Foodshops in St Martin's, Stamford Baron

In 1911 there were 7 shops selling foodstuffs (3 bakers, 2 butchers, 2 grocers ) at the south side of the River Welland. They served the population of St Martin’s parish and Dolby’s directory had been listing them in the same place for many years.
Mostly they sold ‘perishable’ foods, particularly the two staples of meat and bread which needed to be bought fresh. Other goods could be obtained by crossing the Town Bridge to the main shopping area of Stamford.

At nos 2 & 3 High Street St Martins was R H Morley’s butcher’s shop (see pic), a well-established business appearing each year in Dolby’s Directory.
Ernest Warner remembered

“My mother would buy sausages from Morleys at the end of Water Street on the end of the Anchor hotel”.

At no 4 High Street was the grocer, J P Cumberland and Miss Cumberland ran a small bakery business at no.7. The grocery business had flourished since before 1882 when Mr Cumberland took over:

“In 1882 Mr Cumberland took over from Mr Holmes who had a grocers’ shop at 13 High Street St Martins from the 1820s and is now on a footing with the most progressive houses in Stamford. “The business developed so rapidly that it was found necessary to acquire the adjoining premises of Brooks’ tailors at 98 High Street). By 1892 the stock is well-selected, comprising all classes of general grocery, dried fruits, hams and bacon, tinned goods etc. Mr Cumberland makes a speciality of 1s.6d. tea and for strength and flavour it cannot be excelled in the town. A feature of the business is the sale of patent medicines, Beechams pills occupying a prominent place. Beecham’s 1s.1/d. boxes are sold here for 10d. an item that has helped to popularise the concern. “An experienced staff is employed under the supervision of the proprietor and customers have discovered that their wants are conscientiously attended to.” (Stamford in 1892, Trades & Manufactures, pub Robinson & Pike (London))

Another butcher, G H Markham had a shop at no 10 High Street , a small grocery store at no 13 was run by H Hackett and a bakery/confectionery had been opened by H.Hill in 1902 at no 65 (including the Post office with money order facilities which previously had belonged to Hacketts grocery store at no 13). In Water Street, at no 21, there was yet another small bakery/confectionery run by James Hudson (five sons but they were not bakers)

These same shops were listed in Dolby’s directory of 1900 with the addition of two sweet shops run by Mrs Woodcock at no 12 and Mrs Pepper at No 14. Probably these two ladies sold sweets from their own front rooms and they had closed by the time Dolby's were collating the 1911 Directory.

1900 Dolby’s Directory

High Street St Martins

• 2&3 – R H Morley – butcher
• 4 – J C Cumberland – grocer
• 7 – G A Brown – baker
• 10 – H S Riley – butcher
• 12 – Mrs Woodcock – sweetmeats etc
• 13 – H Hackett – grocery stores and Post office
• 14 – Mrs Pepper – sweetshop
• 65 – Mrs Chambers – bakers ( until 1902)

Church Lane

• 16 – W Hill – grocer

Water Street

20 – H Freeman – greengrocer ( until 1909) 21 – A Kitchen – baker & grocer

1901 – Dolby’s Directory

High Street St Martins

• 2 & 3 – R H Morley – butcher
• 4 – J C Cumberland grocer
• 7 – F W Beeby – baker & confectioner, corn and offal merchant
• 10 – H S Riley – butcher
• 12 – Mrs Woodcock – sweetmeats etc
• 13 – H Hackett – grocery stores and Post office

Water Street

• 20 – H Freeman – greengrocer
• 21 – A Kitchen – baker and grocer

Church Lane

• 16 – H Hill - grocer

1902

• as 1901 with the addition of butcher W Hercock in Burghley Lane

1950 – Dolby’s Directory

By 1950 Cumberland’s had expanded to nos 4,5,7 High Street. The business included a post office with money order facilities which from 1902 had been further up the High Street at Mr Hackett’s grocery store. Ernest Warner remembered buying broken biscuits from Cumberland’s and Margie Harvey remembered deliveries from Cumberland’s;

“Someone would come to your house to take your order. They came out to all the villages”.

So Cumberland’s was trading outside St Martins over a wide area. At no.11 J H Pick had opened a fruiterer’s shop and the small general grocery at no.13 had been taken by M O Johnson.

Away from the High Street, Water Street still had a greengrocer (A J Cooper) at no.18 and a baker and confectioner(J Hudson) at no.20. The only addition was a fish and chip shop(G E Clarke) at the corner of Water Street and Malting Yard.

Since the 1950s there have been great changes to the shopping habits of the population.
Refrigeration meant perishable foods no longer needed to be bought locally every day; car ownership enabled people to travel further and buy in bulk; and once the supermarkets began to arrive in the 1970s the remaining shops did not last long.
Morley’s was destroyed when the High Street entrance to Water Street was widened to accommodate the growth of motor traffic.

• When did Pick’s close?
• Ditto Cumberland’s?
• When did Clarke’s leave?

Now there is nowhere in St Martin's parish to buy foodstuffs, not even a coffee shop for a snack.
The hotels, once serving the long-distance coach travellers on the Great North Road, are available as a source of food and drink for tourists. (George, Bull & Swan, William Cecil) but often regarded as too expensive for regular use by the residents of the area themselves.