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Webb & Co photographed c1910

The picture shows the corner of Bristol Road and Bedford Street, the premises of W.Webbe & Co. at 9, Bedford Street and 30, Bristol Road. Originally these were separate premises, the former containing a Sub-Post Office and the latter, a Stationer’s Store. William Henry Devine combined the two around 1909 and Webbe took over soon afterwards.

From the newspaper headlines it will be seen that Mr. Churchill, then the Home Secretary, was pitted against the Suffragettes – dating the picture to 1910. It would seem that this really is a snapshot, as Webbe had departed the premises before the end of that same year.

In 2010 the premises are clearly being renovated and will be soon opening as ‘Corner Shop Collectibles’.

Do you remember these premises at any time in the past? What kind of shop was there when you saw it last? If you can help us to piece together a history of the shop, please leave a comment below.

Research by Andy Grant

Bedford Street/Bristol Road
From the private collection of Councillor Geoffrey Wells
Bedford Street photographed in 2010
Photo by Tony Mould

Comments about this page

  • In the 80’s my friend lived along Bristol Road and worked as a Saturday girl in this shop. It was a newsagents at the time.

    By Carol Homewood (26/07/2010)
  • I remember this shop in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and the 90’s. It has been mostly a newsagents shop. Then later it became a convenience store. It used to sell a wide range of food.

    By John Leach (27/07/2010)
  • This was a newsagents in the 60s run by a Mrs Cox and her son Brian. We always used this on our way to work at the AA offices to buy our sweets and cigarettes.

    By Jenny (22/08/2010)
  • Does anyone know what happened to Brian Cox? I was one of his paper boys in the ’60s. Paul John Harris

    By Paul Harris (02/03/2017)
  • If I recall, Brian had a Mini Cooper S that was quite fast.

    By David (04/03/2017)
  • I remember this shop in the 40s and 50s as I went to St. John Baptist school over the road. The photo above must have been how my dad must have seen the shop as he was also a pupil at SJB from 1904 onward. Very nostalgic.

    By Mick Peirson (06/03/2017)
  • I lived opposite this shop in the 90s: it was owned as a convenience store by a very pleasant Hindu couple, who later moved due, IIRC, for their children’s educational reasons.

    By Liz (05/05/2021)

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