Shop ’til you drop

Even I - a mere callow youth - can remember when Brownhills High Street had everything we needed. From the wonderful ‘Memories of Brownhills Past’ by Clarice Mayo & Geoff Harrington.

A wonderful comment arrived at the weekend from reader Steve Saich, which I think is worth posting in it’s own right as it’s absolutely fascinating and will, I’m sure, jog many local memories. I’ve been wanting to compile a list of shops in Brownhills and Walsall Wood for ages, although the time required to do so has eluded me.

Thanks to Steve and Edward. If you have anything to add, please fell free…

Hi Bob

Read your blogs with great intrest and got talking to my father in law Edward Rushton who still lives in the area and got talking about shops in the High street,see if these names jog any memories if you walked down the high street from the bridge towards the Anchor the shops on the left were:

Brewes bakery,with cake shop
National provincial bank
Florrie Bagnall – drapers
Timothy Cooper – grocer
Alf Gregory – shoe shop
Reginal Harding – draper
Jessops – Chemist
Jack Jones – fruitier
Mick Bladon – sweet shop
L Poynton-sweets shop
Eddie Denning-outfitter
A .E.Poxon butchers
Central cafe
Argentine – butchers
F W Parker – Butchers
Willets – shoe repairs
Willets – shoe shop
Midland Bank

Cross Church Road:

Howard Bradshaw – butchers
Masons – fruits
B.A Hardwick – grocery
Len Sadler – gents outfitter
Woodhouse  – undertaker
Tisdale – wet fish
Rogers – fruit
Gerge Bradbury – ladies fashions
Jack Princer – builders merchant
Wimbush – cakes and bread

Then a row of houses

Claude Cook – dry cleaners
A bread and cake shop
Jones – jewellers
Birds –  Jewellers
Dakes -fish and chips

Chapel

Brooks- outfitters
Haywards -Haberdashery

Cross over Bricklin Street:

Fletchers -ladies and gents outfitters
Deans
Latham -dentist\

Jessop’s Chemist shop seemed more deserving of the title ‘Emporium’. Check out those adverts. From ‘Memories of Brownhills Past’ by Clarice Mayo & Geoff Harrington.

Then cross over the High street and walk ack towards the Bridge.

Roinsons – ice cream
Co-op store – with the labour exchange above
Brittanic Assurance
Ernie Bevan – Hair dresser
F.W .Cater – TV and radio
Roerts -builders
Starbuck – butchers
Cyril Kingston – shoes
Holmes Fruit
Leister – shoe shop

Cross Pier Street:

Palace Cinema
Barkers – Garage
Florrie Cox – pawn Broker
A Lookham – sweets
Tomlinson – newsagent
Cockram – butcher
Anne Seedhouse – chemist
Cockram – seed merchant
Mount Zion – Chapel
Hayes – butchers
Taylors – bread
Whiplegg – dentist
Gas showroom
Regent cinema
E.J.Gwilliam – clothes
Alan Bird – Butchers
Saults – fish and chips
Eames – newsagents
Frank james – fish and fruit
Browns – ladies hairdressers
Ricketts – fruit
Bevan – toy shop
Turf accountant
George Philips – grocer
The tation hotel
Rupert Craddock – estate agent
and finally
Brownhills Market

Hope this jogs a few memories of establishments of the past which graced the High Street, only fish and chip shop take away then.