Continued from Letter 6
March 11th 1938.
At the beginning of Pimlico, next to the Sir John Warren Inn, was a plain windowed shop. This for some time was occupied by Fred Mitchell and his family. Fred was a shoemaker. He had four children. Ike, the eldest, who was rather slow, Emma, who married a Mr. Clark, Harry and Aby. Starting from the south side of East Street was Mr. George Bunting’s pork shop. After the death of his first wife, who left him with one little girl, Annie, he married Miss Mary Ann Doxey, by whom he had two or three children. The Buntings were supposed to be well off, and it was understood that Chain Row, the row of Cottages on the North side of Derby Road, just below the Toll Bar, was the property of the first Mrs. Bunting. I remember these cottages, having iron posts, and ornamental chains before their doors, but these got ill-treated, and they gradually disappeared. Next to Mr. Buntings pork shop, which had a window both in East Street and Market Place, was a basement workshop. This was later used by Pat Pollard, tinsmith. Higher up, on this same side was Matthew Hobson’s corn, seed and grocery shop. Matthew and his wife lived here until he acquired the Field House property. After his wife’s death, he married the lady who had been his late wife’s companion. They had several children. Matthew Hobson also had the mill in Derby Road, his miller was the late Paul Hodgkinson. Paul Hodgkinson afterwards took over the shop in the Market Place and lived there. He also had the mill in Derby Road. There were two children, John and Sarah. Sarah married Mr. Thompson. She died when her first baby was born. John died a year or so later.
EAST STREET.
On the South side was Mr. George Bunting’s pork shop. This was the only shop on that side. On the North side was Mr. George Small’s shop, vegetables and flowers, with one window in East Street, the other in Bath Street, the door on the corner. The next was really a house, up three or four large steps, which protruded on the pavement. This was taken by Mr. Elijah Higgitt, who when out of his apprenticeship, married Miss Daykin, and started in business as a tailor and outfitter. They had two sons. Henry followed his father, Arthur William became a schoolmaster. Next was Mrs. Sam Lowe’s grocer’s shop. When Mrs. Lowe bought the land in South Street and built a house and shop on it, she removed from East Street, and Mr. John Wilson, shoemaker, took the East Street shop. This was the last of the shops in East Street. Mr. James Goddard, joiner and builder, built two houses at the bottom of East Street, and carried on his business at the rear.
Continued in Letter 8
