Shops That Were In The Village
Shops in Margrove Park.
In the early 1900s Margrove Park
Had two shops. A hardware store
And a co-op.
Subject
: Jimmy Wootton
Information received from Mr J Dobson regarding the cobblers shop that stood at the entrance to Margrove Park
Also more information on Mrs A Smith nee Dobson.
Hello I have just read your bit about Margrove Park shops.
It was my Aunnt Annie who ran the shop at No.41.
I lived with her from the 1940.’s until I married in 1962.
She was Annie Dobson from Charltons before marrying Wilf Smith from Charltons.
Next to the old Co-op was Jimmy Woottons cobblers shop. He was there for years, my dad, said Jimmy was an old man when he was a boy and Jimmy was still there in 1961. He was a god send to us kids after the war. Everybody bought football boots from him and of course he was fully occupied with repairs. He lived with his sister in Lingdale and caught the 7-10 bus everynight.
We spent hours in his workshop, keeping warm around his stove. We got him wood for the stove and chopped it up. In return we had his wonderful hospitality and if you were lucky he would let you scrape his enamel bowl out, in which he used to cook his rice pudding.
The old tin shed was passed its best and every morning he would pile the ashes from his stove up against the side of the hut to keep the draught out. Jimmy was great, we were lost when he locked up at 7-00 pm and kicked us out.
John Dobson.
Before the second World War a Mrs A. Smith
Purchased No 41 Margrove Park and turned it into a shop.
She ran the shop until the late 1950s
It was then purchased by a Mr & Mrs P. Smith who ran it until the
The middle of the 1970s. It was then sold and the new owner turned the premises back into a house.
Sometime between 1948 and 1952 the co-op moved
To new premises on the opposite side of Margrove Road .It was closed in the 1980s and then became a DIY shop for a few years. It is now derelict
