridge, boot manufacturer
• Later (1938) Humphrey & Smart

Council Street, Newton Road, Howard Road

• Teddy Garfirth, shoe repairer
• Reg & Alf Murdin
• The new Co-op, opened in 1933 on the site of The Fountain, later Teddy Pitts shoe factory.  The Fountain was a place for cards, skittles, tea, etc. The new Co-op was purpose-built for ladies and gents shoes and clothes.  It is now Matthew Nicholas Estate Agents
• Buzzer Pratt sporting guns
• Martin Brown, baker, bread round with a hand cart
• Albert Green, printer

Watson Partridge lived next door.  He was the first owner of a car in the village; he had his own petrol pump in his garden. 

College Street, Queen Street, South Street

• Labour Exchange, sign on the dole
• Bailey and Miles, painter and decorators
• Mossy Smart, coal merchant
• Walter Willis, grocery
• Mrs Lucy, confectionery, grocery
• Nell Yates general store.  These premises are still there, next to the NPS Factory; it was a garage for many years
• NPS Factory, boot and shoe.  The oldest co-operative in the country.
• Mr Watts, general store, plumber, painter and decorator

Eastfield Road/The Gap

• Watson Partridge, top shop, boot manufacturer
• Phillips boot & shoe
• Luther Austin, boot & shoe
• Rivett, boot & shoe
• Billy Rice, he had two coaches and ran a service and day trips

St Michael’s Lane

• Polly Watts, confectionary
• George Sherwood, cycle sales and repairs
• First telephone box 1936
• Dr Walton, 1936, the start of the Albany House practice.