The hot summer of 2022 has brought a new tenant to 3 Market Street, which we all remember with fondness as being Peter Parke butchers until his retirement in October 2020 after 72 years in the trade. The owner of The Enchanted Willow, Nicky O'Grady, has taken over the shop, having moved from next door with her floristry business.

The property itself is a Grade II listed building. It's timber framed and dates back to the late 16th century with its earliest section being at the rear. The double leaf panelled doors are from the late 17th century as is the central roundel with radial glazing above. The building has examples of mullioned windows and has a jettied first floor. It is well worth studying the variety of features this fine building has retained over the last 400 years.

The building was known as 'the oldest house in the trade' in the late 19th century when Robert Wright, a saddler and harness maker occupied it and ran an ironmongery, oil and general stores.

In 1841 Robert Wright, age 30 was a harness maker in the Market Place with his wife Martha and young sons Robert age 6 and Thomas aged 6 months. Sadly Martha passed away in 1848. By 1851 Robert was still at the Market Place as a saddler employing two men, His eldest son Robert, had started to follow in his fathers footsteps as a saddler's apprentice whilst Thomas was 10.

The 1861 census shows that Robert had married again. By now Robert and his family had moved to 3 Market Street, where he was listed as a harness maker as well as a farmer of 40 acres of land employing 5 men.

But what of Robert junior? He married Ann Day in Norwich in 1854 and by 1861 they were living in Middlesex with one son and two daughters but Ann passed away in 1870 when they were in St Pancras, now leaving Robert with four sons and two daughters. He remarried the following year to Elizabeth Wall.

Back in Wymondham in 1871 Robert Wright senior at 60 years was still a harness maker in Market Street and wife Maria was 55, Robert now employed just 2 men. However he died by 1873 which was possibly the reason behind the younger Robert's return to the Market Street family home and business by 1881. Along with wife Elizabeth he had a step son, a brush turner apprentice and step daughter plus three sons and two daughters all at school, a house full indeed! He was a carrier and oil seller from the premises.

During the 1880s, Robert changed occupation and became a market gardener and florist. In 1891 he and Elizabeth were joined in the Market Street shop by two of their sons. John was a bootmaker clicker and Thomas, a groom and stable lad. Their daughters Amelia and Elizabeth were both employed in the local brush factories.

It's unclear when or why Robert and Elizabeth vacated 3 Market Street, but by the turn of the 20th century it had become a busy butchery run by Thomas Cross whose family had been butchers in the town since around 1780. Butchery was a trade which would be central to the building's identity for the next 120 years.

Over the years the Cross family lived and worked in much of Wymondham including Damgate in the mid 1800s. By 1861 young Tom Cross aged 15 had already entered the butcher's trade alongside his brother John William age 14. Tom had several siblings including little Jeremiah (then 3 and a half years old) who would take over Tom's business in time.

By 1871 the Cross's were located in Fairland Street and 1881 saw the Cross family at the Dog and Duck pub in Market Street where they also had a butcher’s. This is now Reno Refills.

1891 saw Tom now married and he and wife Catherine were living next to the White Hart. Over the next decade he acquired the old saddlery at 3 Market Street and he opened his own butchers, where they also lived with their daughter Violet Maud age 9 in 1901.

The 1911 census shows Tom, his wife, and daughter Violet 'Maude' (now aged 19 working as a dressmaker) living there along with Tom's sisters Emma, Adelaide and brother Jeremiah.

Thomas was succeeded in the butcher's trade by his brother Jeremiah 'Jerry' Cross by 1933 before Tom died in 1935.

Butchers shops then were very different to now with the owners taking pride in creating stunning displays of fresh beef, pork, lamb, sausages and poultry, often hanging sides and birds outside at the front, something which today would not be tolerated by Health and Safety officers and the public too! The Cross family had their own slaughterhouse at the rear so they could offer fresh meat at all times. Tubby Fulcher recalled to local historians Anne and Adrian Hoare how all the meat was on display in the shop and at the windows and if the meat started to smell it was thrown away and Jerry Cross stood by with a fly swatter at hand!

Following Jerry Cross's retirement the property became empty. Jerry died in 1943. With the butchers shop empty In World War Two, the army requisitioned the site for use as a gas decontamination centre.

Thomas 'Tom' Henry Parke hailed from Suffolk; was born in Fressingfield and lived in Mendham and Halesworth as a butcher. For a while Tom came to Wymondham in the late 1920s and had a butchers shop in part of the former George and Dragon Inn which had closed in 1928, in the Market Place (where Nationwide now is). The old inn was then called Southdown House. Tom and his family returned to Suffolk in the mid 1930s. In the war Tom returned to Norfolk and purchased Suton Farm on London Road and in 1947 Tom acquired 3 Market Street, Wymondham. He removed the plaster cladding to reveal the original timber frame we are so familiar with today.

Tom opened his shop as a fishmongers with the intention of selling fish and chips as well, but this was never fulfilled. For a time he had a dry cleaners there too until his butchers licence came through. Tom's son Peter started his long career in the butchery trade in 1948 working alongside his father and his mother Christine who sold the fresh fish. Once Peter completed his National Service and left the army in the early 1950s he returned to the business and the rest as they say is history!

Following Tom's death on 8 February 1967 Peter took over the business and his mother, Christine continued to sell wet fish until the mid 1980s. Peter sold the famous Cromer Crabs in the summer season, which proved very popular with the race to get a crab for tea before they sold out. In winter a must have was Peter's home made pork cheese and dripping. Other popular sidelines were local strawberries and of course his selection of home cooked meats and his famous ham.

Peter as a young man enjoyed playing table tennis in his free time at the Queen’s Head. He reared beef cattle at Suton to sell in the shop. However he stopped this, his daughter Jayne said, as 'he became too fond of the animals.' Peter met his future wife Yvonne at a dance, she lived in Hethersett and would walk past the shop on her way to work at Daniel's Nurseries at Northfield. Peter would wait outside the shop for her when she got off the bus. Peter and Yvonne had 3 daughters Jill Jayne and Anne who along with Yvonne were all involved in the business. The passing of Michael Cornwell in 2010 who had worked for Peter for 30 years was especially sad for all.

In 2014 Peter reached 80 years of age and to celebrate the occasion having not taken a holiday since his honeymoon to Clacton on Sea in 1957, Peter's family arranged a surprise open-top bus ride to the Market Place where he was greeted by family, friends and customers. Once the festivities were over the press asked Peter what his plans were for the rest of the day and he said 'Well I'd better get back to work, I've got customers coming in and a shop to look after.'

With very few days off, Peter went to the shop every day even Sundays to check things over and spent especially long days there in the build up to Christmas prepping orders of turkeys, beef, geese, chickens, ham and of course his sausages - the best for miles.

Peter, a gentleman by nature, always gave a friendly wave as you walked past, asking about the football score, asking after the family and for any general news in the town. He admitted he loved the social side of his work, meeting and speaking with his customers, which was the main reason he kept open for so long. Peter made children feel so lucky by always making sure they were given a little piece of ham and they loved it.

The 31st of October 2020 was a sad day for Wymondham, with the retirement of Peter Parke and closure of his premises following the Coronavirus pandemic with Peter feeling the time was right for him to finally put his feet up. Peter was inundated with best wishes for the future and for a well deserved and happy retirement with many greetings cards and presents after serving the town for 72 years.

In June 2022, the premises had new life breathed into it when Nicky O'Grady moved her florists shop The Enchanted Willow to the old saddlers and butchers. Nicky originally opened her business next door in March 2020 just as the country went into lockdown. This summer Nicky took the opportunity to expand her business to include fruit and vegetables and a selection of locally made bakes and to move into one of Wymondham's oldest and most attractive buildings, bursting with history. Following in Robert Wright junior's footsteps as a florist and with fruit and vegetable sales and Nicky's stunning floral displays and enthusiasm for her craft, 3 Market Street has a wonderful future ahead of it.