Apley Court

These are the memories collected from our latest reminisience session at Apley Court.

My first job was working in the market on a Saturday, I was 13 years old !

I used to come from Shrewsbury on a Saturday night to the clubs in Wellington, we used to go to the Majestic and the Town House.

I remember the old lady who ran the 2nd hand book stall, currency had just gone decimal she demanded 18 pence for a book and I said it was too much ! Of course she meant 1/6 (7.5 pence).

I met my Husband in the Town House in 1969

At the end of WWII the Army, Navy, Marines and the ATS marched through Wellington in a big parade through the town centre.

My family always used to go for a day out to the Forest Glen in the 1940’s and 50’s we always went there and had an ice cream.

As a small child I was taken down the Cattle Market to look at the animals it used to be a treat!

My favourites in town used to be the Clifton, the Grand Theatre and the Pussy Cat Nightclub.

The first film I went to watch at the Clifton was the Exorcist!

My mom used to work in the Forest Glen when I was a small child, we used to go and visit her and then it only had a tin roof.

Mondays used to be the big day in Wellington, people used to come from all over the country to the Cattle Market.

I used to go to the dinner dances at the Charlton and the Forest Glen.

I was born on the High Street in 1921, I can remember going shopping with my grandmother to Maypoles and Espleys. We used to go to the Smithfield on a Monday and Thursday to get vegetables and poultry.

I had my Wedding reception at the Charlton Arms and then my daughter did, we have many happy memories of the Charlton

Stuarts was the baby shop in town, it used to be on Church Street everyone used to get there prams from there.

Subways’ used to be boots in the 60’s, when they were trying to put in a lift they discovered the town well in the foundations

Everyone remembers the Clifton, but there used to be another picture house in town, I can only remember it was known as the ‘flea pit’, it was on Market Street.

There used to be a abattoir at the bottom of Tan Bank, the cattle used to be driven through the town on market days.

In the Market Square there used to be the Wrekin Hotel , a local MP used to stand on the balcony and give out the results on election days.

During WWI the first clinic for the poor opened up on Walker Street

Groom Alley used to be a timber yard, I remember the huge trees coming into town to be cut up.

At Tan Bank there used to be the Grand Theatre, I enjoyed going there to see the shows.

I remember going shopping with my mom in town, there used to be Barbers shoe shop, Maypoles the grocers, Richards the hairdressers, Hunters and the Co-op.

One of the first electrical shops in Wellington was Mr Allbutt’s on Mill Bank

There used to be a small pub in the market called the Pig and Whistle for people who wanted a drink during Market Days.

I got my first job in 1945 as a hairdresser when I went for my interview the town was decorated in flags and canvas for VE day, when I went to start work all the celebrations had been taken down and I couldn’t find the hairdressers !

Wellington Shops and Market Open Day

The Wellington Shops and Market Open Day was on the 11th December at Wellington Library. Many people attended the event viewing displays of old photographs, adverts, maps and the memories collceted so far. Many visitors also contributed their own memories and photographs to the project.

I moved to Wellington from the south thirty years ago, I went to a fish and chip in town and ordered fish chips and peas, they were mushy peas! I had never seen mushy peas before!

Perks used to sell the most wonderfull cheese ! they were in the square.

My first job was at Chad Vally, working right at the top of the building where the round window was. I used to stuff teddy bears, i met Harry Corbett as we made Sooty there.

My mom used to send me into Wellington on a Saturday afternoon to Terry Heaths cake shop and get a bag of mixed cakes for 2/6.

I remember living at 16 Glege St, a cottage with no water inside the house, and water being put inside by Jack Pointon. It was one tap, cold water and a sink !

I loved going to Cottons Ironmongers on New Street, not sure whatever happened to it.

My earliest memory of the shops and markets in Wellington is from the post war years , travelling into town from Aquaduct with my mother on the midland red bus and queing at shops such as Espleys in New Street.

I used to get my school uniform for Coalbrookdale High School from Norman Jellymans. Later in life living on the Brooklands Estate from 1966 to 1973 we did most of our shopping in the excellent variety of shops

Hornbeam Close

This week we continued with the reminisience sessions and visited Hornbeam Close and collected some more fasinating memories.

I worked at the Clifton in the 1940’s as a usherette, we had lovely uniforms and there was always a doorman outside


I got my first job at the Murphy’s bottling plant at the top of Church Road, I was 14 years old! Murphy’s also had a brewery on Market Street


My favourite shop was Macfisheries, it sold wet fish, rabbits and pheasants


I used to work at Bates and Hunts for Chemist before I got married, next door there used to be Owens the butchers, he would give us bones to get the fat out of which we used for baking, this was around 1945.


I remember the Chad Valley Factory making parachutes during the war, there was a lovely fish and chip shop opposite.


We always used to go down the Bingo Hall every Sunday night,


The shops and the market in Wellington was always known for good quality, you could get anything here!


The Charlton had a lovely Dance Floor we used to go there for the posh dinner dances.


I used to work at the Chad valley Rubber Works, we used to make rubber dolls and ducks


My favourite pub in the town was the Smithfield, it’s now a chip shop.


As a child we were taken to the cattle market for a treat our parents used to call it the ‘zoo’.


Agnews was always known for its quality menswear, but it was ever so expensive!


As a child me and my brother used to go down to the Cock Hotel on a bank Holiday and watch the tourist coaches going past!


I remember walking into town down Market Street the first thing you would notice is the smell of beer coming from the breweries in town!


The Belmont Hall was named after a school that used to be there.


Boyles was the place to get your fresh fruit and vegetables in the square, there was always plenty of choice in the market though on market days.


Down New Street there used to be little cottages, they were not shops but they used to sell things from there front rooms, from potatoes and carrots, to peg rugs and even clothes.


Wellington used to be a town with lost of little shops, there were never any supermarkets but there were lots of butchers and bakers.


As a child we used to go to Dabb’s sweet shop, blackjacks were always my favourite, but you used to get more for your money if you had cherry lips!


I remember Espleys cooking the black puddings, they used to bring them into the shop steaming!


Wellington market was so busy on a Saturday morning that I couldn’t get in with my pram and the children!


I lived in the old new street before it was renamed, I remember in 1929 we had no gas, no electric and three families had to share a tap!


As a child I had to go and buy the wood for the fire, it was sold by Miss Hayward on the high street, she sold wood, nets and all sorts of things.


My favourite shop was Mr and Mrs Burroughs on Market Street it was a general store and sold everything


Wellington was always known for its quality meat, there were at least 6 butchers just in the market!


I remember the first supermarket in town was the Co-op it sold clothes as well as groceries.


I used to work in the market selling cakes and biscuits for Mrs Burroughs, I used to work on Thursdays and Saturdays


I remember in the 1930’s all the ladies walking into town on a Saturday evening wearing their long dresses going to the dances in town.


I used to go to McClures for my new hats, they had a sale on twice a year, I think every lady in Wellington bought their new hat from there when they had the sale on, everybody wore a hat in those days.


I moved to Wellington from the south thirty years ago, I went to a fish and chip in town and ordered fish chips and peas, they were mushy peas! I had never seen mushy peas before!


My first job was working in the market on a Saturday, I was 13 years old !

Lowe Court

This week we visited Lowe Court and collected these memories.

My favourite shop was Richards I always used to go to buy my cigarettes and tobacco from there.


My favourite pubs as a lad where the Bucks Head, the Cock Hotel and the Barley Mow.


As a child I had my picture taken with Johnny Hancocks and Billy Wright the footballers at the Forest Glen!


I used to go and play snooker at the YMCA youth club as a teenager.


I remember there used to be a police officer in a white box directing the traffic round the island be the Cock Hotel and The Swan, of course they moved The Swan round in the late sixties for the new road layout.


Where Greggs is now used to be The Lamb public house there always used to be fighting in there once I saw a chair thrown through the window.


I used to go to Flamingos every Saturday night for the dances.


When I was a teenager we always went to Jarvis’s as we could never afford the prices in Sidoli’s.


My aunty used to own the pub the Hand and Heart I remember sitting in the bar as a child visiting her.


Carrefour was the first supermarket to open in the area in the 1970’s it was the first of many big changes in the area.


My Grandad used to own a small farm on the outskirts of Wellington as a lad I used to help him take the cows and pigs down to the cattle market.


As a child my favourite shop used to be at the top of new street and sold model aeroplanes, I cant remember what it was called….

When Flamingos closed it reopening as Barrons, it was expensive but they had good disco’s it used to open 10pm to 2am


On a Saturday night I used to go to the Three Crowns and then the Majestic, there always used to be loads of squadies in there, and the night normally ended with them fighting over a girl!


The Charlton had a lovely Dance Floor we used to go there for the posh dinner dances.


I remember going to the Emerald Club, the used to have dances and comedians.


Tony Heaths used to be a nice Café and Bakery, when they built the Town House I went and saw Chuck Berry there, it was brilliant!! It cost 10 shillings!


My mom used to pay with the Rechabites subscription every week so we could get……., don’t know if we ever used it!


I remember Lilly Corbett the Cat woman, she used to feed all the cats in the town scraps.


I moved from Corwen to Wellington, I was always attracted to Wellington as we went through on the train, I liked the shops, the market and all the walks, I was so happy to move here.

Carvers Close

This week saw the beginning of the reminisience sessions and we visited Carvers Close. Please see below the memories collected.

Mrs Potts was a local character. She used to collect the scraps from the butchers and feed all the cats in the town. We were scared of her as children.

I remember the smell of bread and coffee as I walked past Sidoli’s.

Sidoli's made the best hot chocolate in town.

We used to queue up for fresh bread at Jefferies. The queue usually stretched out into the street as it was a tiny shop. It’s now an old fashioned sweet shop.

We went to posh dinner dances at the Charlton Arms.

I remember going to Bardgetts to buy a dress at 4’ o clock on a Saturday afternoon and I was going out at 6!

You could but almost anything at Wellington Market, from a reel of cotton to an elephant, well not quite but you know what I mean!

Sidoli’s always made the best cup of coffee for miles.

I always went to Sidoli’s for my Coffee and Rum.

As a child I always used to pinch the fruit from the stall outside the market.

My mom got me my first Job working in the Chad Valley factory!

I remember going to the dance hall majestic on a Saturday night, it was always full of soldiers.

I used to sneak out with my sister to the dance hall on a Saturday, but I always had to be back by 10pm!

Me and my brother used to go the market as children to but coke and logs for the fire at home.