by Joy Horn // Main Photo: Shops with long histories, taken in the 1980s: Tyler’s Book Shop, Men’s Shop, Camera Shop, next to the Onslow Arms. The three central ones are currently vacant.
It is amazing what a range of different shops existed in Cranleigh in past years.
A visit to the High Street offered plenty of interest in the diverse shop windows and constantly changing displays. This month we remember some of Cranleigh’s former shops.
Gone are the Shops from Cranleigh’s Farming Days: the large cornstore, the saddler’s, various seedsmen and the country sports store. Gone too is the choice of several Greengrocers and Fruiterers. These were a necessity of life until the supermarkets made them redundant. Hight’s was at 222 High Street in the 1890s and Robert Donkin in Bank Buildings, with many goods supplied from his nursery in Knowle Lane. Another fruiterer in Cranleigh in 1930 was Ernest Love, noted for his punning adverts.
Butcher’s shops were once numerous. Collin’s (now Collins Court) flourished for over a century, and Lade’s, next to the White Hart, for 90 years. Another was Robert Cross of 248 High Street, here for 60 years until 1948. There were once farm shops selling meat at Belwethers (close to the parish church) and Common House Farm. The latter became Smallridge’s (70 High Street), now Cranleigh’s sole butcher’s, still flourishing as Rawlings.
There was a Baker at the Old Bakery on the Common, conveniently close to the Windmill for its flour, and Carpenter’s in Bank Buildings (143 High Street), besides Winser’s followed by Cornwell’s in what is now Barnardo’s charity shop. All the Grocers have gone too.
Household shops of various kinds have flourished and disappeared. Carpets could be bought at David Mann and Sons and at Cranleigh Carpets, and white goods at Carter’s (62 High Street) for some years to about 2006. The advertisement shows the range of their stock. Electrical goods, radios and television sets could be bought at Farrow’s and Cosco’s (126 and 137 High Street respectively). Plenty of furniture used to be available at David Mann & Sons and at Paul Arding’s (first at 264 High Street, and then at no. 50). There was a launderette in Stocklund Square: it closed when virtually every domestic kitchen had its own washing-machine. And Blockbusters Video Hire, once highly popular, became a victim of changes in technology.
Walter Brigg’s, followed by Gammon’s, offered Menswear (at 108-119A High Street) as did The Man’s Shop (John Alan’s) at 121 High Street. Womenswear has fared better, with new shops appearing as others close, and there are currently two ladies’ fashion shops.
A cycle shop appeared here not long after the ‘safety bicycle’ was developed in 1876. It offered free bicycle-riding lessons for purchasers, ‘taught by an Experienced Rider’. David Mann & Sons produced its own bicycle, ‘The Enterprise’. There was at least one cycle shop (and often more) in the village from the turn of the 19th century until Pedal & Spoke closed in 2020 and The Fettling Room in 2022. The café was popular with the large local cycling community, but they preferred to buy their equipment elsewhere.
Toyshops have also vanished. No basic football could be found to buy anywhere in Cranleigh one summer recently, so that the Internet was the only resort. But Jesse Mann ran a toyshop at 234 High Street in 1901, and Thomas Stone had another at 123 High Street in 1910, and at least one toyshop/sportshop was always flourishing in Cranleigh until the early 21st century.
Travel Agents opened as foreign holidays became common, and Carolyn Lodge Travel was here at 75-7 High Street from 1987 until about 2020.
From the 1930s, there was a Book Shop at 123 High Street. It was well stocked and used for many years, and even incorporated a lending library for a time. The shop closed in the early 21st century.
In recent memory there was a Delicatessen at 127 High Street and an Off-licence near by: both were rendered superfluous by the supermarkets.
A succession of able photographers has worked in Cranleigh: H.U. Knight (from about 1900), followed by Walter Coren, Bernard Grover and Jack Harley. Starting as photographers’ studios, some of their premises developed into camera shops. The last closed in the 2010s. This was the 119 High Street shop of Jack Harley, who had put up a notice in the adjacent lane, wittily proclaiming it to be ‘Harley Street’.
Sundial House (24 High Street) was originally built as an Art shop, and the Cranleigh Gallery was open in the 1980s. Musicraft, a Music shop, was at 88 High Street, where a knowledgeable manager gave helpful advice.
There were still two Antique shops selling fascinating items in the early 2000s.
Watch and clock shop: a shop at 112 High Street housed Charles Ravenhill in 1911, followed by two generations of Howards.
What a variety of shops! And readers can doubtless add more. A walk down the High Street used to stimulate interest, ideas, projects and aspirations.
The Cranleigh History Society meets on the second Thursday of each month at 8pm in the Band Room. The next meeting is on Thursday June 12th, when Bill Walbank and Chris Bulley will speak on ‘The history of our planet’.
