Upton's

In sepia tones we have a butchers,
at four men and their meat on show.
Two in striped aprons and one helper,
assist the proud owner, with pride aglow.

Upton and Webster, clearly signed,
around 1919 to 1922 perhaps,
corner of Castle Lane and High Street,
but tell us more about these chaps.

When a butchers, did you visit this shop?
then or later, did you know these men?
No, not Crimestoppers but for the Archive
we’d like the who and how and when!

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  • I’m pretty certain that the chap in the doorway (wearing the dark apron) was my maternal Grandad. His name was Oscar Harvey and he worked for Websters for about 50 years or more (apart from when he was in the first world war). He used to live in the High Street near the war memorial and later at 50 Dawes Heath Road, a house owned by the Webster family. I remember a Sheila Webster from my childhood.

    By Linda Mitson (07/08/2012)
  • The Lodge was originally built as the lodge for Hadleigh Hall, the home of the Wood family and was on the corner of the High Street and Castle Lane. In about 1895, Jonathan Webster converted the left hand side of the lodge into a butcher’s shop, with a slaughterhouse in the rear yard. The remainder of the lodge was left as a residence and can be seen to the right of the photograph. Jonathan Webster was most probably the first person to use the lodge as a butcher’s shop as, in the 1891 census, it was occupied by Frederick William Freeman, a wholesale and retail warehouseman. During the First World War, the Websters moved away from Hadleigh. The last mention of the business was in the 1914 Kelly’s directory. By 1917, the shop was owned by Ernest John Upton, and he was still there in 1925. So the photograph dates from this time. Between about 1928 until about 1944, the butcher’s shop was owned by John Crussell. After the Second World War, Jim Gallagher owned the business until the late 1970s. The last butcher to occupy the premises was A. E. Gray. In 1984, the shop became Paul Newman Interiors Ltd. The shop and the lodge are still standing today although there have been additions to the lodge.

    By Chris Worpole (28/12/2011)
  • J. Webster was Jonathan Webster, my great grandfather who started work in Webster’s the butcher High Street, Rayleigh. In the 1911 census Jonathan Webster is stated to be living at “The Lodge, Hadleigh” – any idea where this was/is, any pics??

    By Jim Webster (21/12/2011)

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