Bridget’s meanderings

Bridget's Midhurst Meanderings

By Bridget Howard

Well now, “Shopping” - the physical act of entering a retail establishment and buying from it one or more of the goods on sale there. Do you still do this, or do you prefer to order online from the comfort of your home, paying a financial penalty to return unsuitable objects? We are witnessing a social revolution in which 'shopping' does not require shops.

In the 1930's, a time which many of the town residents of Midhurst will remember, there were six butchers, four bakers, five grocers, four greengrocers, three chemists, and six sweet shops – not to mention cobblers, pubs, garages, book shops and a music shops.

Do you remember the grocer? We stood at the counter while the shop assistant wielded a length of wire with wooden handles at each end, and cut our portion of cheese from a large block. Similarly, wooden paddles squared off our butter. Few things were pre-packed. We chose our biscuits from a bank of tins with glass fronts. The cheapest were 'broken biscuits'. Sugar came in blue paper cones. We stood, but the wives of local dignitaries sat on tall chairs and discussed their needs with an attendant senior assistant. Later that day, the errand boy opened our unlocked back door and put our purchases on the kitchen table. No need to lug home the supermarket's plastic bags. No supermarkets. No plastic. We carried small wicker baskets for fragile items.

In the greengrocer's, punnets of soft fruit were carefully inserted in paper bags. The baker, using tongs, placed small cakes into partitioned cardboard boxes. Loaves of bread were wrapped in white paper before being handed to us. Plenty of paper, plenty of time to chat.

There were more shops in Midhurst's Old Town than there are today. At the beginning of the 20th century, for example, at the top of Church Hill, Mr Dion L Dailey the chemist also sold tobacco and cigarettes, drawing materials, photographic goods, and mineral water! A few years earlier Mr Samuel Cowlap had the young H. G. Wells as his assistant in there. Today, a blue plaque identifies the house. Nearby, there were two boot-makers: Miss Ruth Symonds and Mr William Wonnar plied their craft beside the Midhurst Steam Bakery.

On the other side of Church Hill, on the site recently occupied by Lloyds Bank, was the emporium of Morleys, a Mecca for the

fashion-conscious. They advertised a large collection of up-to-date millinery, mantles, capes and dresses for the ladies, together with boys', youths' and gentlemen's wear, including boots and shoes. The shop used a system of overhead chutes to take money for purchases across to the cashier in the corner, returning with change and the receipt. flourished in West Street. Frisby's (now a ladies hairdresser on the corner of Grange Road) sold inexpensive models. The other, Gillams, marked by a plaque outside the photographic gallery, advertised the more costly Clarks' models. Today the travel agent in Rumbolds Hill occupies the former premises of Mr R. B. Robertson's drapery and haberdashery. (This

Morleys had competitors. Two shoe-shops was owned by Andy Robertson’s father)

Life on the Hill had its incidents!

One day, Mrs Waller’s shop at the top of Wool Lane was visited; not by a bull - but a cow. It inspected the goods on sale and was persuaded to leave without leaving a calling card.

Mrs Waller’s

Shop

In another incident, during WW2, a despatch rider sending his motor cycle up Rumbolds Hill, failed to take the slight turn into the narrowed road. He came to a rapid stop in the Wheatsheaf pub’s window. You can still see the damage it made there if you look hard.