Colonial Meat Stores opened in Spittal Street premises by 1891. They may well have been the first tenants of the premises which were built in 1883. Proprietors Frank and Caroline Baker lived at 4 Queen Square High Wycombe where they had another branch of their business. Colonial meat was usually cheaper than British meat though the public generally had to be convinced it was of equal quality. There was also a colonial meat store ran by Albert Fleet in West Street. See those premises and read more about Albert here.
Frank and Caroline took out a flurry of ads in the early days of their business advertising their bargain beef, mutton and lamb.
A few days before Christmas 1892 a poor woman of nearby Dean Street bought two pennyworth of meat from them but had nothing to serve with it to her husband and eleven children because of the family's great poverty. Her husband's trade of shoemaking was in the doldrums. He went into the fields near Holy Trinity church to see if the owner Emmanuel Plumridge* would give him some turnips. He did not see Plumridge but took the turnips anyway believing he would not have been refused them if he had been able to ask for them. A constable caught him however and sent the matter to court. Emmanuel said too many turnips were being taken from his field but he did not want the man dealt with with any harshness. The magistrate fined the accused a token shilling, which was paid by a compassionate person in the court.
Centre, the former Colonial Meat Stores, occupying the left and central portion.
Frank Baker died young in 1896 but his wife continued to run both branches of the stores until at least 1899. Subsequently it was run under the same name by the Wise family then Grace & Co.
Above, advert 1907.
*Emmanuel was a grocer and farmer who lived in Spittal Square.
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Sources included:
1891 census England and Wales, my transcription.
The London Gazette. (1896). United Kingdom: T. Neuman.
Bucks Herald 24th December 1892.
Marlow Almanack and Directory 1907.
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