Shops in the early 20th century

Savage and Parsons, later Parsons, was the largest and most popular shop in the High Street. Here, its delivery cart is seen in Frogmore.Charlie Merritt is the boy leaning agaiinst the bridge.

Potter’s General Storehouse survived the High Street Fire of 1910. It was later taken over by H.G Pink and finally Mr Witt, a butcher

Jane Earwaker, born in 1749, was the first to keep a grocer’s shop at Glenthorne House, in an extension known as the Gatehouse. She was the first known postmistress in East Meon. In the 1840s, John Nathaniel Atkins continued the post office and also offered a grocery and a coal delivery business.

What had been Thomas Adams shop in the High Street later became Savage and Parsons, then Parsons, seen here on the left. It sold groceries, wine, bread and coal Opposite was The New Inn, now the Izaak Walton.

R.Norgett and sons sold meat from what is now Riverside. There were two other butchers in the 1920s, George Aylmore and Samuel Long.

In the early 20th century, Arthur Smith ran the Post Office on new premises, opposite the George Inn, and also sold groceries.

“Warrens, where the Tudor House now is, was the Haberdashery and apart from selling groceries and household goods, sold fabrics, boots and shoes, as well as locust beans and figs out of sacks on the floor.” Margery Lambert

This album of old photographs shows the shops in East Meon in the early 20th century. The captions are largely drawn from quotations from interviews with Clara Fisher and Margery Lambert.

“The village had four bakers, three grocers, a paraffin and hardware store, a saddler, two butchers, two mills, wheelwrights, farriers, a post office, and even a fish and chip shop, as well as visits from ‘travelling shops’ selling fish and meat. Clothes, boots and shoes could be bought at one grocery shop (Warrens).” Clara Fisher

For a plan showing the locations of shops, pubs and trades in the early 20th century, click here.

Creator

Various

Date of creation

1980 - 2007

Date of coverage

1889 - 1930

Place

East Meon, High Street

Contributor

Freddie Standfield, Denys Ryder, Clara Fisher, Margery Lambert

Copyright

n/a

Reference number

EM/0135

Accession number

2013-11-016

Storage location

Digital library at Dropbox Images/Shops and Trades

Format

Old photographs

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