The Carlton Grocery Etc Chester Road Little Sutton

A Memory of Little Sutton.

My family had 'The Carlton' shop during my childhood and teenage years. My mum and dad (82 and 87) still live in Sutton, and I get back to visit often (I live in Spain). I have many fond memories of Little Sutton. I went to Berwick Road (as did my brothers Nick and Roger). I remember remember playing tennis at Hooton Tennis Cub up Berwick Road, the Methodist Youth Club with the ever patient Tony Hall. Playing in the empty 'big grand house 'Sutton Hall', up Ledsham Road... I shudder when I think we used to go down through a tunnel in one of the rooms, crawl along (Colditz style) and come up in Shepherds Farm. There were other old grand semi derelict houses we had fun in, the big house which stood where The Woodhey Hotel is, and before that, there was an old house where Berwick Grove houses are now. Possibly about 1964, I was playing there with Kathy Moore (School House) and I fell and cut my leg. It was a Wednesday afternoon, so half day closing in the shop, my grandad drove me and my mum to the Cottage Hospital (I have still got the scar to prove it!). I have lots of lovely memories of the shop, Mrs Carwright, who worked behind the counter (I loved her to bits), jam puffs, 'uncut tin loaf', Jap dainties (we would probably have to call them 'Oriental dainties' now!), loose biscuits, Mantunna tea, Camp Coffee. All the 'penny sweets' were all loose on an old trolley table with barley twisted legs. One Saturday morning, I decided 'to help', so I bagged all the sweets up into the little paper bags (you got a lot for a penny). When my dad saw what I'd done, he went bonkers! All the customers were Mr this or Mrs that. I adored Christmas when all the beautiful big 'picture boxes 'of chocolates were delivered. I remember once when a customer pleasantly complained that there was a decided lack of the purple ones in her regular 1/4 of Quality Street, my dad apologised and promised to speak to 'the traveller' .... whilst giving me a scary stare! There were no nasty yellow lines in those days, so people happily parked outside their favourite shop. We had a drive 'slope', where once some poor lady had parked, not locked of course, so, my grandad, took the handbrake off, and pushed it round the corner into Berwick Road. When she came back, she was baffled as to where her car had gone. My grandad made her sweat a bit, before giving her a lecture. I don't remember her parking there again! Oh, so many memories.
Carol Harkness (Williams)