Corner Shops

What’s the definition of a corner shop? Well, either a shop on the corner of a block, or maybe a single shop in the middle of a terrace of houses. But, definitely not a shop in a long line of other shops (or a parade). Do you agree?

When we moved to Whitchurch in the early 1970s, there were lots of corner shops, but perhaps the definition needs to be further refined; a tobacconist/newsagent (like Madley’s – later Thakker’s in Foreland Road), but perhaps not the hairdressing salon just around the corner in Heol-y-Forlan. A grocer, yes; a butcher or a baker, but probably not a florist. Not even a cobbler. What do you think?

Many ‘corner’ shops were converted from a traditional house with the front room as the shop (there are lots of examples of this on the Philog). Others were built as shops within a new development. Sometimes as a lock-up and other times with a flat over

Most of these ‘corner’ shops have been converted back into regular houses, but there are still a few tell-tale signs of the old shops if you look hard enough

On the roundabout near the library (sorry hub!) are a line of shops. Back in the 1970s they were more specialist; Best’s greengrocer, Jackson’s butcher, Ferda’s, Jennifer’s, even Tim Davies expanding grocery shop (now Tesco). But I don’t think any of these fit my definition of a ‘corner’ shop. On the opposite corner by the Methodist Church was a dairy. Maybe this was a corner shop

On Manor Way there was a shop with its own layby!

In the village proper, there were so many shops, they couldn’t be classified as ‘corner’, even if they were quite specialist. Janet remembers some of these from her childhood; Buckner’s butcher, Parkman’s sweets, the Fforest Farm Café, Seale’s delicatessen, the 2 shoe shops, Millward’s and Halewood’s, Edwards grocer – but none of them ‘corner’ shops

The sketch below from 1910, is of a thatched-roof shop near to the Maltsters; was this a corner shop?

To my shame, I was once sent by my wife on Christmas Eve to the butcher in the village, to collect the turkey that had been ordered. After queuing for (what seemed like hours), the butcher couldn’t find the order and the people behind were getting restless. I was then sent out of the shop to Dewhurst next door! I was never trusted to collect the bird again. There were too many butchers!

We need to go south of the village centre towards the Philog to find some of the older shops. Richard remembers shops from the 1930s; Ivor Jones small general store at no 27, the Ideal Stores at no 33, Alf Bayliss the greengrocer (where BroDan are now), Rowland Loveluck Jenkins tobacconist/newsagent at no 57, and everyone talks about the Victoria Bakery run by Mr Keeping, and later the Eddy family

Yes, all of these must be considered as proper corner shops (using my definition)

Then there was Phillips the grocer on the corner of Gwauntreoda Road which was destroyed by bombing in WW2

And a chip shop at no 102, just qualifies as a corner shop (or does it?)

Adjacent to Flay’s farm, Mrs Rogers and her son ran the Post Office (I can remember the pillar box outside), was this a corner shop? It was on the corner, so probably yes

Then there are shops further away in Old Church Road, the Post Office by Park Crescent, another Post Office in Heol Don and more recently, the parade of shops in Westbourne Crescent and at Tynewydd. If we drift into Llandaff North, Tongwynlais, Birchgrove and into Rhiwbina there are so many more

What memories does all this invoke? What were the shops which were important to you, and can anyone remember what did they sell? We’d love to hear

Perhaps we’ll look another time at the shops in the village centre, the ‘non-corner’ shops

 

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