large crowd assembled outside the building. Mr Lucas a member of the General Committee opened the proceedings and expressed pleasure at the rapid progress made by the Society in the town, which he said was a credit to the members. He presented Mr Shillaker and Mr Dyer, the managers, with silver keys. Mr Dyer opened the Drapery shop and Mr Shillaker the grocery shop. Visitors from the March, Whittlesey and Ramsay branches were conducted on a tour of the building. A tea followed in the Assembly Rooms attended by 700 people in two sittings. Before the evening entertainment, the Director of the Co-operative Wholesale Society spoke of the advantages of co-operation. He said that the Co-operative Movement aimed at a fairer distribution of wealth and raising the standard of living. The membership of the Society was 897 when the stores opened and the average sales-permember for the first year was £23. 15s. There were 171 depositors with the Penny Bank.
Expansion For fifty years after the Grand Opening the Co-operative Society thrived in Stamford with a number of shops specialising in different areas of business. Number 36 High Street became the Co-op chemists after it was rebuilt in 1939. This business moved later from the High Street to St Mary’s Street and then finally to the Sheepmarket surgery at the Hospital. Numbers 44 and 45 High Street were purchased, rebuilt and opened as the drapery, tailoring and shoe department. (Later Wilko and now known as Wilkinson’s) This is particularly remembered for its ‘cash railway’, the Lamson Pneumatic tube system, which conveyed the cash in metal canisters to the cashier who would return any change. Number 51 High Street became the Coop Egg and Poultry Society. This shop was demolished at the same time as other properties on the street in 1966 although it had been an important medieval house. The whole range of buildings was replaced with a modernist building, which many consider quite out of character but a floral design mural was rescued and placed in the museum. Tesco now occupy part of the building which stretched as far as the Nat West Bank. Another branch store was established in Doughty Street then for or a short time there was a Co-op supermarket, Rainbow Stores, on Little Casterton Road. (Site now re-developed)
Deliveries The bakery, butchery and dairy departments were set up at 4 and 5 Wharf Road... This was managed by Mr Tee for many years. Many people recall the deliveries of milk and bread made for many years by horse and cart around the town. The horses were stabled where the Wharf Street car park is now and were taken to graze down Priory Road. Local people also remember the horse and cart delivering paraffin and coal to outlying villages until the 1950’s.
Decline The Co-operative movement expanded for over a century but that changed in the 1960’s and 70’s. Societies like Peterborough failed but these failures were not always obvious as societies amalgamated. The world of retailing
High St Co-op Store
High St Department Store
was changing and many co-operatives failed to move with the times. Now the Co-op has sold nearly all their department stores to concentrate on food, funeral care, opticians and travel. The department store in Stamford closed a number of years ago and more recently the Coop gave up its Westgate store in Peterborough. The Co-op, which was the most important retailer in Stamford does not have a single store since they sold the pharmacy business in 2014. Only R J Scholes Funeral Service in St George’s St, a member of the Central England Co-op, has a base in Stamford.
Today The Co-op Society survives elsewhere however and still sticks to its ideals. It is owned by its Members, is an educational charity and they have been at the forefront of modern ethical trading. They were in advance of other supermarkets by concentrating on smaller stores so perhaps their future will be brighter? Perhaps it will return to Stamford?
We are grateful to Stamford Photographic Society for the use of their photographs on this page. Thanks also to readers who responded to our article about Butchers in Stamford. We will be in touch again and include your information in due course. If you would like to comment on this article about the Coop please write to Ask Leo at 1 St Peter’s St or e-mail askleo@btinternet.com
Ask Leo would like to hear from you if you have more stories about The Co-op in Stamford. Email them at askleo@btinternet.com
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