Mawbray Post Office with Mary Ann Bell in the doorway, 1930s.
Mawbray Post Office with Mary Ann Bell in the doorway, 1930s.
Shopping in the first half of the last century was very different
from how we shop today. There were a few shops in the villages Beckfoot had a
sweet shop owned by the Carruthers, which also sold cigarettes. In Mawbray Miss
Kennedy sold confectionery and Mary Ann Bell sold groceries, confectionery and,
surprisingly, cartridges for double-barrelled guns at the post office.
In Abbeytown there were two shops, one on each side of the main
street.
In Allonby Tom Hunter’s business was on the green. He sold
cigarettes and and confectionery from the shop behind the old-fashioned weighing
machine; the left half of the shack was a fish and chip shop.
Twentyman’s Ice Cream business was founded in 1926 and is still
going strong. This is how it looked in the 1950s.
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There were quite a number of travelling shops, salesmen and people
providing a service. In the early days they would travel around with
their goods on a cart pulled by a horse, or just walk. Later cars and
vans were used.
Nick Henderson travelled the area selling fruit. When he delivered
fruit to Aldoth school (1937-45) he said he could hear the children
saying, ‘Here’s old Nick coming’. |
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Mr Ogni from Maryport sold Ice Cream and often visited Edderside
firstly with his motor cycle and sidecar and later with his posh new van.
The Wood Brothers, Albert, Dan and Oliver outside their shop.
The big shops were all in Silloth. Woods Emporium opened in the
1860s and sold almost everything for both visitors and residents.
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The Martins ran the post office and a stationery and souvenir shop.
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Sim’s grocers on the sea front, offered a regular delivery service.
‘Joe Bill’ Robinson did the job for some years. |
The Hydro Garage offered a comprehensive service for the motorist.
The cars are (left to right) a taxi owned by the Edgels family, a bull-nosed
Morris open tourer and a Buick.
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Joe Lomas took over his uncle’s wet fish business in 1928. He took
the back seats out of his Morris and fitted an icebox. He went round the
local farms and villages selling his fish while his wife, Bessie, looked
after their shop in Wampool Street. |
Around 1960, Wood’s old shop became Silloth’s first supermarket.
Fine Fare were the first multiple store group seen in the area.