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This photograph is part of a postcard of High Burgage, kindly supplied by Mary Fell. |
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In the same family for 100 years!
(Most of the information about this shop has been
supplied by Mrs Christine Hammond)
Frank Potts shop on High Burgage in 1965. The Clover lorry
delivered milk in quantity to the shop. The advertisement boards are quite interesting, but the one on the ceiling in the shop was more so. It was of a grocer advertising Jacob’s
Cream Crackers and was pasted up on the ceiling by Mr Bray as a young man. When the shop closed (1967/8) most of the contents were taken by the BBC Props
Department ... so it’s quite possible that even now, you still see some of the contents of this shop on your TV screen! The photograph on the left shows the shop about two years before it closed.
The history of the shop:
In the 1851 census, there are no dwellings listed between
the shop on the corner of Gate End (currently the Post Office and Winteringham Stores) and this shop. In this shop at that time lived the Watkins family:
John Watkin, aged 35, “grocer and draper” born in Epworth; his wife Sarah (40), born at Althorpe; their eldest
daughter Mary (5) a scholar, born like her mother at Althorpe; a younger daughter, Louisa (3) a scholar, born at
Winteringham; Thomas Trafford (16) a grocer’s apprentice born at Frodingham; Jane Mason (24) a servant born at
Butterwick, and Hannah Harburry, given as John’s sister, born at Althorpe, a widower and annuitant. By the time of
the 1861 census, John appears to have aged only 7 years, his wife 9, Mary 11 - now given as 16 tears old, Louisa
11 - now given as 14 years old, and there is another daughter Elizabeth who was born at Winteringham and is stated to be 9.The shop now has two apprentices - John Dunn (16), born Hibaldstow, and Robert Bee (18) born
Gainsborough. Alkborough born Mary Drinkall (22) is now the house servant.
 The Directories of the time tell us nothing of note regarding
the shop, merely stating that Mr Watkin is a grocer and draper.
Christine Hammond (nee Bray) writes: The shop was
owned by the Watkin family and then when Elizabeth Watkin married Edwin Bray became Bray's shop. Their first son was born in 1880 so they were probably married in the
late 1870's. Edwin Bray had come to work in the shop and I believe that there was "a bit of scandal" which resulted in him marrying the owner’s daughter.
My grandfather was the second son and we are not sure why he (Harold Bray) was the one who ended up running the family business although we wonder if Horace was set up in a shop in Scunthorpe.
The shop was sold to Frank Potts whilst my father, Frank Bray, was away in the army (late war time) when Harold became too ill to run it. My brother Peter has memories of
our grandparents being in the shop but it was sold before I was born in 1948. They bought a nice house in
Bridlington and where we went as children. Granddad died about 1950 - lung cancer I believe. When I remember him and see his photographs he always had a pipe in his mouth.
 The shop did sell everything that anyone could possible want (apart from fresh meat). They even
measured up the villagers for clothing. Oil, wicks, glasses etc for lamps, paraffin for heaters, all sorts of hardware, soap, cottons, tape, mending wools, etc. as well as food. If they did not
stock it they would get it in.
When we were young my mother worked in the shop for Mr Potts. I remember playing in the tea
chests. F.L. sold tea in packets with his own name on. The butter was bought in in huge slabs
and "patted" into packs for selling. The biscuits were also loose and we were given lots of broken biscuits from the
bottom of the tins and went off for picnics (with a bottle of Tizer if we were very lucky). I remember we were always
back in time for tea. After his death (1968) my mother helped Aunt Kit (Mrs Potts) to sell off everything before the
shop eventually closed. I think it was a Mr Rose who bought it and converted it into the Old Peoples Home which
he called Ancaster House - this was actually the name of the house next to the shop where the Potts' lived.
Grandma and Granddad Potts lived in the back of the house and he was the one who was always sent to get the paraffin.
Elaine Harrison writes:
 Of course I remember the adverts, the Jacobs Cream Cracker advert and one for SPRATTS pet
food (the letters written in the shape of a dog), at the corner shop.
One or two other things I remember about that shop are Mr Bray painting the price of his special
offers in a kind of flour / water paste or whitewash - certainly something white - on the inside of his windows. Mo and I spent a lot of time watching him. He must have got very adept at writing
back to front as it had to read correctly from the outside.
That shop always reminded me of "Open all hours" the sitcom with Ronnie Barker and David
Jason. It was quite dark as you went in and sold everything you could imagine anyone needing in a village from light bulbs, household goods, sweets and ice-cream to groceries.
He had large biscuit tins on the right hand side, at child level, as you went in the shop. Each box had a transparent
top so you could see the goods without touching them. My favourites were always garibaldi (squashed fly biscuits) and fig rolls
 When we were quite young my parents used to often send us down to the shop for things e.g. 5
cigarettes (yes they'd sell a child them then!) or 2 oz of cheese. (We were never well off so didn't buy a lot at once!) As the cheese was sliced from a large whole round of cheese we often seemed to get
a disproportionate amount of rind in our small portions. I also remember being with my parents and buying "loose", as my mother called it, VP Amontillado Sherry or Port at Christmas time, i.e. take
your own bottle and fill it up. In the summer they used to freeze those orange drinks that came in cardboard tubes - Jubblies, I think they were called. It was much more fun than a drink and lasted
longer. I also recall the first time that JIF plastic lemons were on sale. They made fantastic water squirters!
By the time of the 1901 Census, Burringham-born Edwin Bray (50) was the “Grocer and Draper”,
married to Elizabeth (49), with their three Winteringham-born children - Ethel (23), Horace W (21), and Harold W (19)
. The two boys occupation is “Grocer’s son” whilst in common with the style of the time, Ethel’s occupation is left blank. Lilly Dale (14) from Thorne is a general domestic servant.
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