Home History Archives Groups & Societies Books About News & Diary Web Links Site Map

 Creative Commons – Attribution - Non Commercial - No Derivatives 4.0 International Public License.


Home Copyright Copyright

Creative Commons – Attribution - Non Commercial - No Derivatives 4.0 International Public License.

Businesses in the High Street, Cradley in the 1920s and 1930s


The Cradley Then & Now group's Sam Taylor has searched his memories of the businesses and major buildings in Cradley's High Street back in the 1920s and 1930s.


We have compared Sam's recollections with the contents of the Kelly's Directory 1924. There is a remarkable coincidence of names and trades, confirming that Sam's memory is very sound indeed. There are a few cases where a name or business is remembered by Sam but not recorded by Kelly's, and vice versa. However, most of the differences are accounted for by the fact that not all businesses chose to be represented in the Directory. Moreover, the Directory is a snapshot in time (1924) whereas Sam's memory is of a period.


In a small number of cases Jill Guest has added snippets of information or queries, and these are indicated in italics.


It is interesting to note that there are just two businesses with a telephone number: Jones & Lloyd are "TN 33" and the Talbot Hotel is "TN 100".


We have presented the information in two tables, the first for the east side and the second for the west side of the High Street. In both cases, we start from the river Stour, the boundary between Cradley and Cradley Heath, and work our way up the hill towards Colley Gate.


Many of these shops, and their proprietors, were still trading in the 1950s and 1960s, and even later. However, today Cradley does not have a High Street. The entire length has been renamed Colley Lane, a continuation of the street of that name. Ostensibly the re-naming was to avoid any confusion with other High Streets in the district, although it is a sad fact that today (2007) and for some years now, the old "High Street" shops are mostly gone and local shopping is almost a thing of the past.



Table 1 - Cradley High Street, east side


High street - cradley

Sam Taylor's memories

Kelly's Directory 1924

Coming up Cradley on the left hand side from the River Stour, starting at the entrance to Little Hill

Bridge Inn

Homer Annie (Mrs), Shopkeeper, 86 High St

Jones and Lloyds, Chain Works

Jones & Lloyd Ltd, Anchor manufacturers, Scotia works & Cradley Forge, TN 33

Black Swan P.H.


Robinson Alice (Mrs), Black Swan, 80 High St



Clift Henry, haberdasher, 76 & 78 High St

Bread and cake makers, Dentith

Dentith James Baker, 72 High St

White Horse P.H., D Batham


Dunn Hezekiah, Beer Retailer, 70 High St


Shop Sweets, ?

Bate George, Shopkeeper, 68 High St

Newsagents and Stationery, Chambers

Chambers Thomas Henry, news agent, 6? High St

Fish-wet, Warwick


Robin Hood P.H., Tromans

Jevons A, beer retailer, 52 High St

Holly Bush P.H., Cotterel - Hickman

Spicer Frank A, Holly Bush P.H., 50 High St


Shoe Shop, Jewis

Jewiss Alfred, boot & shoemaker, 48 High St

Fish Inn, North - Hall

North Thomas, Fish Inn, 46 High St


Greengrocers, Williams

Williams John, Greengrocer, 44 High St


Grocers, White, Taylor

White & Taylor, grocers, 42 High St

Drapers, Dallows

Wassell Clara (Miss), Draper, 40 High St



Lloyds Bank Ltd, 38 High St (hours 11-2 Tues & Frid)

Post Office, Christophers


Christopher Alice (Miss), Post Office tobacconist, 36 High St


Hill Alfred, Registrar of births & deaths for Halesowen subdistrict, 36 High St

Sweet Shop, Bate

Bate Elizabeth (Miss), shopkeeper, 34 High St


Butchers Lane

Clothes Shop, Stringer

Stringer James, Draper, 32 High St

Coal Gleads, S Bloomer


Sweet shop, Abis

Abis Charlotte (Mrs), shopkeeper, 18 High St


Robinson John, carpenter, 18 High St


Fish, Poultry, Eggs, Rabbits, J Genner

Genner J, Fishmonger, 20 High St

Clothes Shoes, Raybould

Raybould Harold, boot dealer, 16 High St


Bills Clara (Mrs), Wardrobe dealer, 14 High St


Cobblers

Johnson Bert, Boot repairer, 8 High St

Butchers, E Hodgetts, J Hodgetts

Hodgetts E, Butcher, 2 High St

High Town, Mapletree Lane

Old Crown Inn, D Provit, J, Jinks, R Jinks

Proffit Daniel, Beer Retailer, 2 High Town

Fish and Chips, S Goodwin

Goodwin S, Fishmonger, 60 Mapletree Lane

Sweets Ice Cream, Walter Hodgetts


Willetts Confectioner, then offices for H Reece (Chainworks)


Rates Office. Before Library was built (Allotments where Library now stands, Rates office now private house further up)

Bird Edwin, assistant overseer, rate collector & Clerk to Parish Council, 40 Colley Lane.

Infants School

Colley Lane, built in 1902 and enlarged in 1911 for 255 children, Miss Ruth Lucy Wright mistress

Police Station, before the Community Centre

County Police Station, 32 Colley Lane, Walter Henry Wright, sergeant in charge, 2 sergeants & 4 constables

Table 2 - Cradley High Street, West Side

Sam Taylor's Memories

Kelly's Directory 1924

Coming up Cradley on the right hand side from the Stour

Corn Mill


Mill Street

Grocers, Blunt

Blunt Felix, Grocer 19 Bridge st

Fish and Chips


Round House


Lyde Green


Wesleyan Chapel (Trinity)


Fruiter, Gad, Hickman


Bethesda (Primitive Methodists)?



Walker Solomon, Shopkeeper, 63 High St


Miscellaneous shop, Millward called Tinkalary's

Millward Bertram, hardware dealer, 47 High St


Rose and Crown, Mop Boxley

Boxley Fred, Rose & Crown P.H., High St


Fish and Chips, Lears

Leah John W, Fried Fish dealer, 41 High St


Head Frank, confectioner, 39 High St


Southall Walter, Grocer, 35 High St



Warr Willam, Greengrocer, 29 High St

Draper, Raybould


Round & Nichol, Drapers, 27 High St

Barbers, Flavel

Flavell George, Hairdresser, High St


Chemist, ?

Harris Emily (Mrs), Drug store, 25 High St


Second Hand, Pictures, furniture, Gill

Gill Alfred, Furniture dealer, 21 High St



Worton Emma (Mrs), Confectioner, 19 High St

Butchers, Tidmarsh

Tidmarsh Samuel J, Butcher, 15 High St


Shop, Miscellaneous, ?

Southall Joseph, china & glass dealer, 13 High St


Talbot James, Draper, 11 High St


Pawnshop, Rollinson, Taylor

Rolinson William, Pawnbroker, 9 High St


Robinson Howard, Painter, 7 High St



Robinson Stephen, Boot repairer, 7a High St



Plant William, Fishmonger, 5 High St

Old Sandstone building


Dungeon Head


Mens Urinals



Memorial Garden War Memorial?


Baptist Chapel


Blue Ball Lane sometimes called the Malthouse


Butchers, Harris

Harris William, Butcher, 3 High St

Ironmongers, Paul Homer

Homer Paul & Son, Ironmonger, 1 High St

Anvil Yard



Inage leading to Blue Ball Lane

Colley Lane

Grocers, Robinson

Robinson Harriet (Mrs), Shopkeeper, 37 Colley Lane

Electrician, Steve Robinson


Grocer, Smith

Smith John W, Grocer, 11 Colley Lane

Grocer, Bills

Bills Alfred, Shopkeeper, 7 Colley Lane

Newspapers, Kirton


Liberal Club

Liberal Club (Edgar Dunn sec), 3 Colley Lane

Large House (The Elms)

Fox Miss, The Elms, Colley Lane


Girls School

422 girls, Miss Ruth Evans, Mistress


Boys School

400 boys, Thomas Allchurch, Headmaster

Talbot Hotel, Oliver, J Roper, J Bills

Oliver W & Sons (of Cradley) Ltd, Maltsters, Colley Lane, TN 100


 Sam Taylor - a sketch by Dan O'Driscall.