www.stteath.co.uk 

Village Businesses 1939 and 2011

2 February 2011

Memories of the village are all too soon lost and the history of business and characters in it too. Here we try to record how businesses have come, and often gone, over the last 72 years.

Although the locations of business premises are generally easy to identify and photograph today, many views of these as they were in 1939, on the run up to World War II, are missing. If you can help with an old photo, or a better one than those below that could be copied please contact Rod here. Any photos loaned will be returned promptly and acknowledged on this page. You'll probably notice that old photos below were not taken in 1939, but it is probable that changes in buildings or developments were very modest in the immediate pre-1939 period.

First stop in any search for business activity is Kelly's Business Directory which was published on an irregular basis up to 1939 (hence the choice of this year). The listing below at first sight suggests a good degree of self sufficiency, but also when compared to today, a huge decline. For example, there were about 18 shops or workshops where goods were sold or manufactured in 1939, compared with just 4 (including the pub) today. There were of course many farmers in the area, providing many employment opportunities, but not in the village.

The map below shows how the businesses were distributed, with blue for 1939 business and red for the few remaining business premises today. The numbers refer to those in the list below.

At least three important developments have taken place in recent years which greatly affect business activity in the village; firstly the role of the supermarkets in producing goods at prices which local traders find hard to compete with has spelt the end of many small shops. Secondly, the rise in the number of holiday homes - often providing work for those in the building trades, but also raising property values. A glance at our latest list of businesses reveals how they no longer support shops or workshops, but tend to be the result of self employment, mainly in the service sector, or ownership of letting/holiday properties. A third recent development is the rise of the use of the internet. There are now several people in the village who find employment opportunities or sell goods online perhaps creating a hidden economy. Hopefully, the mediocre speeds of connection can be improved to cope.

1 Thomas Auger
Blacksmith

The hinge held by the man on the right is probably
that on the door of Forge Cottage. Is it Thomas Auger?
Former smithy and Forge Cottage. The anvil
still remains by the wall and the millstone is still there.

2 Harold Burden
Garage proprieter - succeeded by John Treleaven

The garage - year unknown
Koth Kaarji housing development

3 Mrs M E T Clemoes
Post Office and grocer

The Post Office owner was Oliver in this photo
Post Office and general store, 2010

4 Delabole Co-operative Society
North Road

The Co-op was on the land occupied by this house.

5 Edward George
Corn merchant, Personville, upper end of Fore Street

The location is now in residential use.

6 Philip William Giles
Carpenter, with workshop at the Community Centre. Kept bantams in the workshop.

Community Centre 2010

7 William Hicks
Blacksmith

Smithy just visible behind gentleman in foreground
This building and part of the site on the right
housed the Smithy.

8 William Harry Honey
Farmer, Tower Farm, Bakers Park

Tower Farmhouse today.

9 Thomas Benjamin Hoskin
Smallholder, The Poplars, Bakers Park

10 Thomas Oliver Hoskin
Farmer, New Parks Farm, North Road

Now an extensively modernised cottage.
The dairy was the building on the left.

11 William Magor
Business: butcher
Central House, The Square. Premises later used by W T Tucker General Merchant

Year unknown, but the shop entrance is shown
Central House, 2010. Residential

12 John Neal
Bootmaker, Trevilley Lane

Site now forms a private drive.
The workshop was between Park View
and Villicot in Trevilley Lane

13 L & B (Granny) Oliver
Grocers - now Churchtown

Churchtown on left
Churchtown, 2010, now closed (April, 2011)

14 Bertram Parsons
Business: bootmaker
North Road - address was Tregarthen nearby

a butcher
the shop, 2010

15 Dr Donald McDougall Sproull MB ChB
Physician and surgeon - Surgery in The Square, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

The surgery was held in this cottage
in The Square.
Now called Clock House opposite the White Hart.

16 Ken Spry
Greengrocer
Corner of The Square with Fore Street

No photo, but it was a newsagent/general store
until 2008. Geoff Steers also ran this for over 20 years.
2010: A shop no more

17 Mrs Daisy Muriel Ruth Stainthorpe
Newsagent, confectionery opposite Treroosal Road

the shop was a wooden shed
The shop was roughly in the darker area.
Site now occuped by fairly new house.

18 The New White Hart
Ernest Charles Webber, Public House, North Road.

Pub shown behind crowds at outing 1918
Now rendered and smartly painted

19 St Teath Butchers (2011)

What was here before Kevin?
St Teath Butchers - Kevin Schofield

The following names also appear in Kelly's Directory which are outside the immediate village area, or difficult to locate on the map.

Donald Ley, builder top end of Treroosel Road
Harold Mewton and Co., Timber merchants, Trehannick
William Parsons, Garage Proprieter, Allen Valley
Emily Pedlar, Boarding House, Well Park
William Smith, Carpenter, Hatherleigh Terrace

Acknowledegements

Brenda Burnard and Glenda May for photos
Bill Hicks and Bill Honey for helpful discussions

Top