This article about shops in the north end of Mountsorrel begins in the Market Place which, for many years as its name suggests, was the site of the village market which began in 1292.
The Buttermarket was built in 1793 by Sir Joseph Danvers who had removed the original market cross to his estate in Swithland (where it can still be glimpsed in the field to the left as you enter the village).
This building was erected to enable the stall-holders to shelter in bad weather. It was used as a market venue for many years but then fell into disrepair on several occasions. It underwent major renovation work in 2012 and today is the most recognisable feature of the village.
Entering Market Place travelling towards Loughborough, there are two shops on the left. The hairdresser/beauty salon was, during the 1950s, 60s and 70s, Worthington’s grocery store where children (including me) would imitate the comedian Harry Worth in the shop doorway (look it up on YouTube!!).
When Worthington’s closed the end part of the premises became an equestrian goods supplier, whilst the hairdressing salon was the original site of “Upmarket” – a gift shop which later moved to the Green. This shop, owned by Pat Hynd, proved very popular in the village as it stocked unusual gifts, cards and craft items which was quite rare at the time.
The shop at the end of the building, next to Watling Street, was for many years a branch of the National Westminster Bank. It opened for only a limited number of hours per week and closed for good in the 1990s???
Also at the bottom of Watling Street, opposite the Buttermarket, is a café, situated in premises that were built in the 1970s. This replaced a row of three cottages which had previously been demolished. The building has housed several shops over the years, including a saddle/harness trader, a cheese shop and a dress-hire business, before becoming a café some 15 years ago(?)
At one time, probably during the 1930s /40s, there was at the bottom of Watling Street a fish and chip shop run by Mrs Newby??? Local resident the late Mrs. June Baum remembered her brother having a part-time job there peeling potatoes. The notice says “Fish and Chip Saloon”
The shop which at present is the barber’s shop was, during the 1930s/40s, the village Post Office. In the same row of shops is the hairdresser’s,” The Hair Gallery” which in the past was a butcher’s shop. During the 1930s and 40s this was owned by Joe Goodwin and, as was often the case in those days, he had a slaughterhouse at the rear of the building. After Joe Goodwin, the shop was run by John Lindsey though slaughtering on the premises had long ago ceased. In the 1980s the shop became Harp Antiques and then a baby clothing/equipment outlet and then a flower shop.
Next door at No.30 was, during the 1960s, Beryl’s Hairdressers, then Jeffrey’s hairdressing salon before becoming a private house. No 28, one of the oldest properties in the Market Place, was at one time a branch of the Midland Bank before changing to a private residence.
On the other side of the Market Place, opposite the Buttermarket, was the Co-Op building. This housed a drapery, a butcher’s and the general grocery, with offices and a large function room on the first floor. At least one senior resident of the village had her wedding reception in the function room. The drapery provided everything a housewife would need for making curtains, clothes and other items, besides selling ready-made goods. The grocery sold all kinds of food – tinned items, loose flour, sugar, tea and dried fruit and also dairy products. In the days before self-service shops, customers would have to wait patiently while items were weighed and wrapped individually but all the waiting time would give people the opportunity to catch up on local news and gossip. There were also bargains to be had – such as a bag of broken biscuits for a discount price! There were also moments of excitement such as the time when a horse and cart bolted from Watling Street and crashed through the Co-Op window. Luckily there were no casualties except for the unfortunate horse!
When the Co-Op concentrated its business on the Rothley Road branch, the building was used as, amongst other things, a laundry and a Chinese takeaway. It was demolished in 1981?? to make way for the re-development of the Market Place.
Situated next to the Co-Op was the White Swan pub – a one-time coaching inn – and next to that was George Spence’s bicycle shop. The building itself dated from the late 18th century. This was a very successful business as, during the early to mid 20thcentury, far more people owned bicycles than owned cars. George also advertised the service of “Accumulator Charging”. An accumulator was a wet battery containing acid and distilled water which was used in radios. It required charging regularly. An advert for the shop also announced “All makes of accumulators and dry batteries stocked”. Both bicycle and radio repairs were carried out at the shop.
The large building next to the bike shop was known as Waterloo House and is the present-day angling shop. This premises in the early 1900s was a draper’s owned by Mrs. Emma Brooks and although still known as Brooks’s , was taken over by Mr. H. Lakes who specialised in electrical and radio repairs, hardware, decorating materials and ironmongery. In the 1950s the shop became Roy and Trudy Bennett’s newsagent’s and gardening and angling supplies provider – reflecting Roy’s lifelong passion for fishing. Roy and Trudy had previously run a newsagent’s and bookshop at no.3 Market Place and after their move to Waterloo House, Roy’s sister Joan took the shop on and sold fancy goods, stationery and books and also ran a small library.
Next to Waterloo House, where Patel’s Off Licence is now situated, was the village’s chemist’s shop – quite handy since Dr.Walton’s surgery was at number 4 Loughborough Road. The chemist was Mr.Newton who was succeeded by Mr.Norburn in the 1950s/60s. He operated the shop in Market Place for many years before re-locating to the old chapel on the Green (Breward’s Coffee Shop).Prior to the Off License the shop was an antique gun shop, a golf shop an upholstery shop and a general store run by Roger Boon’s sister. Next to Norburn’s was Redhead’s wine merchant’s – the sign for which can still be seen in the window of the off-licence. Following Redhead’s the shop became part of the general store and then the Off License. Nowadays the open space on the corner of Market Place and Sileby Road is the Peace Garden but prior to this there was an old property which housed a sweet shop run by Mrs.Baguley and a book store (Hyman’s) which became an antiques shop owned by Mr.Mee. Unfortunately, the building burnt down in the 1970s?. On the very corner of Sileby Road was a butcher’s called Wright’s which again had its own slaughterhouse in a yard to the rear. Before Wrights the butcher was Fred Pepper.
In the area which now houses the garages of No.4 Loughborough Road was a small shop which was Lungenmuss’s barber shop. These premises were demolished in the 1960s?? to make way for the garages.
On the site of the recent lawnmower shop was a laundry which catered to both businesses and individual households. After the laundry closed it became the Mountsorrel Marine centre selling the “Finest Display of Boats and Outboard Motors in the Midlands”.
On the corner of Crown Lane was Home Farm Dairy owned by Walter Sills. An advert from the time offered “All grades of milk – TT Tested, Pasteurised, Sterilised etc. Schools and canteens supplied”.
Mr.White later owned the dairy and, even into the 1960s, cows belonging to the dairy farm would be driven from their fields on Sileby Road, along the main A6 and up to Crown Lane to be milked. This would happen twice a day and brought traffic to a halt while they made their slow way to the milking shed. Going to buy milk from White’s in the 1950s/60s could be an anxious venture for some, as Mr White kept two large Alsatian dogs which would do their best to frighten the customers!
The present day Spice Cube[the white building on the left] used to be Willoughby Veasey’s bakery before becoming Dockray’s fish and chip shop. Mr.Dockray also had a fish and chip van which he used to drive around the village and stop for customers in certain places. Opposite the chip shop, Mrs. Lucy Proud had a small sweet shop [blue shopfront on right].
On the same side of the road, and still visible today, was the site of a bakery run by the Jacques family, then Braybrooke’s and later Gibson. Mr. Braybrooke is described in an advertisement of the time as a silver medallist – presumably for his “high-class confectionery, pastry and dainty cakes”. This property has for some time been a private residence but allegedly still has the bakery ovens and some of the other original features.
Gibson’s bakery, run by a mother and son, offered celebration cakes, bread and emphasised their “Speciality Mince Pies”.
The next shop (the present day off license} along on the east side of Loughborough Road was Bradley’s greengrocery at number 48. Mr.Bradley also had a delivery service where he drove his van around the village. He also advertised wreaths and bouquets “at shortest notice”.
Crosby’s grocery (the present-day Chinese take-away) was different to other grocer’s in the village as it was frequented by the Martin family, who owned the quarry, and other “notable” residents. Such exotic items as ground coffee and “High class teas” set it apart from most of its contemporaries. An invoice dated 1904 describes the owner as a tea dealer, grocer and provision merchant and the invoice itself lists, amongst other items, purchases of a tin kettle, bellows and a door mat. When the Crosbys left the shop, it was taken over by Mr.and Mrs.K.Antill who also ran it as a grocery, greengrocery, confectionery and corn merchant’s business, with Mrs. Antill also taking in lodgers from Loughborough College
The shop on the corner of Loughborough Road and New Road (which leads to the quarry and is just before the railway bridge) was Spence’s off-licence. The proprietor was William Spence who had established the shop in 1893. Apart from being a grocery, provision shop, general store and off – licence, there was also a petrol pump in front of the shop for the use of the village’s few car owners. In later years it was taken over by William’s daughters, Lily and Clara. Mr.Spence’s son, George, also used part of the premises as a bicycle shop before re-locating to his own shop in the Market Place.
At the south end of the Company Cottages George Neal ran a grocer’s shop from his house. What is now 88 Loughborough Road was Miss Burdett’s, seen standing at her front door, shoe shop.
On the corner of Loughborough Road and Bond Lane is a building which you can see used to be a corner shop, where the Dexters/Wesleys sold sweets (Lilac Cottage).
The Rising Sun Chinese takeaway as it is now, used to be a transport café known asthe Woodbrook Café It closed in1990 after 56 years serving thousands of customers. During the early war years it was a popular stopping off place for Army convoys, with up to 100 vhicles stopping there. The cafe was originally owned by Mrs Coltman who had a bungalow next door (now replaced by another). She was followed in the early 1950s by Mrs Flowers and her son Jackie, and in the 1960s by a Londoner called (Ted?) Harris. Bed and breakfast accommodation for drivers was provided in the outbuildings behind the café.
This house, at the corner of Hawcliffe Road and Loughborough Road, was built for William Pepper Snr in 1900. After he died, the house was sold to the Peberdy family who moved from Market Place.They were cycle and motorcycle dealers and had a small garage at the rear of the house. Later they built a shop at the side of the house where they sold electrical goods. They were also insurance agents. Mr.Peberdy was also an agent for the White Star shipping line which transported quarrymen from Mountsorrel to the quarries in the USA to work for several months when work at Mountsorrel quarry was scarce. In the 1920s it became the Hawcliffe Café run by Mrs. Kate Barker. She provided not only “Hot luncheons, Dainty Afternoon Teas and catering for parties” but also offered Bed and Breakfast featuring “Bathroom, Electric Light and Indoor Sanitation”.
In the 1950’s the house came up for sale and was bought by Betty Nix, later to become Mrs Griffiths. She had her widowed aunt, Mrs King, living with her and she turned the property into a bed and breakfast establishment. She hadn’t been there long when the National Benzole Petrol Company made her an extremely generous offer for the house. So the house was sold, demolished and replaced by a filling station.
If anyone has any further information about the North End shops or any amusing stories about any of them, do please contact the Heritage Group.
This article was written by Linda Tyman, with help from Pat Neal and Robin Davies.
