Shops And Services in Smallfield During The 1930s

bill.haylor@btinternet.com  Resident in and around Smallfield for 81 yrs.

Shops and services were limited but adequate. Village hierarchy although unwritten was arranged in a manner that suited most people; the traders held most sway by the nature of their businesses, builders and farmers controlled most of the land.

Starting from the centre of the village. The first shop in Smallfield was on the corner of Wheelers Lane, in the 1930s it was owned by McKenzie the Grocer, the Post Office was first located here. Outside the shop on the wall were machines for Nestles Chocolate and Woodbine cigarettes in thin green packets of fives. The next shop going upwards and south was Warnett the Butcher, the daughter was cashier in the small office to the rear, the men would select a carcase of meat from a large walk in fridge which they sawed, chopped and cut on a large wooden bench. During the summer there were flies!

The Church Hall was next, then across the drive leading to the rear of the butchers was Steele's Dairy for milk and cream. Milk was delivered in bulk which they bottled. Mr and Mrs were short people and never cheerful. Harry the son was a cyclist.

Further along and half way to the school on the left was the Nursery of George Harris, a one armed very jovial man who also operated a grass cutting service, he carried his large mower on a motorcycle and sidecar, to see him operate the both the bike and mower was magic to a small boy. He also used the motorcycle to deliver his fruit and vegetables; he was very particular on how to present his products to the customer. His wife was lazy and smoked cigarettes all day; they had one daughter June who was similar. The soil was very poor but he achieved good results with glasshouses and fertilizer, he had one helper me, from the age of 10 whose main job was looking after the tomatoes and working the petrol driven cultivator.

A little further on and directly opposite the School was Gonville Laundry where my mother worked. It was owned and run by the Worsfold family with several daughters and sons, they had dairy cows and sold milk. They also had a delivery van. Next door was a chicken farm run by the Tullet family who sold eggs and apples from their orchard. The two Tullet boys were cyclists; with Harry Steele would often be seen with other cyclists riding through the village.

At the next farm lived Gordon Fisher and his sister Jinni. They had many cattle, chickens, ducks and geese who always warned of strangers about. Jinni sold eggs and milk, sometimes butter which was made in a wooden barrel turned by hand. They also sold apples in the autumn and the best Victoria Plums around, the big juicy ones not the modern commercial types. A little further south past the pond on the corner was the nursery of Harry Payne.

From Wheelers Lane going north the existing garage was run by the Evans family, 2 sons and a daughter. Paraffin was available. Glass sided radio accumulators that contained acid and lead cells could be charged for a cost of 6d. Just into Chapel Lane was the Grocer Sayers, a pleasant man and his skinny grumpy wife. Ted Kew was the assistant and I was the errand boy aged 12 who delivered all manner of goods on a bicycle. The owner also delivered in his car which I'm reminded was French by placing the goods in the dickey seat. The Post Office moved here from McKenzie's, and was run by Freda Harman. During the Second World War she fell in love with a Canadian soldier who either left her or died in the war. A little way along Chapel Road was Les Harman the Shoe Repairer (no relation). He was disabled and went about on a hand propelled tricycle.

Opposite Sayers the Grocer on the corner was the Wheelwright and Sign Writing firm of Phil Budgen and his parents. Next was the Blacksmith and Farrier Arthur Putt. Paint could be bought at Budgen's and metal from Arthur Putt. We boys often watched him shoe the horses; sometimes he would make us a metal hoop. A large part of both their businesses was renovating the caravans and equipment of Lord George Sanger's Circus. It varied from small iron cages that carried the lions and tigers, to the large wooden family caravans that were highly decorated. The circus winter quarters were further along Chapel Road at the fork in the road to Scotts Hill and Rookery Hill.

A short way along Plough Road was Henry King, builders, carpenters, undertakers and brick makers, their brickyard was behind Kings family houses and Kings Cottages, closed during the Second World War. The next building along was The Plough public house run by a lady. There were two entrances Saloon and Public. In the public bar there was an inglenook fireplace where I sat many times watching the old men playing dominoes. The drink would be dark beer. Those using the Saloon bar considered themselves of a higher rank in the village or were the more academic types who worked 'in town', they would never talk to those in the public bar and probably only drank shorts.

There were several mobile traders; Milk arrived by horse and trap with Jack and Ernie Prevett from Copthorne. Later Wasp Green Farm from Outwood made deliveries. Bread arrived by Slade of Lingfield in a green and cream van. There was a baker at Keepers Corner and another at Horne. The paraffin man, for heating was Howlett from Ifield, delivery was from a large tank in his van. Newspapers were from Mallison of Horley, delivered locally by Les Fuller and his brother Norman. Coal was delivered by Jack Baker and his son Bernard from Horne, Jack's grandson also named Bernard died from a motorcycle accident near to his home. Ice cream arrived by a Walls tricycle during the summer days.