Wiltshires

A Memory of Calne.

At the back of this photograph is Calne Free Church and just in front is "Wiltshires" the grocery shop.  My father William John Cook worked there for many years.  I can see him now neatly wrapping parcels in brown paper and tying them up with string.  Amongst the many items sold here were large tins of broken biscuits and I have many happy memories of choosing my favourite types whenever he brought a tin home.
Come forward a little and the shop on the right was a stationers, whilst opposite that was Harris' shop.  Bacon, hams, pies, if it contained pig it was sold here!


Added 23 July 2009

#225366

Comments & Feedback

I used to help deliver bread on Saturdays from Wiltshires, in an old wooden carriage pulled by an even older horse. The horse knew the route better than we did and sometimes if he got bored would take off on his own and go to the next stop all by himself, of course with all the bread in the van. It was very hard to get him to go back.
I remember that horse. He used to stop at our house in Bishop Rd and leave presents for our roses almost every day.

I worked in Maslen's Bakery which was owned by Jack Wiltshire. They supplied all the cottage loaves and Lardy cakes to the bread delivery men.

I loved working their after school. I cleaned trays, swept up and did the washing up. Occasionally, I made the Lardy cakes and squirted jam into the donuts. Great times.
The stationer mentioned was R S Heath I think.
I worked in Heath's for a while during a period when my husband had been posted to Aden this would have been late 1963/early 1964. I was on the desk selling fountain pens and also sometimes arranged the window showing off Calne holiday mementos.

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