BROADSTONE SHOPS PAST & PRESENT - DON HARRIS

The Broadstone Camera Club approached the Chamber of Trade with a view to compiling a photographic record of Broadstone's shops as a project for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002. As the trader's secretary, this brought me into contact with the club's Brian Woolgar with Derek Harris and Rita Atterton (formerly Soffe). A fruitful afternoon spent memory dredging, enlarged the project into - Shops through the Reign of the Queen, focusing on the years 1952-1977-2002. The task of bringing names and facts to the front of rusty memories, is proving difficult but totally absorbing, even when aided by an ancient 'Kellys' street directory. I thought this could be the subject of a series of articles for the 'Mag', when space permitted. This is the first part of a walk along the Broadway, recalling half-forgotten characters and their shops to the best of our Joint memories. Firstly, The Broadway it is, as the recently uncovered Street nameplate outside number 163 demonstrates. On the corner of Grange Road was a large old house and site which in the 1950's was the Boys Home, a well run Dorset County home for boys in care. It was demolished and redeveloped in the 80's, when the present four shops and offices over were built, the car parking at the rear was a valuable addition. Next, a single storey shop was a branch of Mew's the old established Parkstone soft furnisher and undertaker. When they were taken over by Beales, it eventually became Perrins, a gents outfitter of the old family owned type. Unfortunately, after a short time under the new ownership of H C Peal it was closed. Finally it has become another Charity shop. The shop now owned by Tappers funeral services has a varied history. In the 50's it was Breech, Broadstone' s first TV shop. It was sold to a successor, who only had a brief stay. It became a record shop with toys, but when the Fletcher family took over it became a successful Toy Shop run by the son David. With the tragic sadness, which dogged that family, it closed. Incidentally David now successfully manages the Bovington Tank Museum. After a time as Ensors estate agents, finally, Tappers moved in. In contrast 175 was a dispensing chemist, owned in the 40's by Parrs, who sold it to Len Davies who had come with his family to Broadstone. As a fellow trader we became friends, and 1 never ceased to admire his helpful service to the community. No matter what the hour, Len would make up and deliver urgently required prescriptions or Oxygen cylinders to Nursing Homes and private houses. Len was an outstanding trader and someone 1 was proud to have as a friend. In the 50's the next door shop was a double fronted greengrocer, who, in the next decade divided it into two shops, one half let to the present owner, Goadsby and Harding, who soon occupied the whole unit. Proceeding to 179 there was, in the early 60's, ~ Heathers', run by two sisters, an old fashioned ladies dress shop with a small knitting wool section. 181 was The Corn Shop a unique shop run by Mr Glider. Here you could buy large and small quantities of seeds, bales of straw, pets and their food supplies and all sorts of home produced preserves and goods. In the mid 60's, after much discussion and controversy, which now seem rather outdated, Broadstone acquired it's first Fish and Chip shop. The elderly proprietors quietly retired and David and Derek Long extended their empire into both those shops. Moving along, where trades the dry cleaners and a modern day, character, Les, in The Combi Shop, stood Parade Motors. This was the garage which survived longest in Broadstone and was run by the Styles family. Behind petrol pumps on the forecourt there was a showroom and at the rear, large service and repair bays also a sizeable spares sales area. They had the Austin and then the British Leyland agency. Here we bought our only brand new car, a Farina Austin A40. - Happy Days.

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