Earl Street

Walking from Week Street into Earl Street there was a fishmonger on the left; Bradford’s if my memory serves me right. The shop was open fronted with the counters all tiled. The assistants wore long rubber aprons over white jackets and weighing scales hung down at the front of the shop ready to weigh out your choice in fish. At the end of the day everything was hosed down into the street, counters, floors everything.

Opposite stood a small toyshop, extremely narrow that went back and back. The toys lay out on trestle tables, assistants stood behind the tables ready to take your money or to pull even more toys out from a backroom if you couldn’t see what you wanted. I remember buying allsorts of toy animals to make up a farmyard that my brother and I were making.

Do you remember Gifford Boyd, the photographic store? In the sixties, we developed our own films and this was the perfect shop to buy from; the assistants were very knowledgeable about all aspects of photography and more than able to assist the likes of me. Gifford Boyd was a well-known photographer in his time; he also owned and ran a photographic shop in Hastings, this other shop continued after the Earl Street shop closed.

Honnors were the main suppliers of seed in the town in my time. Yes I know that there were many more, but this is the one that I remember well, they also sold animal and pet feed and leads and collars.

Honnors laid out the seeds etc. in bins outside of the store, giving you plenty of opportunity to inspect the goods. You would make your choice and the assistant would come out and take a scoopful back into the store for weighing and pricing.

Featherstone’s were a departmental store that sold goods on credit. It seemed to me that if you were posh you could indeed buy from here and pay later, but times were different and the attitude seemed to be if you can’t afford it don’t have it. Still the shop seemed to keep going even with these old standards.

Thinking about it, Featherstone’s may well have had tallymen going out selling on the doorsteps. Does anyone remember? I’m sure someone will put me right.

Need I say more, Fremlins dominated this street with the noise, and the smell of beer, horse poo, and the banging of barrels to insert or remove stoppers. It’s so easy to remember draymen walking about with their long leather aprons and their carthorses that pulled the beer around Maidstone. I do believe that Lorries delivered to the outskirts of the town though.

jean

Maidstone I remember it well: Yes Featherstones did have tallymen, my friends dad was one! I worked in the shoe department which was next to the dress and lingerie department and it was run on the same lines as 'Are you being served' all the customers were Sir and Madam and I can even remember being asked 'Are you free'. We put the receipts and money into a canister, put it into a tube and it disappeared down to the office. Might seen a tad old fashioned but I have to say it didn't keep breaking down as modern tills do. Happy days!

Kerry Adams

Maidstone I remember it well: I remember the wet fish shop at the top of Earl Street. As a child I remember that each year, just a few weeks before Christmas, my mum would take us in to town to order the turkey for Christmas dinner there. If I remember correctly they also used to have rabbit, partridge and pheasant hanging from hooks at the front of the shop so that you had to walk under these to go and get the fish you wanted off the marble slabs. Everything was sold wrapped in newspaper before you put them in your own shopping back. It brings back memories of my Nan buying whole fish and gutting and cleaning them at the kitchen sink before cooking them. All a bit different to buying them shrinkwrapped from the supermarket.....

Lyn Green (né Anderson)

Country: France Maidstone I remember it well: Yes, I remember John Bradford's fish shop; it was opposite my Dad's shop"The Leather Shop". How Maidstone has changed? and as you say wasn't it a treat to have fresh fish too - and I believe that there were 2 fishmongers?

peggy musson Maidstone I remember it well: My dad used to cure the fish (bloaters and Haddock ) for sale in Bradford's fish shop I used to help sometimes although it was a very cold job as before fridges the fish were kept in a very cold bath filled with ice and a very smoky job as the fish were then put on a rack (through mouth and out of gills) in a smoke room to cure My mum also made Hassams sausages that were sold there