Memories
Isaiah Holmes, Katherine Road, Thurcroft
Isaiah Holmes rented a shop on Katherine Road. The intention was to use it as an Off License and William Thomas Brown, Esq, landlord and agent for the trustees of Robert John Bentley had the shop with the intention of using it as a Off Licence.
Records show from 1 January 1927 Isaac Holmes was charged a rent of £50 per annum, the tenant was to assist the landlord in obtaining an off-licence for the premises.
There were 2 rooms to it, presumably one for groceries and one the off licence, it also had a cellar made ready for the beer etc., but Mr Holmes was never given a licence because there was already an Off Licence on Green Arbour Road, so it was run as a grocers.
Strangely enough as a child I can remember the grocers side of the shop being open during the day but in the evening this was shut and they opened up the sweet side of it as if it was a off Licence, I thought they sold alcohol but am told this is not so, I'm not arguing!
The two sides of the shop had their own separate doorways, you'd have to go and look to see what I mean. The shop had living accommodation to the rear and above the shop, Mr. and Mrs. Holmes had 3 or 4 daughters, and 2 sons. One of the daughters Winnie married Ron Lax and they eventually took the business over.
Isaiah Holmes' eldest daughter was called Ethel, she never married, their youngest son Jack Holmes married Doris Leening and lived on Green Arbour Road, they had 1 daughter and 3 sons, Doris and Jack are buried at Laughton.
The building is still there, it's now known as Johns Funeral Parlour.
Just down from Lax's old shop theres a big house that used to be the doctors surgery, it was built by Dr Kemp and later run by Dr's O'Hara and Lyle. Dr. O'Haras sister married Dr. Lyle.
The shop as above was built in 1927, two houses along from it and six houses around the corner on Brampton Road were built in 1937. Dolly Bell and Hedley Thorpe lived in one of these.