Peartree Stores

In the 1950's

By Jean Pestle nee Bray

The China Department during 'Birthday Week'
Jean Pestle nee Bray
My father outside the stores
Jean Pestle nee Bray

My father was manager of Peartree Stores in the 1950’s. I assume that the exterior photograph is actually Peartree Stores as my father is standing outside.

This page was added on 17/08/2009.

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  • Regarding the photo “My father outside the stores” I think my Grand Father is the gentleman on the left Leonard Cook.

    By Geoff Banister (23/12/2022)
  • I note a gent saying he was manager of the provisions department between 1967-1969 before he went into the army. I had that position before him until 1967, when I went in the RAF where I remained until 1982, then back to the MoD (Army) 1990-2004, retired 2008, now living in North Berwick, Scotland.

    By John Laws (14/06/2021)
  • I remember my monthly visit to the barbers shop in Peartree stores for the regulatory short back and sides. Luxury was a dab of Brylcreme that made your hair look as though it had been smeared with axle grease. The barber appeared to be ancient, cut hair in silence, and I don’t think liked little boys. All this in the early 1950s.

    By Rod Sharp (15/08/2016)
  • Mum, on a Friday afternoon after work, used to buy 10 energy bars for the week from Peartree Stores. In the post office she paid our rent and sent off anything that needed sending – paying the National Insurance at Peartree Post Office cost you 1/- for postage but at Woodhall Post Office it was free. Dad never shopped at Peartree except going with my mother.

    As I grew up and started working at Woodhall, I always used to make an effort to shop at Peartree. They had so many useful household items that we could use, and the majority of them were relatively cheap in there. I remember, for Mum & Dad’s 20th wedding anniversary, I bought them a photo album for 3 shillings and it’s still on my shelf today full of photos from that joyous occasion!

    By George Boston (04/09/2015)
  • After I started Moatwood Primary in 1947, I used to browse the shops at Peartree a lot and Mum used it an excuse (as I was by the post office) to give me the post for me to post through the letterbox.

    Peartree itself were good shops with good variations, and Mum went in both Peartree and Woodhall shops before heading up to the Stores on a Saturday for the weekly shopping, and she never bought much from Peartree.

    By George Stevens (10/08/2015)
  • I was Transport Manager at Welwyn Department Store at the time Peartree store was closed. Remember moving stock and fittings.for the then manager Bill Chambers

    next door was the building company also owned by Fine Fare, the Weston family, which was called Headway Construction, locally called headlong destruction.

     

    By Allan Smith (29/04/2015)
  • Apart from WDS (where Mum worked), I loved Peartree Stores and it was quite near to our house on Edgars Court (off Broadwater Crescent). In the 1940s, after school we used to race home to get some money then we’d toddle over to Peartree Stores. We always used to buy sweets cause our parents would give us maximum 10d to spend.

    By Joseph Peterson (31/03/2015)
  • I remember my mum taking me to Peartree Stores as a child – next door to it I remember we bought fish & chips from the fish + chip shop next door to the shops. The post office, as I recall, was inside the shop as you came in the main door it was on the left and on the right was the sweet counter where you could see all the sweets.

    By Wendy Johnson (30/03/2015)
  • Peartree Stores was about a mile from our house in Autumn Grove (off Hall Grove). We went there quite a bit; it was a marvellous mix of household goods etc, and when I married in 1969 many essentials such as bath towels and a kitchen cabinet came from there. It was one of those stores that was a surprise each time you visited -you never knew what you might find!

    By Susan Brewer nee Warne (08/02/2014)
  • That brings back some memories. Thanks for sharing. I was brought up just up the road in Knella road in the 50’s. Later after leaving school I was manager of the Provisions counter 1968/69 before I went in the army.

    By Peter Williams (02/02/2014)
  • I’m fairly sure my maternal grandmother worked here after she “retired” for a number of years, during the late 60’s, early 70’s. I used to love this store; to my very young eyes, it was a fantastic place to wander around in.

    By Lesley Keech (19/11/2009)