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Islingword Road

My great grandparents' shop, c1911

By David Carrington

The couple in the photo are my great grandparents John and Georgina Wood. Kelly's Directory has John Wood living at that address from 1911 through to 1923. If I were to guess, I would assume they had it taken at Christmas soon after they moved in (if you look closely it looks like bunches of holly hanging outside and a frieze round the middle of the windows depicting snow). When World War One broke out, other family members came to live at this shop. Had the photo been taken from 1914 onwards, they might well have been in the picture.

There's an interesting story about Mr A. Puddick, whose name is over the shop. My uncle told me he used to run an illegal bookmaking operation from the back room of the greengrocers. It was the days before Gamblers Anonymous! There are stories of well dressed gentlemen coming into the shop to place bets, who would eventually be reduced to poverty by their losses.

The shop has hardly changed. The present tenants told me the left hand window was only replaced about�three years ago.

John and Georgina Wood outside their shop in 114 Islingword Road, c 1911

Photo from the private collection of David Carrington

This page was added on 21/09/2006.

Comments:

I used to work at the Co-op dairy at the bottom of Islingword Road maintaining the milk floats and lorries back in the late 1970's.� I also went to school at the Hanover Terrace School in the early 1970s when it was the Secondary Technical School.

By Graham Maskell (02/10/2006)

Don't mind me saying so, but shouldn't that be Islingwood Road instead of Islingword Road?

By Mick Peirson (11/12/2006)

It is definitely Islingword Road (not 'wood'). My parents had the grocers shop at No.118 during the War and I remember going up to the greengrocers on the corner of Grant Street. I believe it was then called 'Chapmans'. We lived at 118 until the late 1950s. Next door, on the corner of Lincoln Street, was an ironmongers owned by an elderly Mr Dumbrell. On the other side of us was a sweet shop which I think was called Yorkstones.

By Norman Lines (18/12/2006)

My great great grandfather lived at number 71 at the time of his death in 1896. Does anyone know what the area was like at this time?

By Sarah Latimer (17/09/2007)

I�live at 115 islingword rd and that shop which was next door is now a engineering factory but will soon be redeveloped into flats.

By Jon Dann (20/09/2007)

Just want to add something to David's story. In 1891, before the Woods owned the shop, the census shows the shop keeper was Sarah Ann Yeates nee Figg, the widow of Alfred Yeates. This is interesting to me for two reasons. The first reason, is Alfred Yeates was the brother of my ggg grandmother Mary Yeates who married Henry Stunell. The second is that Sarah Ann Yeates and Alfred Yeates were relatives of David Carrington. Note to Sarah Latimer, Sarah Ann Yeates was was the name in the directories at Brighton library as well as being on the census. The shop was a general shop.There is not much doubt your great great grandfather would have got his daily groceries from relatives of mine and David's. Lastly Alfred Yeates was one of the witnesses to his sister Mary's wedding, my ggg grandmother.

By Adam Dennis (26/09/2007)

The picture of the shop is of interest to me for two reasons. The first reason is that the shop was run from 1891 by Sarah Ann Yeates, nee Figg. She was the widow of my ggg grandmother's brother Alfred Yeates. My ggg grandmother was Mary Yeates, born 1834. Mary Yeates married Henry Stunell and Alfred was a witness to the marriage. Second is that Alfred Yeates and Sarah Ann are relatives of David. David tells me the shop was a bootmakers before 1903. After 1903 it became a general shop, so my apologies to Sarah Lattimer if my other message appears and I say that her ancestor would have got his general shopping there. He wouldn't, he may have got his boots there though.

By Adam Dennis (26/09/2007)

Do you know whether Alfred Yeates�and Mary Yeates had any other brothers or sisters as the dates�and names fit with members of my family?

By Vicki Hulbert (18/11/2007)

There were at least three other siblings. There were two sisters Eliza or Cecilia [not sure of correct name] born about 1829 and Sally born 1839. There was also a brother called Robert born in 1841. The parents were Thomas Yeates and Sally Paris.

By Adam Dennis (30/11/2007)