This month I'm sharing some photos and memories from my own collection of Christmases past in Wymondham focusing on the town's shops at Christmas and Dickensian Evening.
Dickensian Evening was launched in 1986 and the annual event soon became popular. Many residents and businesses entered into the spirit, donning Dickensian style costumes and sharing mince pies together. Over time, Dickensian Evening evolved into a Christmas Fayre, then a Steam Punk themed Christmas Fair and now it is comfortably ensconced into Wymondham's calendar as Wynterfest and held on a Sunday at the beginning of December.
On Dickensian Evening in 1988, as the real Father Christmas was so busy preparing for the big night , he had help from Brian Seager owner of Geo R Reeve Ltd printers, booksellers, stationery and gift shop, who wore the red suit and waved as he was driven to the Market Place through Market Street, where he greeted children with lots of Ho Ho Ho's!
Brian was a vibrant character in Wymondham and is greatly missed. His Uncle, George Reeve started a printing business in 1928 in a room at the rear of Walter Lane's gentleman's outfitters in Middleton Street. As George's 'Model Press' expanded he moved Into premises in Church Street opposite Becket's Chapel and opened a bookshop in Market Street in 1949. He then opened a shop on the corner of Damgate now part of the RSPCA charity shop for a short time before moving the print works and shop into Clarkes former Drapery and Grocery store on Damgate Corner. The printing side of the family firm relocated to Town Green in 1994 and the shop floor increased in size. The print works closed in 2010, however the stationery, card and gift shop remains a busy town centre store today and run by Brian's daughters Amanda and Rachel. It is a 'must visit shop' when Christmas shopping in Wymondham with gorgeous gifts and beautiful cards and a friendly hello.
Many of Wymondham's shops created fine window displays of Christmas produce and gifts, decorated with tinsel, crepe paper and strings of lights. Brian was one of the first businessmen to go a step further for the town with a stunning display on his Market Street premises of Christmas icicle lights, with the dormer windows forming a perfect setting. Brian loved being a part of our town and certainly is one of our lost characters. The family kept the lights switched on for several Christmases after Brian's sudden death in 2003. Now we are lucky we have Wymondham's Town Team fundraising and decorating much of our town with lights galore.
As mentioned many townsfolk enjoyed dressing up and taking part in Dickensian Evening in its early years and Margaret King's antique shop on the Market Place proved the perfect backdrop for Margaret as seen here in 1988. Margaret ran the shop with her husband Norman for many years from the early 1970s to some time after 2007.
The property in the 1880s was a butchers, owned by Thomas Cann and then in the 1890's by Christopher Laycock who soon opened a Grocers and Drapers next door in what we know as Abbotts.
Then in about 1917 Alice Standley moved her furniture and antiques business here having moved from Pople Street. The Market Place shop was known as 'Ye Olde Curiosity Shop' and after Alice died Billy and Winnie Standley took over until the late 1960s.
Margaret King continued the tradition of selling antiques and furniture here and after she closed her shop, David Hurrell refurbished it and opened Market Cross Antiques shop, which even featured on an edition of Antiques Road Trip filmed in October 2014. The shop closed in 2019 however David Hurrell continued in the antiques trade.
These days the Antique shop is home to stART Studio, an art studio owned by Sarah Ashcroft, who took on the 17th century property to build her community art studio running a wide selection of popular art classes, activities and events for all ages.
Many will know my Standley family roots are in the Ironmongery trade as my Great Grandfather Charles Harvey Standley opened his own ironmongers shop in Wymondham on Town Green in 1886. Originally Charles sold all the traditional hardware and ironmongery goods for the home, including earthenware, basketware, tin baths, oil lamps, oil and paraffin… the list is endless. As time progressed Charles diversified into new innovations including petrol, cycles, gramophones and radios.
Charles died in 1932 and his son Eric continued in the trade and a year later Standley's were hosting promotions with K B Radio. They even had a large advert for K B Radio and Television painted on the wall above the shop.
These photos date from around 1951 and show an impressive Christmas window display of the latest K B Radios in the left hand window.
The other window includes baking trays, gloves, crockery, flasks and just what every housewife wants for Christmas - sets of saucepans! When my Aunt Pamela took on the housewares side of the shop she was known for her fine windows displays of china tea sets which sold well. As a girl I was mesmerised by the retro Christmas decorations stored in the attic with a mass of coloured crepe paper used for window displays.
My Dad, Philip, with Pamela continued the business after their parents died and televisions and video recorders were sold alongside hardware like kitchenware, wallpaper and paint.
The coloured photo is of my Dad Philip, decorating the shop window in 1987, the Christmas before the shop closed in 1988. The premises is now occupied by Wymondham Antiques Centre (which has also appeared on Antiques Road Trip) and Town Green Garden Cafe.
We all love picking up Christmas gift guides to peruse through and here are some attractive Wymondham Shopping Guides from 1978, 2004 and 2007. The adverts from 1978 may evoke some memories for you particularly the prices of alcohol at G C Harvey of Back Lane, Fred Standley selling toys, the toyshop Variety Fare in Church Street, Muriel Bedingfield's shop in Middleton Street and John Little's men's clothing store. All these shops have now disappeared from our streets.
As we make new memories this Christmas, take time to look back and cherish the Christmases of our past and remember the people and places who are sadly no longer with us. Happy Christmas to you all!
