Malden Miscellaneous 2
by Robin Gill
Those of you who have been reading the Village Voice for some time may remember an article I wrote back in June 2013. These were a number of short stories which didn’t seem to “fit” anywhere else, and were produced under the heading “Malden Miscellaneous”. These included Charles Haffenden and the Ladies of Rutland Lodge, and his subsequent adventures guarding the fountain. The Reverend and the bird cages, the romantic poisoning, and the Malden men and their cow catcher.
Four years on, there are some other stories which I hope you find interesting:
How many of you have worked in Malden, maybe in a retail outlet? I volunteer for Barnardos in the High Street (67), this is the former home of Sandy’s menswear. Sandy’s was opened by Edward Sandy in 1955, and was succeeded as manager by his son Patrick. It closed down in 2011 after 56 years, and the site was acquired by Barnardos.
We want to work together
Almost diagonally opposite Barnardos on the other side of the road is Peacocks a discount clothing store. If you look above the store frontage, you will see the date “1921” the year that particular section of the High Street was constructed. The first occupants were John Joseph Sisley (Confectioner) and John Sainsbury (Sainsburys) in 1922, who were joined the following year by the London Joint City and Midland Bank (forerunner of HSBC) on the corner of King’s Avenue.
Contrary to popular belief Sainsburys was not the first national firm of grocers to open in New Malden. Already established were the International Tea Company, and the Home and Colonial Stores, but Sainsburys were the first who are still trading under their own name. The first Sainsbury’s opened in Drury Lane London in 1869 and so was a bit late coming to Malden over 50 years later. In 1928 when James (the original Sainsbury) died, Malden was one of 128 stores. His last words supposedly were “Keep the shops well lit”. Sainsbury’s are Britain’s second oldest food retailer after the Co-Op.
James left an estate with a value of over a million pounds, so his immediate family were well off. This included his grandson Cecil John Sainsbury aged 21 in 1928 who married Hilda Grace Plumridge aged 20 at St Andrew’s Church Totteridge in September. Hilda lived with her parents in Grafton Road, and worked in the cashier’s department at Sainsbury’s in New Malden joining in 1925 aged 17. Her father Jesse worked for the War Office. When the grocers opened, a large number of employees were recruited from the local area. Hilda was born in New Malden and christened at Christ Church, she left school at fourteen to work in London, but of course Grafton Road would have been only a few hundred yards away from the store, and more convenient.
According to Hilda’s mother, Cecil idolised her. She remembered him arriving in his car to ask permission to marry her. He visited the house many times, and spent several hours with them. As Hilda was under 21 her father had to give permission for the marriage, which he was happy to do, but did not attend the ceremony “because like most men he hates weddings” said Mrs Plumridge.
The couple met at a dance on a firm’s outing in 1926, and it was a case of love at first sight. Cecil was attracted by her athletic prowess as she had won many awards in hockey and tennis. They were engaged in April, and Hilda’s sister Evelynn acted as one of the bridesmaids.
The honeymoon was spent at Windermere in the Lake District, before the couple returned to live in Finchley in a road dubbed by locals as Millionaires’ Row. They had one son Kenneth born in 1929, and a daughter Judith in 1937, and when Cecil died in 1998 aged 90 he left over £1 million.
Cannings can
Currently for sale via a well-known internet auction site is a postcard depicting a cherub dressed in army uniform. The card dated September 1915 is for Master Willie A Butchart of Kings Avenue from his daddy (also called William) who was serving in the army with the Royal Field Artillery. In the card, he wished his son a happy birthday (12th August) and hopes to be home soon to give him rides around the garden (we shall have a nice time!). He was true to his word, as by the middle of 1916 William had a baby brother Norman.
Our main interest in this card is that the recipient Willie became the second proprietor of Cannings in the High Street. By the end of March 1936, Cannings was under new management as the new proprietor took over from the original owners Mr and Mrs Wilfred Wiles. Mrs Wiles maiden name was Cannings which was why the shop was so called. Promising personal supervision, William guaranteed good service and customer satisfaction. He set about enlarging the range of products being carried and increased the amount of advertising taken out.
For springtime, he carried a range of folding chairs (@4/11) and stools (@3/11) in four colours “ideal for picnicking” together with a range of cups, straws, and plates.
The shop also started selling cigarettes and magazines on a regular basis as well as toys, gifts and stationery, also offering the printing service and lending library. In July, the shop started carrying greeting cards and postcards, either a local view (Cannings produced their own range of 15 cards now keenly sort after by collectors) or a “good clean comic card”.
Cannings started carrying knitting patterns later in the summer, again promising any patterns ordered by customers would be ready the following day. They were also quick to establish a Christmas Club enabling customers to order items for the festive season. The printing side was also extended to include personalised stationery including wedding and mourning items, also Christmas cards personalised with your name and address.
The toy range was built up for Christmas, promising gifts “to delight any boy or girl. Toys that it will give you pleasure to buy”. So, the first Christmas at Cannings was a success with increased sales of all items, including crackers, gift boxes of doyleys, stationery cabinets, fountain pens, diaries, and albums.
Mr Butchart sold the shop to Mrs Ethel Edwards, who traded there from January 1940 being joined by her son Norman in 1949.
Cotton tale
The Reverend Nathaniel Cotton was an eccentric character who arrived in New Malden in 1882.He seems to have been heavily involved in court cases during his short stay in our area. The first of these was with William Batchelor who lived near the railway station. Batchelor started an argument at the station accusing Cotton of owing him money which Cotton denied. They travelled to Surbiton on the train together still arguing. The language used by Batchelor was abusive resulting in the court case, after which the reverend gentleman was struck in the mouth by the defendant who was fined £1 3/6.
Two months later Cotton was charged with being drunk and disorderly in Grafton Road where he was living at the time. The priest was carrying a walking stick, and threatened to “beat the brains out” of anybody who came near him. He was surrounded by a great crowd of people watching what he was doing, and was approached by Acting Police Sergeant William Brooker of Chestnut Grove who asked him to leave the area quietly, which Cotton refused to do, and was therefore arrested and held overnight at the police station in Kingston (there was no station at Malden). PC Charles Massey confirmed everything his superior officer had said, and added that Cotton had fallen over once or twice chasing some boys who were provoking him.
Cotton had been observed earlier that morning walking around” like a deranged man”. He had been creating a disturbance for most of the day, and had even broken down the door of his house so he could take his pony indoors. Afterwards galloping around without a saddle or bridle. Cotton’s defence was that he recently bought the horse, and wanted to groom him. To avoid being watched by a crowd he took the animal into his front parlour to complete the process. The court was informed, that previously, the reverend had attempted to ride his horse up the steps to the platforms at the railway station. Neighbours complained that Cotton frequently came out of his house at 3 or 4 in the morning accompanied by a barking dog. Cotton claimed that this was in order to clean the road. He was fined £2 19/6.
A couple of months later he appeared at Wandsworth charged as being drunk in a public street at Wimbledon and behaving in an eccentric manner causing a crowd to assemble. He had also been riding a horse bare-back He promised not to repeat the episode and was discharged.
The following week he was fined 23/6 at Kingston for allowing his horse to stray in Coombe Road. The priest did not turn up for the hearing, and hadn’t paid the previous fines charged to him. Two weeks later he was charged with being drunk and disorderly lying across the footpath and shouting, he was fined 10/-.
In December, he was fined £3 for carrying a revolver without a licence. He was drunk in the Market Place, and on being approached by the police handed the gun over. He had still not paid previous fines, and did not turn up for the court appearance. Fortunately for the local police and magistrates, Cotton moved to Oxfordshire where he immediately carried on his drunken exploits.
Before we are quick to condemn, records show that Nathaniel Cotton was admitted to the Laverstock Asylum on 31st October 1890, he died there on 13th January 1892 aged 70, described as a lunatic.
by Robin Gill
Those of you who have been reading the Village Voice for some time may remember an article I wrote back in June 2013. These were a number of short stories which didn’t seem to “fit” anywhere else, and were produced under the heading “Malden Miscellaneous”. These included Charles Haffenden and the Ladies of Rutland Lodge, and his subsequent adventures guarding the fountain. The Reverend and the bird cages, the romantic poisoning, and the Malden men and their cow catcher.
Four years on, there are some other stories which I hope you find interesting:
How many of you have worked in Malden, maybe in a retail outlet? I volunteer for Barnardos in the High Street (67), this is the former home of Sandy’s menswear. Sandy’s was opened by Edward Sandy in 1955, and was succeeded as manager by his son Patrick. It closed down in 2011 after 56 years, and the site was acquired by Barnardos.
We want to work together
Almost diagonally opposite Barnardos on the other side of the road is Peacocks a discount clothing store. If you look above the store frontage, you will see the date “1921” the year that particular section of the High Street was constructed. The first occupants were John Joseph Sisley (Confectioner) and John Sainsbury (Sainsburys) in 1922, who were joined the following year by the London Joint City and Midland Bank (forerunner of HSBC) on the corner of King’s Avenue.
Contrary to popular belief Sainsburys was not the first national firm of grocers to open in New Malden. Already established were the International Tea Company, and the Home and Colonial Stores, but Sainsburys were the first who are still trading under their own name. The first Sainsbury’s opened in Drury Lane London in 1869 and so was a bit late coming to Malden over 50 years later. In 1928 when James (the original Sainsbury) died, Malden was one of 128 stores. His last words supposedly were “Keep the shops well lit”. Sainsbury’s are Britain’s second oldest food retailer after the Co-Op.
James left an estate with a value of over a million pounds, so his immediate family were well off. This included his grandson Cecil John Sainsbury aged 21 in 1928 who married Hilda Grace Plumridge aged 20 at St Andrew’s Church Totteridge in September. Hilda lived with her parents in Grafton Road, and worked in the cashier’s department at Sainsbury’s in New Malden joining in 1925 aged 17. Her father Jesse worked for the War Office. When the grocers opened, a large number of employees were recruited from the local area. Hilda was born in New Malden and christened at Christ Church, she left school at fourteen to work in London, but of course Grafton Road would have been only a few hundred yards away from the store, and more convenient.
According to Hilda’s mother, Cecil idolised her. She remembered him arriving in his car to ask permission to marry her. He visited the house many times, and spent several hours with them. As Hilda was under 21 her father had to give permission for the marriage, which he was happy to do, but did not attend the ceremony “because like most men he hates weddings” said Mrs Plumridge.
The couple met at a dance on a firm’s outing in 1926, and it was a case of love at first sight. Cecil was attracted by her athletic prowess as she had won many awards in hockey and tennis. They were engaged in April, and Hilda’s sister Evelynn acted as one of the bridesmaids.
The honeymoon was spent at Windermere in the Lake District, before the couple returned to live in Finchley in a road dubbed by locals as Millionaires’ Row. They had one son Kenneth born in 1929, and a daughter Judith in 1937, and when Cecil died in 1998 aged 90 he left over £1 million.
Cannings can
Currently for sale via a well-known internet auction site is a postcard depicting a cherub dressed in army uniform. The card dated September 1915 is for Master Willie A Butchart of Kings Avenue from his daddy (also called William) who was serving in the army with the Royal Field Artillery. In the card, he wished his son a happy birthday (12th August) and hopes to be home soon to give him rides around the garden (we shall have a nice time!). He was true to his word, as by the middle of 1916 William had a baby brother Norman.
Our main interest in this card is that the recipient Willie became the second proprietor of Cannings in the High Street. By the end of March 1936, Cannings was under new management as the new proprietor took over from the original owners Mr and Mrs Wilfred Wiles. Mrs Wiles maiden name was Cannings which was why the shop was so called. Promising personal supervision, William guaranteed good service and customer satisfaction. He set about enlarging the range of products being carried and increased the amount of advertising taken out.
For springtime, he carried a range of folding chairs (@4/11) and stools (@3/11) in four colours “ideal for picnicking” together with a range of cups, straws, and plates.
The shop also started selling cigarettes and magazines on a regular basis as well as toys, gifts and stationery, also offering the printing service and lending library. In July, the shop started carrying greeting cards and postcards, either a local view (Cannings produced their own range of 15 cards now keenly sort after by collectors) or a “good clean comic card”.
Cannings started carrying knitting patterns later in the summer, again promising any patterns ordered by customers would be ready the following day. They were also quick to establish a Christmas Club enabling customers to order items for the festive season. The printing side was also extended to include personalised stationery including wedding and mourning items, also Christmas cards personalised with your name and address.
The toy range was built up for Christmas, promising gifts “to delight any boy or girl. Toys that it will give you pleasure to buy”. So, the first Christmas at Cannings was a success with increased sales of all items, including crackers, gift boxes of doyleys, stationery cabinets, fountain pens, diaries, and albums.
Mr Butchart sold the shop to Mrs Ethel Edwards, who traded there from January 1940 being joined by her son Norman in 1949.
Cotton tale
The Reverend Nathaniel Cotton was an eccentric character who arrived in New Malden in 1882.He seems to have been heavily involved in court cases during his short stay in our area. The first of these was with William Batchelor who lived near the railway station. Batchelor started an argument at the station accusing Cotton of owing him money which Cotton denied. They travelled to Surbiton on the train together still arguing. The language used by Batchelor was abusive resulting in the court case, after which the reverend gentleman was struck in the mouth by the defendant who was fined £1 3/6.
Two months later Cotton was charged with being drunk and disorderly in Grafton Road where he was living at the time. The priest was carrying a walking stick, and threatened to “beat the brains out” of anybody who came near him. He was surrounded by a great crowd of people watching what he was doing, and was approached by Acting Police Sergeant William Brooker of Chestnut Grove who asked him to leave the area quietly, which Cotton refused to do, and was therefore arrested and held overnight at the police station in Kingston (there was no station at Malden). PC Charles Massey confirmed everything his superior officer had said, and added that Cotton had fallen over once or twice chasing some boys who were provoking him.
Cotton had been observed earlier that morning walking around” like a deranged man”. He had been creating a disturbance for most of the day, and had even broken down the door of his house so he could take his pony indoors. Afterwards galloping around without a saddle or bridle. Cotton’s defence was that he recently bought the horse, and wanted to groom him. To avoid being watched by a crowd he took the animal into his front parlour to complete the process. The court was informed, that previously, the reverend had attempted to ride his horse up the steps to the platforms at the railway station. Neighbours complained that Cotton frequently came out of his house at 3 or 4 in the morning accompanied by a barking dog. Cotton claimed that this was in order to clean the road. He was fined £2 19/6.
A couple of months later he appeared at Wandsworth charged as being drunk in a public street at Wimbledon and behaving in an eccentric manner causing a crowd to assemble. He had also been riding a horse bare-back He promised not to repeat the episode and was discharged.
The following week he was fined 23/6 at Kingston for allowing his horse to stray in Coombe Road. The priest did not turn up for the hearing, and hadn’t paid the previous fines charged to him. Two weeks later he was charged with being drunk and disorderly lying across the footpath and shouting, he was fined 10/-.
In December, he was fined £3 for carrying a revolver without a licence. He was drunk in the Market Place, and on being approached by the police handed the gun over. He had still not paid previous fines, and did not turn up for the court appearance. Fortunately for the local police and magistrates, Cotton moved to Oxfordshire where he immediately carried on his drunken exploits.
Before we are quick to condemn, records show that Nathaniel Cotton was admitted to the Laverstock Asylum on 31st October 1890, he died there on 13th January 1892 aged 70, described as a lunatic.