Post Offices in Tockington

Post Offices in Tockington.

Acknowledgement to: `Meeting Point`

The following is typed from a document which was sent

to me by: Mrs. Joyce Evans of Tockington.

and printed in `Meeting Point` in June,1984

Just before she died in April, Emmie Grove (nee Leakey) got together with her neighbour, Vida Pope, and pooled their knowledge. This is the result.

Approximately 70.years ago the post office was run at Trenacre Cottage (1) by Mrs Cullen, then by her son and daughter-in-law Mr and Mrs Percy Frost. It moved to Mr. H. Leakey`s (2) around 1924 and was run by his daughter Emmie Grove. Then it transferred to Mr and Mrs Spencer when they took over Mr Leakey`s bakery business (2), later Mrs Wilkinson took it. Next it transferred to Mrs Vera Templeton at the left hand corner of Mustay House (3). For a few months there was no post office, then Mrs Pearce became sub-postmistress in part of Vic Smith`s house, now Greystones, (4). This only lasted 6.months, then Miss Vida Pope was appointed in August 1941 and she ran the PO for the next 28.years from it`s present position (5), where her grandfather once carried on a boot and shoe making shop. In 1969 Miss Pope retired through ill health and the present incumbent Mrs Evans succeeded her.

During this century there have been many other businesses around Tockington Green. Mr Leakey took over the bakery (2) from Herbert Wilkins, when he went to Canada. There was a butcher`s shop run by Frank Frost, first at Tockington Lodge (6) then at Faircote, now an extension of Langford (7). Later his son William Frost had a car repair business on the same site. Nearly a century ago there was a sweet shop on the corner of `The Limes (8), where children could buy `Farthing Dumps` and there was also a sweet shop at Mustay House (3) run by the Misses Jane and Ellen Hicks. Yet another was along side the `The Limes` (8) which was a branch of George Olive`s Olveston Stores. When that closed, Jesse Cossham opened `The Store` (10) which remained as such until 31st December 1983. The Garage was started by Herbert Shute in the large shed adjoining Browning`s house (11) and later moved to where Harvest Cottage (9) and it`s neighbours now stand. On that same site, Walter Codrington once slaughtered pigs, while his wife baked lovely faggots. There have been several more businesses around Tockington Green but there is only space to mention two more; Mr Phipps, the milkman (12) now called Cherry Lyn, and Mr Whitchurch, the blacksmith in the shed adjoining the appropriately named Anvil House (13).

In 1990 `Meeting Point` wrote:

We thought it was time to up-date the story.

Now after 21.years Mrs.Evans has decided to retire and therefore the Post Office as we know it, will close at the end of September,1990. So far the invitation to applicants to continue the service elsewhere has not had the required effect, but it is not too late. If you wish to know more about how to apply, Mrs Evans will provide details.

I would like to `Thank`

Trevor Cook. - for searching the back issues of `Meeting Point` and e-mailing me his findings.

Mrs Joyce Evans. - for sending me (on loan) the original copy of `Meeting Point`.

Mr Eric Garrett. - for phoning me with his knowledge of the `Tockington Post Offices`.

Mrs White. - From `Nailsea` who rang me - Mrs White lived in `Oldown` for 86.years and remembers and used all the `Post Offices` and who ran them - i`m most grateful for the phone call and the letter she wrote to me.

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