Before I end the first part of the story, in 1934, the year I left school, I will mention the shops and houses that made up the village from Shady Grove to the Lodge Corner. Within a few years of course, everything was to change dramatically. On the corner of Shady Grove was Miss. Hancock’s shop. She was one of the daughters of John Hancock who had the grocers on the Bank Corner. She was delicate, and the shop was just to give her an interest, she sold a few reels of cotton, tape, and elastic, a few bits of ribbon, and a very limited range of lisle stockings, and sundry other items of what was called haberdashery. The strange thing was that although she did not sell sweets, she always had a little stock of what were called gelatines in the top drawer, and if ever I was sent to get a reel of cotton I always wanted a halfpenny worth of gelatines. They were just literally small rounds of gelatine, not sweet, no flavour and she put twelve in a little paper bag for a halfpenny. Mum did not often buy cotton there, only in an emergency if she ran out in the middle of sewing. “Just look at that, 100 yards for twopence and I can get 500 yards from Singers for fourpence, ‘1 she would say in disgust. I must just mention that it was this same shop and house part that my Dad lived in as a child when they first came to Alsager from Burslem.
Next to Miss. Hancock’s was a detached house, Birchalls lived there, then Holland and Hollinsheads Garage. On the corner of Wesley Avenue was Thompson’s grocers, high class, and similar to Bickertons. Then Parry’s sweet shop. Under the verandah, Rhodes’ shoe shop. Parks’ butchers, and the Chemist. Then a big field, and next to that, a house where lived a Hungarian family. I don’t know whether their name was unpronounceable, I never heard it, they were always referred to as the ‘Hungarians’.
Next came several more houses, in one of which lived Dr Sayers, and his surgery was a wooden hut at the side of the house.
Of that row, just one house remained much as it used to be until a few years ago, when it became a carpet shop. Then Prospect House and next door to that the Council Offices. On the next corner was the Westminster Bank, (Charles Butters) now. Then more houses up to St .Mary’s. Beyond ‘The Avenue’ was a large double fronted house, some people called Atty, lived there, then Mrs. Edwards from the ironmongers bought it and took in paying guests, and had several foster children. I think they all had to help with the housework, but they seemed happy, and appeared to have a good home. I only remember two of them, Vera Leake and Leslie Brown. Next came Louisa’s, she was a very eccentric old lady, dressed in large feathered hats and long sweeping skirts, she must have spoken to someone sometime, but there were many rumours about her, one of which was that she slept with a long knife under her pillow, as a consequence we were afraid to pass her house on the way home from school. Poor soul, she was just a harmless recluse.
The sergeant always lived at the Police Station. Then where the clock and formal gardens are, was a large wilderness of garden belonging to the big house opposite, a bank now, then came Hall’s wine shop, then Miss Henshall’s, ‘Milliners’, that was another shop that must have been kept as a hobby, I’m sure they never sold anything. Then ~Wood’s cabinet makers (Mason’s Chemist now). The garage was a very humble affair, more or less a large shed, with a little shop adjoining where they sold tins of oil and puncture outfits. Then came Natty Walkers, a sweet shop, it was never as popular as Wilson’s Sweets and Newsagents next door. On the way home from school we used to dare each other to go in to Natty Walkers to ask the price of something. The poor soul had to come from the back premises up a long passage, when she heard the shop bell. I’ts no wonder she became irate and threatening When we had tricked her a few times. A little French girl called Jaqueline Alcock lived near Millie and we often persuaded her to go and ask the price of something, but Jaqueline was so pretty and sweet natured that I don’t think Natty ever grumbled at her. After Wilson’s paper shop was the barbers shop, then Brassington’s house, then the Alsager Printing Co., then Joe Burgess’s greengrocers. It was the tiniest shop, but was full to bursting with greengroceries and he was always busy. One customer could get into the shop, the rest had to stand outside, and people were quite prepared to do this, which was unusual because in those days customers were pampered and most shopkeepers went to quite ridiculous lengths to please them. Joe always joked with everyone, his prices were low, and because he was always busy everything was very fresh. He and his wife sold up eventually and bought a boarding house at Blackpool, lots of people from Alsager went to stay with them and came home full of praise and glowing reports about the great time they had had.
Next to Joes was Skerrats house, then Woodworth’s shop. Mr. Woodworth was a decorator, and they sold a small quantity of wallpaper, (if pressed)! Then came Lavender’s house, and under the veranda, Dodd’s greengrocers. Mr. Dodd was very much a gentleman, no ribald remarks or taking liberties with the ladies, his fruit was always arranged in neat pyramids, and rosy apples gleamed like outsize rubies, he had lots of time to polish them because he was never busy.
Next door was Woods’, ‘High Class Boots and Shoes’, certainly good quality shoes but very uninteresting, Portland or Norvic mostly, nothing frivolous! The end shop under the veranda changed hands quite frequently, for a time it sold brushes and buckets, and kitchen utensils, then it became a sweet shop, and so it remained for many years. Crossing over the road, and returning up the village, Bickertons was the first shop, then another little shop that changed hands a lot, they too sold a bit of ironmongery. Then there was a short row of cottages. Then Kennerly’s paint and wall paper shop. A small detached house then the Primitive Methodist Church. Where the car park for the Mere Inn is now, was Moulds Antique shop. it was double fronted and quite spacious, whether any of the stock was really antique I don’t know. Most people seemed to dismiss it as just junk, and there never seemed to be any life or interest in it. After the Mere inn and Cross Street, Parkes’ butchers and their house part. Then Boyce Adams grocers and the Post Office mentioned previously, then Ryecroft’s cake shop, their cakes were nice and we had some occasionally as a treat. Then came a big house, (bank now). In this lived an old couple called Moss, and with them lived their little grandaughter, Irene, I always thought that she must have had a very sad life in that big gloomy house, with no young company.
Then came two semi-detached fairly large houses, then Dr Lynd’s house and surgery. Next, a tiny little cottage with the windows almost at street level. That was a wireless shop for many years. Noel Goss ran that and lived there. It was very squalid, he was one of the Goss family who made fine china, but was one of the black sheep. Then came the bungalow belonging to Milton House, then a long high wall behind which was part of Milton House grounds. After the second bungalow and the detached house, came the Miss. Bagguley’s shop, sweets and chocolate at one side, needlework supplies at the other. There were always two or three beautifully embroidered cloths and tray cloths in the window, to show what you could do if you tried! They sold the ready traced linen cioths and Clarke’s embroidery silks, (twopence a skein). I embroidered one or two cloths and was quite pleased with the result. Next was Dickenson’s drapers, a dark gloomy shop, they sold curtain net and a variety of socks and underwear. I should think they sold more curtain net than anything else, for most people thought it necessary to have windows either part or fully covered by net. Then there was Edwards’ Ironmongers, and Leather’s paper shop. Then the District bank and house Dick Holmes was the manager and lived in the house. He had a brother whose name was Marmaduke Augustus, and Dad said they called him ‘Marmalade and Custard’ at school. Before crossing the road to where Hancock’s grocers was, I must just go round the corner past Hancock’s bakehouse, and there was a little wooden hut that housed a garden shop kept by the two Miss. Ashmores. They sold seeds, a few small garden tools, and raffia. Plain undyed raffia was used a lot by gardeners for tying up plants, for of course there was no nylon or fancy string. In addition to the garden raffia they sold hanks of the brightly coloured for anyone mad enough to want to do raffia work for pleasure!
After Hancock’s shop and house there were two big semi-detached houses with lovely gardens. Then a house where the outfitters (and bakery shop) is. Next, the house belonging to the Co-Op, where the manager lived. The Co-Op grocery department was large and brightly lit. They only sold their own brand of goods, ’Lokreel’. Mum did shop there sometimes, but she usually went to Boyce Adams, she also went to Crewe most Fridays, (one shilling return on the bus).Then she would bring back groceries from the Home and Colonial Stores. Next to the Co-op grocery was the Co~op Drapery. I should think that it was only the most fanatical followers of the Co~op movement who ever bought any of the dowdy dresses or serviceable shoes on display. Of course if your requirement was interlock knickers with elasticated legs, wool vests, or combinations, the manageress, Miss Wood would bring out the boxes for your inspection. No great decision making was called for, just the size!
Crossing Ashmores lane, (Sandy lane then), it only became Ashmores lane when we had nameplates on the roads. The barbers shop was pretty much the same as it is today. The barber then, was Ernest Dean and he also had a laundry agency. Here I must say that most men, Dad included, wore a white shirt for Sundays or special occasions, and with it a ‘stiff’ collar. They were bought separately and fastened to the shirt with a collar stud. They had to be professionally laundered, it was quite impossible to achieve the stiff glossiness required, at home. We used to take two, sometimes three, collars on a Monday to Deans, they would be back on Friday. Cost? Twopence each. Next to the barbers was the greengrocers, (Grandad’s untill 1928) and house. Then Cooper Hancocks’, it was always called so, because it had belonged to two people. It was very much a general store, in which they sold bread and groceries, but would also sell paraffin for the lamps. The Wesleyan Chapel and houses were as they are today.
. This brings this part of the story to a close, the year was 1934. The future lay ahead like a pile of bright new money waiting to be spent. How did it go? In the next part of the story you will see.