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    Cradley Links

    Businesses in the High Street, Cradley in the 1920s and 1930s


    The Cradley Then & Now group's Sam Taylor has searched his memories of the businesses and major buildings in Cradley's High Street back in the 1920s and 1930s.


    Sam Taylor a sketch (Dan O'Driscall)

    We have compared Sam's recollections with the contents of the Kelly's Directory 1924. There is a remarkable coincidence of names and trades, confirming that Sam's memory is very sound indeed. There are a few cases where a name or business is remembered by Sam but not recorded by Kelly's, and vice versa. However, most of the differences are accounted for by the fact that not all businesses chose to be represented in the Directory. Moreover, the Directory is a snapshot in time (1924) whereas Sam's memory is of a period.


    In a small number of cases Jill Guest has added snippets of information or queries, and these are indicated in italics.


    It is interesting to note that there are just two businesses with a telephone number: Jones & Lloyd are "TN 33" and the Talbot Hotel is "TN 100".


    We have presented the information in two tables, the first for the east side and the second for the west side of the High Street. In both cases, we start from the river Stour, the boundary between Cradley and Cradley Heath, and work our way up the hill towards Colley Gate.


    Many of these shops, and their proprietors, were still trading in the 1950s and 1960s, and even later. However, today Cradley does not have a High Street. The entire length has been renamed Colley Lane, a continuation of the street of that name. Ostensibly the re-naming was to avoid any confusion with other High Streets in the district, although it is a sad fact that today (2007) and for some years now, the old "High Street" shops are mostly gone and local shopping is almost a thing of the past.

    Table 1 - Cradley High Street, east side

    Sam Taylor's memories Kelly's Directory 1924
    Coming up Cradley on the left hand side from the River Stour, starting at the entrance to Little Hill
    Bridge Inn Homer Annie (Mrs), Shopkeeper, 86 High St
    Jones and Lloyds, Chain Works Jones & Lloyd Ltd, Anchor manufacturers, Scotia works & Cradley Forge, TN 33
    Black Swan P.H. Robinson Alice (Mrs), Black Swan, 80 High St
    Clift Henry, haberdasher, 76 & 78 High St
    Bread and cake makers, Dentith Dentith James Baker, 72 High St
    White Horse P.H., D Batham Dunn Hezekiah, Beer Retailer, 70 High St
    Shop Sweets, ? Bate George, Shopkeeper, 68 High St
    Newsagents and Stationery, Chambers Chambers Thomas Henry, news agent, 6? High St
    Fish-wet, Warwick
    Robin Hood P.H., Tromans Jevons A, beer retailer, 52 High St
    Holly Bush P.H., Cotterel - Hickman Spicer Frank A, Holly Bush P.H., 50 High St
    Shoe Shop, Jewis Jewiss Alfred, boot & shoemaker, 48 High St
    Fish Inn, North - Hall North Thomas, Fish Inn, 46 High St
    Greengrocers, Williams Williams John, Greengrocer, 44 High St
    Grocers, White, Taylor White & Taylor, grocers, 42 High St
    Drapers, Dallows Wassell Clara (Miss), Draper, 40 High St
    Lloyds Bank Ltd, 38 High St (hours 11-2 Tues & Frid)
    Post Office, Christophers Christopher Alice (Miss), Post Office tobacconist, 36 High St
    Hill Alfred, Registrar of births & deaths for Halesowen subdistrict, 36 High St
    Sweet Shop, Bate Bate Elizabeth (Miss), shopkeeper, 34 High St
    Butchers Lane
    Clothes Shop, Stringer Stringer James, Draper, 32 High St
    Coal Gleads, S Bloomer
    Sweet shop, Abis Abis Charlotte (Mrs), shopkeeper, 18 High St
    Robinson John, carpenter, 18 High St
    Fish, Poultry, Eggs, Rabbits, J Genner Genner J, Fishmonger, 20 High St
    Clothes Shoes, Raybould Raybould Harold, boot dealer, 16 High St
    Bills Clara (Mrs), Wardrobe dealer, 14 High St
    Cobblers Johnson Bert, Boot repairer, 8 High St
    Butchers, E Hodgetts, J Hodgetts Hodgetts E, Butcher, 2 High St
    High Town, Mapletree Lane
    Old Crown Inn, D Provit, J, Jinks, R Jinks Proffit Daniel, Beer Retailer, 2 High Town
    Fish and Chips, S Goodwin Goodwin S, Fishmonger, 60 Mapletree Lane
    Sweets Ice Cream, Walter Hodgetts
    Willetts Confectioner, then offices for H Reece (Chainworks)
    Rates Office. Before Library was built (Allotments where Library now stands, Rates office now private house further up) Bird Edwin, assistant overseer, rate collector & Clerk to Parish Council, 40 Colley Lane.
    Infants School Colley Lane, built in 1902 and enlarged in 1911 for 255 children, Miss Ruth Lucy Wright mistress
    Police Station, before the Community Centre County Police Station, 32 Colley Lane, Walter Henry Wright, sergeant in charge, 2 sergeants & 4 constables

    Table 2 - Cradley High Street, West Side

    Sam Taylor's Memories Kelly's Directory 1924
    Coming up Cradley on the right hand side from the Stour
    Corn Mill
    Mill Street
    Grocers, Blunt Blunt Felix, Grocer 19 Bridge st
    Fish and Chips
    Round House
    Lyde Green
    Wesleyan Chapel (Trinity)
    Fruiter, Gad, Hickman
    Bethesda (Primitive Methodists)?
    Walker Solomon, Shopkeeper, 63 High St
    Miscellaneous shop, Millward called Tinkalary's Millward Bertram, hardware dealer, 47 High St
    Rose and Crown, Mop Boxley Boxley Fred, Rose & Crown P.H., High St
    Fish and Chips, Lears Leah John W, Fried Fish dealer, 41 High St
    Head Frank, confectioner, 39 High St
    Southall Walter, Grocer, 35 High St
    Warr Willam, Greengrocer, 29 High St
    Draper, Raybould Round & Nichol, Drapers, 27 High St
    Barbers, Flavel Flavell George, Hairdresser, High St
    Chemist, ? Harris Emily (Mrs), Drug store, 25 High St
    Second Hand, Pictures, furniture, Gill Gill Alfred, Furniture dealer, 21 High St
    Worton Emma (Mrs), Confectioner, 19 High St
    Butchers, Tidmarsh Tidmarsh Samuel J, Butcher, 15 High St
    Shop, Miscellaneous, ? Southall Joseph, china & glass dealer, 13 High St
    Talbot James, Draper, 11 High St
    Pawnshop, Rollinson, Taylor Rolinson William, Pawnbroker, 9 High St
    Robinson Howard, Painter, 7 High St
    Robinson Stephen, Boot repairer, 7a High St
    Plant William, Fishmonger, 5 High St
    Old Sandstone building
    Dungeon Head
    Mens Urinals
    Memorial Garden War Memorial?
    Baptist Chapel
    Blue Ball Lane sometimes called the Malthouse
    Butchers, Harris Harris William, Butcher, 3 High St
    Ironmongers, Paul Homer Homer Paul & Son, Ironmonger, 1 High St
    Anvil Yard
    Inage leading to Blue Ball Lane
    Colley Lane
    Grocers, Robinson Robinson Harriet (Mrs), Shopkeeper, 37 Colley Lane
    Electrician, Steve Robinson
    Grocer, Smith Smith John W, Grocer, 11 Colley Lane
    Grocer, Bills Bills Alfred, Shopkeeper, 7 Colley Lane
    Newspapers, Kirton
    Liberal Club Liberal Club (Edgar Dunn sec), 3 Colley Lane
    Large House (The Elms) Fox Miss, The Elms, Colley Lane
    Girls School 422 girls, Miss Ruth Evans, Mistress
    Boys School 400 boys, Thomas Allchurch, Headmaster
    Talbot Hotel, Oliver, J Roper, J Bills Oliver W & Sons (of Cradley) Ltd, Maltsters, Colley Lane, TN 100
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