In this section of the website you will find interviews describing the Frome shops and shopping habits of the past. Four of the interviews have been taken from the 2011 Home in Frome ‘Shop Talk‘ project.
SHOPS AND SHOPPING MEMORIES
Margaret Whorlow talks about her work at the Co-op in Palmer Street
Margaret Whorlow began working at the Co-op store in Palmer Street, aged 14, and continued to work there through the Second World War
Pauline Rogers, née Paniccia, discusses her family's ice cream business
The Paniccia family had a shop on Naish's street in Frome. Pauline Rogers worked in the factory and drove the family ice-cream vans
Ken Miller talks about how he kept the family business going
Ken Miller describes how took his ironmonger's van around the villages, before moving to his shop in the Westway Precinct
Jim White remembers the watch, clock and jewellery shop in Frome
Jim White began work in his father’s shop on The Bridge in 1957. He later moved the business to Cheap Street before selling up in 1987
Judith Loughlin talks about the Barnardo's Shop in Frome
Judith Loughlin tells us about running the Barnardo's shop in the Kingsway Precinct and her role in working with volunteers
Margaret Vaughan describes how she started The Settle Restaurant
Margaret Vaughan opened the Settle Restaurant in Cheap Street in 1975 after a career as a shepherdess. Her daughter later opened La Strada
Quintyn Howard-Evans remembers his varied career with Cooper & Tanner
Quintyn Howard-Evans reflects on his time as an estate agent and recalls how Cooper & Tanner once sold fruit, vegetables, poultry and eggs as well as houses
Diane Rouse discusses the changing fashions in her Catherine Hill shop
Diane Rouse arrived in Frome as an evacuee. She and her mother settled here and started a fashion shop on Catherine Hill, which she ran for 21 years
John Burge remembers the Fosters shop on Catherine Hill
John Burge worked as a shop assistant at Fosters from the age of 16. He recalls the rivalry between the manager and assistant manager
Janet Ruddick and Diana Ingram talk about Catherine Hill in the past
Janet Ruddick has known Frome all her life. She and Diana Ingram recall the shops that used to be on Catherine Hill, from Badcox to the Market Place
Robert and Dorothy Hawker remember Frome shops before supermarkets
Robert and Dorothy Hawker discuss how shopping in Frome has changed over the years and recall the hustle and bustle of Catherine Hill in the past
Tony Paniccia talks about his family's ice cream business in Frome
The Paniccia family's ice cream was well loved in Frome. Here, Tony Paniccia talks about his family, and the factory and shop in Naish's Street
Trevor Weston remembers the shops in the Trinity area of Frome
Trevor Weston grew up in 'Ope' in Selwood Road, Frome and remembers the many different shops in the Trinity and Badcox areas
Ernest Clothier describes life in the Moore & Toop shop from 1969 - 2019
Ernest Clothier talks about changes he's seen in the seed and grain trade in the years since taking on the Moore & Toop shop in Frome
