Jacobs Outfitters, Cinderford (General)

by Maurice Teague, Westbury on Severn, Thursday, June 29, 2006, 06:00 (6504 days ago) @ Norman Williams

Jacob's outfitters and emporium was on the upperside of The Triangle and Market St was on the lower side, it ran from High St through the Triangle to the Soldiers and Sailors Club where it became Commercial St.

In the Triangle when I was a lad above Montys was Wilkins sweet shop then a small gap, a telephone box, then the Midland Bank [now HSBC I believe]. Finally Montys Just around the corner in Market St was Horace Bonsers fruit and veg shop, also famous for his pikelets [crumpets to the uninitiated]. On the left hand side of the Triangle which was Station St was the back entrance to the Union Hotel and access to various businesses in the High St. At the bottom corner was Percy V. Drew's Shoe shop. On the market St side of the Triangle were Burtons groceries [now a chemist] a small shop sweets I think [Miss Bowds ?] Gardeners Electrical goods, Mundys gents hairdressing, Wintles groceries, Kear's bakers shop another shop which changed hands frequently then Westaways grocers.

As you can see in this small area the town had plenty of grocers and this was only a small selection of those available, there were many more available in the rest of the town. Where are they now?

Mr Davies was the manager of Montys. Mr Jacobs lived at the time in Belle Vue Rd next door to St Stephens Church although he was not of that religion. I fleetingly knew his son Ralph who went to school at Monmouth but he left about a year after I started.

My memories of the Triangle are of the 1939 period and the following years till the present day. In those heady days Edwards buses and to a smaller extent Meeks of Nailbridge picked up passengers along side of the memorial. Bevans of Soudley also stopped outside the bank on their way through to Soudley and Blakeney.

I hope this establishes the wherabouts of Montys although he may have had earlier premises elsewhere in town but I have not found any as yet.