Whetstone Hey Shops

A Memory of Great Sutton.

I remember the triangle of shops at the top of Whetstone Hey in(1962), when I was about 7 years old.
If you came up Whetstone Hey, from Valley Drive, on your left was Wartons Newsagents (what we called The Paper Shop). It was run by Mr Warton and I think his wife and one or two other assistants. Mr Warton was a small slightly tubby man, slightly balding. Outside were two Chocolate Machines. One sold Milky Ways at 'Thupence'
(A Threpenny Bit) each, the other sold Galaxy chocolate bars for sixpence (A Tanner) each. Later on there were three machines, the third one for Mars Bars, also a Tanner!
Next to Wartons was Tudballs. This was run by Mr and Mrs Tudball. I can't remember Mrs Tudball very well, but remember she usually wore a shawl. Mr Tudball was around 6 foot high with a slight stoop and Brylcreemed combed back hair. This was a General store selling tinned and boxed goods on the shelves at the back of the counter, similar to open all hours, as well as potatoes and other vegetables from sacks in front of the counter. These were weighed and put into paper bags as required. At the front of the shop on the left hand side were racks of large foot square Biscuit tins with glass hinged lids. Each tin was full of different types of biscuits. You could buy biscuits by the quarter pound or singley. On the right were other things like garden tools as far as I can remember; possibly buckets and mops.
Next to Tudballs was the Barbers. My dad used to go there at first, until the barber said to him one day "Short back and sides Sir?" "The top will look after itself". Dad walked out and never went there again!
Next to the Barbers was the Chippy. In the Sixties chips were 6d and 9d; 1/6 for Fish & Chips
( 2 1/2p, 4p and 7 1/2p).
On the other side of the triangle, opposite Wartons was the Chemist; Hollins the Chemist to be precise. This was run by Mr Hollins who was a very tall man in a long white coat and always smiling.
Next to the Chemist was the Co-op. Here you could buy all the groceries you needed.
I remember potatoes were sold in thick brown paper bags. These were 5lbs for 1/6d (about 2 kilo for 7 1/2p).
Next to the Co-op Grocery store was the Co-op Butchers. Here you could get a leg of lamb for 10 shillings and Sixpence (52 1/2 new pence!).
Perhaps someone remembers the names of the Barbers and Chip Shop???

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