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Elm Grove

Shopping in Elm Grove in the 1930s
by Rita Denman (nee Cooper)

There was no need to go to the town for general shopping. There were shops on every street corner supplying everything one might need. There were at least four butchers close at hand and four greengrocers that I can remember and probably more in the areas off Elm Grove that were not so familiar to me.

Harry Barton's greengrocers
My mother shopped regularly at Harry Barton's greengrocers at the corner of Baxter Street. Harry Barton was a large jovial man with a limp. He always teased me and no doubt all the other children by asking 'Who put the pepper in the cat's milk'? At the age of 5 or 6 I was never sure what he was talking about. In those days apples came in round bushel baskets, cucumbers were carefully packed individually in blue tissue paper, cauliflowers and carrots had all their leaves and potatoes still had soil on them. This made the shop floor very dusty and every so often had to be sprayed with water from a watering can to lay the dust. Everything was seasonal. White Heart cherries and Victoria plums from Kent, Worthing tomatoes and a great deal of produce labelled 'Local'. It was a tradition to make a wish when the family ate the first of the new season's produce, whether it was fruit or vegetable. The aroma of oranges at Christmas time has gone for ever.

Several sweet shops
In 'the Grove' there were several sweet shops. Lotties at the top of Bonchurch Road was a favourite. It had been Lotties when my mother was a child, but although it had changed ownership was still fondly known by its old name. Lucas's at the top of Brading Road had a 'Black Cat' machine. A halfpenny in the slot delivered a coloured disc. A blue disc was worth your halfpenny, but red, yellow or green entitled the shopper to a pennyworth, three halfpence or tuppence worth of sweets. Lucas's sold unusual things - locust beans, liquorice wood and sweet and sour sticks. At the Misses Bisney's sweet shop down the Grove, small toys, model soldiers and farm animals were on display in flat cases at the front of the counter and 'Prince of Wales' surprise packets were also on sale.

Many other types of shops
There were also fresh fish and fish & chip shops, hardware, drapery, ladies fashions, barbers and hairdressing salons. A cobbler who repaired shoes on his home premises and two shoe repairing shops. Mr McKeon ran a Christmas 'diddler' club. This was a savings club which presumably also brought customers to his shoe repairing business. There were three large public houses in the Grove. The Admiral Napier at the bottom was very modern, the Wellington Arms was further up, and at the Junction stood what was always known as The Red House, although more properly I think it was The Racehorse. There were also numerous small bars which gradually went out of use.

Four coal merchants
There were four coal merchants that I can recall, all within two or three streets of my home. Shelley's was in Bentham Road, the proprietor also being the landlord of a number of the terraced houses in the area, including my grandmother's. I frequently paid her rent for her, going through the coal store shed to a tiny window where orders were taken and rents received. Coal fires of course meant chimney sweeps. Mr Bonwick operated from his home in Lynton Street, but my mother always ordered Mr Wood from Cobden Road. On chimney sweeping days my sister and I went out into the tiny back garden to watch for the brush to come out of the chimney. This achieved two objects. It got us out of the way and made sure that the chimney was properly swept.

Sent to the website 8/08/2002
This page was added on 22/03/2006.

Comments:

I grew up in Bernard Road off of Elm Grove during the late sixties and seventies. As a child I remember Harman's Pet Supplies on the corner of Brading Road with Polly Parrot who I thought was amazing! On the other corner was Tobias's sweet shop where we spent so much time. He sold sweets by the quarter. Swizzle sticks were my favourite. Just above Bernard Road, next to the Newsagents which was called Cliffords was Moon's the Hairdressers and next to him was the second hand shop called Old Nicks who had piles of junk outside his shop. On the corner of Totland Road was Vivo's, later known as Spar, now the Happy Shopper. My Mum worked there and I remember spending a lot of time in that shop. The owner was called Mr Bird. Everywhere closed for a half day on a Wednesday. On the other corner of Totland Road was another sweetshop, the name I can't remember but the shop was orange and it sold soft scoop ice-cream. Next to that was the Greengrocers. Going down Elm Grove on the corner of Baxter Street was Betty's Grocery shop. She was such a lovely lady always happy and smiling. I remember her husband slicing meat with the big scarey meat slicing machine. I remember the rag and bone man with his horse. I can still hear him shouting 'rag'n'bone'!! If anyone has any photo's of these shops I'm sure we'd love to have them on this site!
By Carol Homewood (10/08/2005)
I grew up on Bernard Road too. I lived right at the bottom - number 89. I was born in 1959 and left there in 1980. My Mum, Barbara Bushby nee Green, was born in 1933, in that house, and died in 2001, also in that house. I too remember the parrot in Harmans. Our local sweet shop was at the bottom of Brading Road. Harry Crane had it until the mid '70's when he died. I had a paper route morning and evenings delivering the Argus. On the opposite corner was a little grocers but I don't remember who ran it. Bernard Road was the only one that was lined with trees as it was the road where hearses generally drove down to the cemetery. I remember once or twice the police chasing escapees from Brighton General down our street. I think there was a ward for the mentally unstable. "H" ward I seem to remember. I live in Arizona now and that all seems so long ago.
By Kevin Bushby (09/10/2005)
I was born in the Brighton General and lived for the first five years of my life in 182 Elm Grove with my mother Elsie Munro and my grandparents Stanley and Fanny Foulkes. A happy time for me as even with rationing during the War, the local traders (particularly the fishmonger) helped the local people with hard-to-get items.
By Bob Munro (07/08/2006)

I lived in Totland Road beginning in the sixties. I can remember Homewoods on one corner of Sandown Road and Trenchards on the other corner. Further down was Mr. Smith the greengrocer and Sylvia his daughter. He also had other greengrocers in QueensPark Road on the corner of Bentham Road. Then there was the sweet shop owned by the Kempshalls and later Mr and Mrs knightley and Joan. I used to help out in the shop for a bit of pocket money.On the next corner of Totland Road was the Vivo, I remember a Mr Rudland working there and a lady called Carol lived above it. Further down elm grove was the Chip Shop owned by Mr Greenfield, then old nicks the junk shop owned my Mrs Boniface, Mr. Moon the barber was next door then, Mr. Devreaux the newsagent. Further down on the corner of Brading Road was the pet shop owned by Mr. and Mrs Jarman on the other corner was Tobias's sweet shop. Across the Road was Clarkes the bakers then other green grocers. Bettys was on the next corner down. Then the labour club and the launderette; on the next corner was the post office. Continuing down was Ceaplens chimney sweep and on the corner of Luther Street was a hardware store which sold paraffin. I can also remember Father Gimblett was the vicar of St. Wilfrids Church. Bakers garage was in Brading Road and on the corner of Bernard Place was the Reeds corner shop. At the bottom of Totland Road there was also a grocery shop run by a lady whose name I can't remember. On the corner of Hallett Road Mr and Mrs Sullivan used to sell coal and ice cream from their garage. Further up elm grove by the hospital was a centre for the down and out people which use to open at 4 o'clock, Mr. Bob Shepherd from Totland Road used to work there. In Whippingham Road was the Hartington pub that was run by Mr and Mrs Noakes who had a daughter called Jane. St Wilfrids Hall always had something going on there, Brownies with Mrs Mitchell and Mrs Collinghamm, youth club with Laurie Wellard and Shirley. There was also a corner shop opposite the pub. Well, how time has changed elm grove, its side streets are now full of cars. Oh to be young again.

By Janet Howell (nee Vane) (06/02/2007)

I was born and raised in Brading Road. I can recall a bakers on the corner of Baxter St - Lawes was the name I think. Also Mr Capp and Mr Pentecost on the corner of Brading Road and what we called the Twitten. Then half way down Brading was the Homemade Bakery which to this day has an imprint of my shoe in the concrete at the front. That was about 60 years ago.

By John Farrell (21/02/2007)

No one has mentioned the one shop in Elm Grove which has looked exactly the same since I moved to the area in 1970. I'm referring to the Palmistry Parlour which still has the same pictures in the shop window of happy customers of the palm reader. One of the pictures shows a smiling Jayne Mansfield - obviously not getting a very accurate prediction given her tragic death in a car crash!

By Jan Hill (08/05/2007)

My late father was born and brought up in Sanddown road Elm Grove, when he married he moved north where I still live. I would be very pleased to hear from anyone who remembers the Tamlyn family.

By Audrey Paul (09/06/2008)

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