The Village Shops Etc.

Born & bred 'Tarpotion'. The shops? The best I can remember, starting (1) Junc/Rushbottom Lane/London Rd - NAT, parcels & goods service (later Essex Carriers, Atlas Express), now the bank, cycle shop. (2) - Pie shop (Mrs Copphing). (3) - Fish Shop (Mr Davy) (3) Green grocer (Mr Roberts, later his son-in-law Mr Stovel). (4) - ?Tarpots Hall, Dance to Les Allen and his Band, and HQ of our brave Air Cadets, I think the only thing they flew were kites. (5) - I think this was a bakers and posh caff. (6) - The alley way down to the rear of the hall, this was the billiard hall, the dark underworld of Tarpots, local shopkeepers and others? would meet and wheel and deal. Now the Co-op, (7, the next block of shops) - Tobac/sweets (Mr Tom Prior was Alf's market man)  (8) - not sure 2/hand goods? (9) - Gen grocers (Mr Clarke) (10) - chemist (Mr Cross) (11) - small corner shop, menswear etc, was electrical shop. (12) Butchers (Mr Summers, later Jones & Joyce's hairdressers (his wife). (13) - 'The Garage', WW2 days it was for a time M.T. section for the anti-aircraft units in the area, then home of the Aux Fire Service, then 'Cliffs'. Ron Cliff lived in Kent 2002. Now the site of just what we needed, a grotesque block of flats 'courtesy' of our unelected planning (joke) jobsworth at our council.
(14) - Factory 'Glanfields' WW2 making uniforms, post-war STC (Standard Telephone Company), finally Arrow Shirts, now Saxon Court. That's it for that side of London Road North.

South side:  (15) - where the travel agents and car parts now stand, WW2 was massive round water tank for fighting fires in the event of air raids (factory was a prime target), post-war the present building was a small Co-op and a cafe. (16) - the corner shop junc Hatley Grds was a ladies & gents outfitters, two shops (mr & Mrs Aldersons), now the culinary delight 'KFC. (17) - not too sure, it might have been 'Arfers Kaf', dear olf Arthur Hill, or the wool shop (Mrs Ransome). (18) - ?, (19) - green grocers (Mr Gamage), (20) - Haberdashery (a little elderly lady who stocked a million sewing bits and bobs). (21) - Butchers (Bert Christmas and Ruth); David ? (now Natwest). (22) - papers & cigs etc, Gamage (brother), then Newsbox (Mr Fancy), then Bob Holmes's (23) last shop, it was the second post office. Run by younger Smith brother, the first post office was where Ben Furniture is and Swan Court, there stood a large bungalow which was a post office and cafe run by (Mr Mackenzie), later office and telephone box moved to PO 2. (24) - the 'Tarpot' pub, its hey day was the 50s and 60s. Picture 20 coaches packed with hard working (48 hour week) East Londoners thirsty, hungry and frisky saved in the firm's outing club for the annuyal 'beano' or a trip to see the 'Lights Fantastic', 'You youngsters ain't lived', they drank the pub nearly (not quite) dry, they sang, danced and did the Conga etc. They loved, oh how they loved, and of course they fought, no knives those days, odd knuckle duster perhaps, and they were sick, very sick. They went away happy, singing back to the grindstone for another year and of course they spent well in the local economy, mostly to Southend's benefit. We will never see the like again, because most of them now live here! The pillars of respectability and Conservatives too!


Round the corner to High Rd to Benfleet. Opposite the bus stop was, left to right: (1) hardware shop (Sid Smith the elder), (2) hairdressers F/M (Louie Mendozer, barber, bookie and anything else sir? Later 'Bert' the barber took over, he also ran a tasty little band. (3) Corn and feed merchant (Horace Palmer, ably assisted by his delivery man, Big Fred Polly and 'Nobby', his beloved horse. Sadly Fred died of a heart attack, I always wondered what became of poor old Nobby.  

TARPOTS? Local history states that on an early surviving Benfleet Manor Roll (1405) the farm was known as TARPODY or TARPOTTES, said to be so named from the distillation of wood around the area for Tar and Pitch used on boats, and wooden buildings.

Well, that's it. Whatever you may think of Tarpots, it was where I started life and wherever I have been in the world I came 'home' to Tarpots.