Memories
Green Arbour Road Shops, Thurcroft
I was born 5th November, 1913, Vera Hill, my parents Albert Edwin and Edith Hill came from Derbyshire and bought the sweet shop on Green Arbour Road from new in about 1923.
Shops on Green Arbour Road - the 1st was Mappins beeroff, 2nd Bletchers grocers, the next 4 were built by a Mr Revill from Dinnington, the 1st of these being Hills sweet shop, the shop was a newsagents which sold sweets and toys, it was also a drapers. My mum sold cadburys chocolate, which in those days was in big slabs and you had to chop it up and put in bags, she had to put jars of sweets on top of the counter because children would go in and reach over the top of the counter and pinch the chocolate. My father was also a joiner and made some beautiful furniture some of which I still have at home.
The shop was eventually handed down to my brother Olwin Robert Hill.
After the 4 shops built by Revills, there was a butchers shop built by Mr Willoughby also from Dinnington, his son later ran this business.
I can remember Harry and Bessie Kennen who had shop in Thurcroft, Harry and Bessie had 2 children, Harry and Daisy. Daisy had 2 children, John and Elaine who died age 5 of menengitis. She is buried in Thurcroft cemetery on the left hand side, the stone has a angel on the top.
If Harry and Bessie had to go away anywhere they would get Dora Booth or her sister Kitty to look after the shop.
I sometimes used to look after Gladys twin boys, Ralph and Doug.
The shop had some land to the side of it which was fenced off, it was later owned by Hathers and a pony or horse was kept in this sort of paddock, Mr. Hather built a one storey extension to the shop and it was the first sort of little supermarket in Thurcroft, it had two aisles and a checkout, the extension was a meat counter, Mr. Hather didn't seem suited to be a shopkeeper - he never seemed to smile and tended to be abrupt with people.
The land to the side of the shop has now got the new shops on, but they keep closing down and opening up as new businesses, the latest is a chinese takeaway.
This was Harry Kennen's Shop
told by Vera Capp August 2007