Category Archives: Shops

E. Bywaters Butchers

170 London Road, Mitcham, from 1980 to 2000.

E. Bywaters butchers shop, photo kindly provided by proprietor via Facebook Mitcham History Group.

Number 170 London Road was originally called number 2 Eveline Villas, and in the 1925 street directory was occupied by butcher Ernest Reeve, who was still at this address in the 1938 street directory.

1929 clip from Merton Memories photo 51782, copyright London Borough of Merton.

This ad from 1979 shows the butchers shop was run by S.J. Theobald:

1979 SJ Theobald butchers at 170 London Road

S.J. Theobald was also listed at this address in the 1967 chamber of commerce handbook.

From 1983/4 proprietor Edward Bywaters produced an initial run of 50 diaries, later in batches of 100, which he gave free to customers, called ‘The Mitcham Diary’. He also produced calendars for catering customers. This was paid for by advertising, which included an ad for his business, such as this one from the 1986 diary:

Girdlers Radio Ltd

Radio and television shop started by Edward Girdler.

In the 1930 commercial directory, and the 1933 ad shown below, his shop was at 245 London Road, Mitcham, which was part of The Parade, the Edwardian shops between the Fair Green and the telephone exchange.

In the 1952 Chambers of Commerce, the address for Girdlers Radio Ltd is 293 Mitcham Road, Tooting. See the ad on the front cover of the North Mitcham Improvement Association below.

1950 OS map

1950 OS map

1933 ad

1933 ad

Text of ad:

WIRELESS ACCESSORIES Phone Str. 605. VACUUM CLEANERS ON HIRE

EDWARD GIRDLER

REGISTERED ELECTRICAL ENGINEER & CONTRACTOR
231b STREATHAM ROAD, MITCHAM
AND AT 245 LONDON ROAD, MITCHAM

OUR OWN HIRE PURCHASE TERMS ON 18 MONTHS, ANY SET OVER 12 GNS.

PHILIPS 4 VALVE, 2 S.G., ELECTRIC 16 Gns. CASH or 18 monthly payments of 19/7.

This is the electrical age, and an electrical gift is the most useful and acceptable gift. We have in stock countless Shades, Standards. Fittings. Irons, Fires, Radio Sets, etc. at the LOWEST POSSIBLE PRICES.

We shall be pleased to make suggestions and help you in every possible way.

August 1950 front cover of The Sentinel magazine of the North Mitcham Improvement Association

August 1950 front cover of The Sentinel magazine of the North Mitcham Improvement Association


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