ID: ML2016_010_L83_001 / Ron Green, Brian Jay and Tony Millatt

TitleMemory Lane - Hadley's shops in Mill Road
AbstractThere has been considerable feedback on last month's item about shops in High Street. Memories of Hadley's shops in Mill Road have also appeared on social media.

The shop best remembered as Hadley's gents outfitters started life as Mersea's first fried fish shop. William Green was a skipper of coastal sailing barges and when he retired from the sea around 1922 he had plans submitted for a shop in Mill Road. The photograph above from Derek Rayner shows the original shop Fish and Chip shop and the small Tobacconist and Confectioners shop between that and William's house Una Villa. The Fish and Chip shop advertises Fresh Fish Daily, and Fish and Chip Supper Bar. The small Tobacconist has Mersea Rock, Ices, Stationery and Post Cards.

William Green did the frying himself. Later the shop was taken over by Mr Ramplin, who was still doing the frying up until the Second World War started. The Fish & Chip shop was re-opened after the war by Bobby Stoker.

The Hadleys came to Mersea around 1950 and opened a shop in Oxford House, just beyond the fish shop - the house had not been built when our photograph was taken. Local builder Clifford White & Co did some work altering the shop front and I (Ron Green), an apprentice at the time, worked on it. Mr Hadley was setting up shop and was selling at a reduced price items of gents clothing that had small faults in the material. I bought a pair of dark brown trousers and was one of Mr Hadley's first customers.

The Fish & Chip was an antique shop for a time before becoming Hadley's gent's outfitters - Oxford House remained for the ladies. The little shop in the centre of the picture is best remembered as Joan Unwin's grocery shop. It was later John May's funeral parlour.

Published in Mersea Life October 2016, Local page 83.

AuthorRon Green, Brian Jay and Tony Millatt
PublishedOctober 2016
SourceMersea Museum
IDML2016_010_L83_001
Related Images:
 W. Green. Fish and Chips, Tobacconist and Confectioner
 From Album 8.  FL08_047_005
ImageID:   FL08_047_005
Title: W. Green. Fish and Chips, Tobacconist and Confectioner
From Album 8.
Source:Mersea Museum / Owen Fletcher Collection