Grayshott Village Archive

Early Businesses in Grayshott

In general, most of the first shops and small businesses in the country were situated in a room within the proprietors house and it was not until the late 19th century that shop fronts, fronted with plate glass windows, became common. Shop assistants worked long hours, as shops opened from early morning and often until late evening. It was only as a result of the Shops Act 1912, that assistants hours were reduced and they had the right to a half day off each week, generally they had no right to annual holiday pay. Lighting within business premises was mainly by candlelight and later, perhaps, by oil lamp. (Electricity supply was only brought into Grayshott in 1901 and gas in1909).  

The Parish Magazine of Grayshott was first published in January 1898 and thereafter was distributed monthly at a price of two-pence per month.  As is the case today, local businesses of the day used the magazine to advertise their services, although  it should be noted that adverts were also placed in what is now the Haslemere Herald newspaper, which was first published in 1896. Grayshott businesses also advertised their services over a wider area through The Homeland Handbooks for Haslemere & Hindhead . Businesses in the village were plentiful and varied as the population of the village and surrounding area rapidly grew, with many in competition with other businesses in close proximity  However, there were no advertisements in the Parish Magazine during the period of the first world war. Later, advertisements in the Magazine were placed by businesses from wider afield, such as Pinoli’s Restaurant in Wardour Street, London, where the cost of lunch in 1923 was advertised as 2/6d and dinner 3/9d, and Almonds Hotel, Clifford Street, London.

The earliest shop in Grayshott was established by Henry and Hannah Robinson at Mount Cottage, in the valley opposite School Road, which sold mainly groceries and was also the focal point for mail prior to the Robinsons moving to new premises in what is now Crossways Road. (see Article on The Post in Grayshott).

A number of photographs of early shop fronts in Grayshott can be found in the Photo of the Month section of our web-site.

Included in early advertisements for Grayshott businesses, you will find the following:

The sample of adverts shown below have been scanned from original copies of the Grayshott Parish Magazine, in order to give an idea of local services available to the residents of Grayshott and the surrounding area in the late 1800’s and early part of the twentieth century.

Brian Tapp, Grayshott Village Archive

Notes and News: July / August 2010

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Fox and Pelican Signs

Friends of the Village Archive

General

Headley Road looking towards Hindhead from outside the Fox and Pelican c.1964. The original houses Marlborough and Bryn Hawk on the left and Wayside on the right have yet to be demolished. The Alton Motor Company and Grayshott Garage are still selling Cleveland and Shell petrol.