THE LITTLE SHOPS....
The 'Little Shops' refer to those small commercial premises that were often sited on the corners of many Moordown side streets, in former years. The one shown above, Schofields, was on the corner of Elmes Rd and Comley Rd...
Some - like those along Malvern Rd for example - weren't always on corners, but were still on the 'side streets'...
They were designed to serve very local communties - sometimes just a couple of streets - in the days where mum didn't have the transport (or the time!) to travel very far for her shopping.
They're almost all gone now of course --I think the fish and chip shop in Malvern Rd is probably the only one left?....
Many of the old shops - especially the corner ones - retained their shop fornts for some years after the shops themselves had closed, but I think all those have been converted into homes now?...
What we are looking for is photos of those 'Little Shops', as they used to be.....
We have a few to start with -- they're posted below. As you will see, some of the images are very 'fuzzy' -- others are fine. That doesn't matter. Any images are most welcome!
If you have any more we can add, do let us know, or bring them along to a group meeting.....
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This one is of Oakwood Rd Stores, taken in about 1920. The shop remained a grocer's shop (Briscoe's) right up until the 1970s......it's now a family home.....just click on the image below to see a larger version, and read a little more about it....
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Southern corner of Oswald Rd and Wimborne Rd
Corner of Easter Rd and Naseby Rd
Corner of King Edward Ave and Endfield Rd (bit fuzzy -- taken from a home movie!)
Barfoots on Malvern Rd
Habgoods (later Julian house)
Location not know at present.... any ideas?....
(Edit: Some of our eagle eyed group members have spotted that this is in fact the same shop on the corner of King Edward Ave and Endfield Rd, as shown in the 'fuzzy' photo above. One reference point is the little triangular 'cornice' decoration, between the two windows.)
As Captain Mainwaring might have said 'just seeing who spotted that first'......
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Another lovely shot of one of the 'little shops' - this time on the main Wimborne Rd though..
Wendy Riggs, of Moorfield Grove, gave this photo to Elaine Davies, who has sent on for the website. Thank you both...
It appears that 'Pearce's' are only listed as being at 751 Wimborne Rd in Kelly's Directories for some 3 years during the mid 1930s. During the 1950s it was used by Rickards, as a second shop almost next door to their main address at 759.
Steve Mott writes to say he can recall his family (who ran the butcher's shop at 755 Wimborne Rd between 1950 and 1955) referring to the shop as 'Pearce's' even though it was probably run by Rickards at that time......
Today the shop is of course the 'Swedish Cleaners', who have been trading there since the 1970s....
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While we're looking at Wimborne Rd......this next one is a photo of Dean's 'Mayfield General Stores' from about 1920. The shop was situated on the corner of Oswald and Wimborne Rd. (The site is now occupied by Palmers the accountants).
Interesting to note that the 'shop front' was not apparently a permanent part of the building. The shop blind seems to a detachable affair - which is why it seems to cover part of the corner window.
Sid Dean himself - seen in the photo with his hands on his hips - was a much respected local community man, who was also a lay preacher. On the left of the photo you can see a blackboard with some wording chalked onto it. Difficult to see what the words are, but it was almost certainly either a passage from the Bible, or a 'thought for the day'.. The local children stood leaning against the wall were most likely waiting for their free apple, which Mr. Dean would give them most days.
Thanks to Mrs. Chris Deedman (Sid Dean's granddaughter) for this photo and the memories, and to Carol Bowman for collecting and emailing it for inclusion here on the site....
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This next one is from Steve Mott. It had been uploaded to a Facebook page by Helen Kellaway, and shows Kellaway's shop at 893 Wimborne Rd. Helen has kindly given us permission to use it here..
(just click on the photo to see the full size version.... use your back button to get back here)
Kellaway's occupied that shop from the mid 1930s until the late 1960s. In the early years, Kelly's Directory describes the business as a 'General Store'. From the 1940s, the business is described as selling 'cooked meats' (perhaps 'Delicatessen' was too long a word for the Kelly's column?.) With the 'Provisions' sign bleow the right shopwindow, this photo probably dates from the late 1930s I would guess?....
(In our photo of Wimborne Rd in the 1960s, which you can find HERE you can just make out the word 'Delicatessen' on the shop blind, on the extreme right of the picture..)
The same location today is occupied by Moordown Post Office of course....
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