DARLEY ABBEY HISTORICAL GROUP
NEWSLETTER
May 2023. No. 128
Chairman & Editor :- Alan Bradwell (Tel. 557203)
Meetings
The Events and Programme of Talks for 2023, arranged by Marie, is on our website; or pick up a paper copy at the next meeting.
Our Talks Programme, for the near future is :-
19 MAY 2023 -, ‘Migrations to Darley.’ by Steven Walker
16 JUNE 2023 – ‘Cromford Mill.’ by Cliff Lea.
21 JULY 2023 -,’The History of Tea Drinking.’ by Maggie Slingsby
NOTE :- This meeting will be held at The Church Fellowship Room, Darley Abbey Drive, due to the Village Hall being double-booked.
Events
1 The Book/Plant Fayre will take place as usual on Saturday 10th June in the Village Hall from 10 to 12 noon. Donations of books and plants are needed to Marie and Team for this event. There will also be an Exhibition of Darley Transport History. Helpers needed to set up.
2 Talks and Tours.
Buxton.
On Wednesday 17th May, Alan will give a talk on Darley Abbey History to Buxton Local History Group, followed by a Visit to Darley and Tour by this Group on Wed. 21st June – help needed.
“Memories”
Another article from Liz Lockwood :-
Bradbury’s Fruiterers Darley Abbey — 1960’s
I was talking to my friend Carole about DAHG and she said her parents Hubert (also known as Brad) and Joyce Bradbury used to run the greengrocers in Darley Abbey. Wow I said I didn’t know that and asked her to write down her memories.
Carole said that her parents only had the shop for a couple of years in the early 1960s and as she was only 7/8 years old at the time, she only remembers the shop not the people who shopped there. (she remembers them as all being old!)
The Shop was one of three on Abbey Lane/ Mile Ash Lane, directly opposite the Park gates.
(i.e the single ‘terrace’ of buildings which were built as ‘air raid shelters’ during the war)
Facing the shop the greengrocers was on the left hand side next to a butchers and a hairdressers or it may have been a haberdashery.
The shop itself was basically a single room – it had a large plate glass window with a green and white canopy above. There was a small cubby hole at the back where her mother would brew up. As it was so small all the goods were stored in cardboard boxes on tiered shelving. The Fruit and Vegetables came from the wholesale market in Derby. Nuts, eggs and salad stuff were also on offer. There were brown bags for fruit and vegetables and white bags for salad. The eggs came from local farms and were displayed on big trays.
The shop was open Mon – Sat 8:30am – 4:30pm. It was shopkeeper service ( No self-service in those days) and all purchases were rung up on an old fashioned ‘dunk’ till – think Open All Hours! Customers were allowed tick with most settling up on payday.
Carole can remember catching the bus after school from their home in Allestree to Darley Abbey to meet her mum and help in the shop till closing time. Even at the age of 7 she felt very grown up with her bus fare in her little purse, ready for the conductor. (Not something that happens these days.)
Her parents only had the shop for another couple of years and it was sold and later it became a newsagents shop run by Roy Denning.
Looking through the newspapers I have found that there were break-ins at Darley Abbey Fruiterers and Butchers shop next door in 1964. The Fruiterers was listed as situated on Mile Ash Road and owned by Mrs Beryl Fletcher – the princely sum of £2 pounds was stolen.
Is this the same shop or were there lots of little shops in the village?
Another memory, in the mid 1970s David Roberts ran the butchers and Richard Nelson worked there as a butchers boy but someone nicked his butchers bike!
Do you remember the Bradbury’s or perhaps you remember the Fletchers or the Dennings that ran the newsagents?
Please get in touch and share your memories.
Books etc. …..
We have an ever-growing archive of books, Reports, maps and other memorabilia.
An updated book list will be issued in due course and made available electronically too.
Members (only) to note that any item can be borrowed by contacting Barrie through the group email address.
As you know all Booklets can be purchased from Graham’s Village Shop and via the website. These sell at the current Booklet price of £2.50 each (plus p & p, if required).
Use our DAHG email address to get in touch.
darleyabbeyhistoricalgroup@gmail.com
All emails are appropriately distributed.
Visit our website at: https://darleyabbeyhistoricalgroup.wordpress.com
Alan Bradwell, Chair – 14 May 2023
DARLEY ABBEY HISTORICAL GROUP 