Category Archives: People

Amelia Elizabeth Hewitt, draper

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Amelia Elizabeth Hewitt had a draper shop on Upper Green east.

1902 - clip from Merton Memories photo 49655, copyright London Borough of Merton

1902 – clip from Merton Memories photo 49655, copyright London Borough of Merton

1910 OS Map showing AE Hewitt shop in red, left of the Post Office

1910 OS Map showing AE Hewitt shop in red, left of the Post Office

News Articles

REFUSED TO REGISTER.
WOMAN SMARTLY FINED FOR TREATING MATTER AS JOKE.

At Croydon Police Court, to-day, Amelia Elizabeth Hewitt, draper, of Upper Mitcham. was summoned for refusing fill up her National Registration Form, and for refusing to attend before the local registration authorities. The defendant did not appear, and it was stated that she told the enumerator that the lost her form, but she would not register.

When warned of the penalty for failing to register, she made a flippant reply, when the summonses were served she put them in the letter box, and said:— “I should think my face would tell you how old I am.”

She was fined £2 on the first summons and £1 on the second summons, with £1 12s. 6d. costs, or the alternative of 21 days.

Source: Yorkshire Evening Post – Thursday 09 September 1915 from the British Newspaper Archive (subscription required)

WOMAN TURNS OUT POLICE

Order for Arrest of Draper Who Refused to Lower Lights. The Croydon magistrate yesterday ordered the arrest Amelia Hewitt, draper, of Upton Green, Mitcham, for failing to answer a summons for the excessive lighting of her shop. She declined to touch the lights complained of, and ordered the police officers out of her shop.

Source: Sunday Mirror – Sunday 02 April 1916 from the British Newspaper Archive (subscription required) NB: Upper Green incorrectly written as Upton Green in this article.

Maps are reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland.

Joy’s Cafe

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From the Mitcham and Colliers Wood Gazette, 28th March, 1973

"THE derelict cafe - more an eyesore than a joy"

“THE derelict cafe – more an eyesore than a joy”

HEALTH HAZARD PROTEST

JOY’S “PLACE” was once a popular transport cafe. But now it’s got a new use — as one of the dirtiest unofficial public conveniences in Mitcham, claim angry local residents.

The cafe is on a site at the corner of Christchurch-road and Phipps Bridge-road. It closed 18 months ago, but so far there’s no sign of the building being demolished and the site cleared.

“They should put a match to the place. It’s disgusting. It’s a loo for all and sundry and a rubbish dump. The place has become an eyesore and the sooner it goes the better. Everyone round here has become fed up with it” said Mrs Doreen Sparrowhawk, who runs a greengrocers shop opposite the site.

“By now it must be full of disease and germs — but because there is no door on the place children go and play in it” she added.

Mr Michael Tuhill, who runs a newsagents in Christchurch-road, said: “It’s an unofficial public convenience. People pull up in cars and use it and it’s getting a bad name. The council don’t seem to be interested in doing anything about it but its a health hazard as children play in and out of it as well. Heaven knows what they could pick up by playing in it.”

‘Filthy place’

Mrs Shelly Condron, who runs a hairdressers opposite the cafe, said that lorry drivers who used to eat at the cafe when it was open now use it as a lavatory.

“We’ve spoken to them about it but you just get a lot of lip back. Its a filthy place and everyone round here would like to see something done about it.” she said.

The door of the cafe was torn off soon after it was closed. Now, it is full of rubbish with chairs and tables left inside broken.

“No-one knows what happened to the people who ran it. I think the proprietress died and one day it shut up and has been closed and like that ever since” said Mrs Sparrowhawk.

A spokesman for Merton’s surveyors department said that they were aware that there were problems arising from the derelict cafe. But there are redevelopment problems on this site and consequently there has had to be a delay on a development decision. But as soon as we are able to do so the site will be cleared” he said.