Tag Archives: Western Road

Walpole’s Stores

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General stores that was on the north side of Western Road, as it met Upper Green West and the Nag’s Head pub.

The name Walpole’s Stores can be seen twice on the front of the building and on its right hand side wall.

Walpole’s Stores

older view of the stores when in use

In the 1896 and 1901 directories, Walpole Brothers is listed at Upper Mitcham. In the 1904 street directory, George Walpole is listed as grocer, but not in the 1911 directory.

Referred to as The Broadway Stores by Eric Montague in the book Old Mitcham.

The newspaper articles below are via the British Newspaper Archive

News Articles

Croydon Guardian and Surrey County Gazette – Saturday 09 June 1906

MITCHAM
RAILWAY FRAUD

— George Walpole, of Walpole Stores, The Broadway, Upper Mitcham was summoned by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Company, at Tower Bridge Court, for railway fraud. He pleaded gullty.

— Mr. Austen, who represented the railway company, said that there was a special examination of tickets at London Bridge, and defendant tendered the fare from Queens-road Station, Peckham. After he had been questioned, he said to Mr. Sumner, the chief ticket inspector, ” I can see you are determined to find out. I joined the train at Mitcham Junction without a ticket, and on arriving here and seeing you were examining all tickets, I tendered the fare from Queens-road, thinking it would be all right.’

Defendant expressed sorrow, and was fined 20s. and 23s. costs.

From this news article, it would seem that the Western Road/Upper Green West was known as the Broadway, Upper Mitcham, whereas the Broadway, Lower Mitcham was that part of London Road south of the White Hart.

Croydon Guardian and Surrey County Gazette – Saturday 10 March 1906

NO LIGHT.

George Walpole, of the Broadway, Upper Mitcham, was summoned for driving a cart without a light at London road on Feb. 16th.

— P.S. 26 W gave evidence, and defendant, who admitted the offence, was fined 2s. and 4s. 6d. costs.

Croydon Guardian and Surrey County Gazette – Saturday 27 December 1902

WANTED (after Christmas) a strong, respectable GENERAL; age 20 to 25; clean and willing; knowledge of cooking required; good references. Apply, Mrs. Walpole, Broadway, Upper Mitcham.

Gunner Douglas Harold Allaway

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In the 1939 Register, Douglas Harold Allaway, born 4th December 1918, was a sign fixer’s mate and lived at 67 Fleming Mead in Mitcham. Living with him was his mother Florence, born in 1893, and his sisters Margaret, born 6th February 1938; Winifred, born 25th January 1916, confectionary packer; Ellen, born 28th May 1920, a novelty cardboard box maker Joan, born 16th January 1925, a cardboard box maker.

Douglas Harold Allaway served as a gunner with the Royal Artillery, service number 1524793, with the Anti-Tank Regiment.

In 1940, as part of the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F.) he was wounded and captured. He was a Prisoner of War at Stalag 20A. This camp, also called Stalag XX-A, was in Torun, Poland.

British film actor Sam Kydd was also captured while in the B.E.F. and also was a POW at this camp.

His daughter said in October 2019:

My dad was captured 3 months into WW2, and was POW in Torun, Poland, Stalag XXA. He survived the war and had a shrapnel wound in shoulder.

He lived in Western Road with his mum and sisters & brothers.

He passed away 1981 in Chichester.