Queen Street - Winn's Corner Shop

Memories - Winn's Corner Shop

By David Middleton

F.A. Winn General Store Proprietor A.M. Rayner

Peter Topps recalling Wynn's Corner Shop

True Friends - Miss Rayner and Miss Wells

Miss Wells and Miss Rayner former proprietors of ‘F.A.Winn – Corner Shop’.

Edith Wells who eventually went to work for Miss Rayner on the corner, when Jackson Miller sort of retired or disappeared Edith Wells went to work for Miss Rayner up here at the corner shop. …. Now this shop was F.A Winn – grocer and draper (details of windows). It was run – Miss Rayner and Edith Wells – Miss Wells. Now Miss Rayner was a very genteel nicely spoken real old lady, real real lady. Now Edith, lovely lass but absolutely chalk and cheese. Edith had quite a few adjectives in her vocabulary but they got on like a house on fire. They really did. And again their grave is not far from where our graves are in the Church yard and I can show you at a later date, and there is a little stone up there, um ‘Edith Rayner and Edith Wells (whatever it is ) and the inscription is ‘True Friends’ – that’s what it says on the grave, on the little stone. But this shop it sold provisions, knitting wools, children’s clothes, everything. That was ‘F.A.Winn’.

Peter Topps From BLHS Archive Interview, December 2006

Thanks to Brenda Turier and Maureen Hill for the memories they have added (See below). Does anyone else have any memories of Miss Rayner and Miss Wells and the shop they ran which they can add to these reminiscences?

This page was added on 09/12/2006.

Comments about this page

Reply
This picture has brought back memories. I remember this shop so well and Miss Raynor and Miss Wells. I visited often – there was everything inside! I also remember Peter Topps and his sister Mary. I remember going to their Birthday Party one year and had a wonderful time. Their house was next door to another shop run by Kath Randall I think. I also used to go in this shop often and loved the packets of Symington Soup she used to sell! That vividly sticks in my mind! I lived in Bottesford from 1941 until 1952.
By Brenda Turier (Nee Sellers) (16/05/2007)
Reply
Like Brenda I also remember Miss Rayner’s shop very well. Only a small shop but so much in it. Open all hours as they say. In the evening, when the shop had closed, mum would sometimes say ‘nip down to Eddie’s and get me so-and-so’, and theywould open up. Nothing was ever too much trouble for Eddie and Miss Raymer. Eddie, what a character! To a little girl her language was very colourful!! I also remember Kath Randall’s shop. Utter chaos – but she knew exactly where everything was. I have vivid memories of the house next door, where Mary Topps lived, and being allowed there to play after tea.
By Maureen Hill (nee Cooper) (27/05/2007)
Reply
I vaguely remember them as my great grandma Alice Lovett used to live next door to them on Fleming Avenue.
By Tracey Kirkby (16/03/2009)