Buying, Selling and Producing.

2019 Co-op temporary shop

A photo of the temporary shop that was built  on the garage forecourt and used during 2019  whilst Stowupland’s  new Co-op premises were  being constructed. Read more about the history  of transport and our garage.

Shops and Retailers (or see some images)

In putting this together a question that had to be considered is, what is a shop?

  • Is it a place a customer visits to purchase their requirements that a retailer has bought in?
  • Is it a mobile facility which brings retail items to the customer?
  • Is it the place where goods are manufactured or produced for a customer to collect from?.
  • or is it something else?

Today it is often purpose built premises but previously it was often a front room of the family home, and whilst the named shop keeper was  usually the husband it was the wife who ran the shop. Her husband often was out earning a living doing other work.

Most of the material in our archives relates to late 19th and 20th century shops. but we  do know that in;

  • 1468 Stowupland did have at least one shop . The will of Simon Kyy of Stowmarket  refers to a shop late of John Bylls. It was to be sold to his son John with all land and tenements in Saxton. The will continues, tenements calle COES and COWPERES with a shop.   Land of Wm BAKSTETE to be sold (except Maria to live in Cowperes for life) to John (son) all land and tenements in SAXTON. {ECA}

Occasionally press reports help us to piece together the histories of our shops, read on...

 Or this  article printed in Telstar gives a brief overview  of 20th century shops. Whilst we have names of previous shopkeepers the location of their shops is sometimes confused.

Our Shops On the Green: slightly confusingly during the early 20th century Stowupland had 2 shops that stood on its Green. One faced onto the Back Road and one stood side on to the Main road. M&M still trades as a butchers and delicatessen on the back Green, the one near the Main road has ceased trading and is now a family home

  • Diaper’s  – 1855, was this along Back Road or  did it become The Shop on the Green?

                The Stores, facing the Back Lane  Before M&M

              The Shop on the Green. backing onto Chapel Lane.

Shops on Devon Road: Dents Corner

Stowupland’s Beerhouses, Pubs or Inns, (or see some images from our archives)

Today we have The Crown and The Retreat but before the 20th century Stowupland had many other establishments where alcohol might be bought or consumed, some were small  beer-houses others were lost to Stowmarket when the bounday moved.

The Crown, its history or  read some bar tales

The Retreat, its history or its yarns

SLHG is grateful to Neil Langridge and Brian A Southgate for donating a copy of their book Stowmarket, Combs and Stowupland Pubs (Polstead Press:2009) to our archives. Although no longer in print their research has provided some valuable insights into the history of local hostelries

Crafts and Trades (images or see Miscellaneous Trades)

Industries and Co-operatives, Large or small

From the mid 19th century  there was increasing industrialisation along the Stowupland side of the River Gipping. This was aided first by the improvement in the navigation of the Gipping and then by the coming of the railway. (see images)

Industries associated with the River Gipping:

Stowupland Industries:

Food production (see also farming Practices.)

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Public Services and Utilities

Our Postal service

  • Our postal service has had various locations over the last 150 years but was usually associated with other  retail opportunities.
  • 1864 Robert Pyman was a tailor who also ran the postal service from one of the Malthouse Cottages (subsequently Croft Farmhouse).
  • By the 1900‘s the PO  had moved along Church Road to Bay Cottage where the Wilden family combined boot making with the post.
  • In the early 2000‘s it was relocated away from the A1120,for a few years, to Allard’s farm shop,  butchers and cafe.
  • By 2019 it had returned to to the A1120 , all be it once a week in a  mobile van.  (see other images)

Medical Services, see also Nursing and Stowupland’s Nursing Association

In 1972 ‘The chances of Stowupland having its own surgery or dispensary were described as slim’ (Stowmarket Chronicle and Mercury 24/11/1972 – MCA)

Buying, Selling and Producing.