The Fernhurst Society
Tales from the Archives - 39
Miss Woodman’s Shop
Miss Carice (known as Cary) Woodman’s shop stood at Fernhurst Cross, on the corner of Haslemere Road and Van Lane (later Vann Road) in the first two decades of the 20th century. She was described as a funny, short, little lady.
The shop was a delight to the senses. The smell of paraffin and candles mingled with the earthy smell of fresh vegetables, corn meal and newly baked bread and cakes. The aromatic smell of the tea, which she weighed out from ornamental canisters from the Mystic East, graced the top shelf of the shop. There was lump sugar which she cut with a special saw. Treacle was sold by weight from a cask with customers bringing their own containers.
The shutters always went up at twilight, but the shop was still open for customers, even at midnight (if you wished to be out so late). What gossip and news would have been exchanged in the lamp or candle light behind those closed shutters.......
A memorable day for the children was when Mr Logan Pearsall Smith from Friday’s Hill House met the children coming out of the village school on the green. He took them all in procession to Miss Woodman’s and bought up the entire stock of sweets and distributed them amongst the children!
If you would like to know more about this story, or research other local topics, the Archive is open on Tuesdays, 2.30-5pm in the Village Hall. Other times by arrangement.
Christine Maynard
Fernhurst ArchiveOne of a series of short articles bringing you some of the incidents from our rich village history. Collated by Christine Maynard, based on documents preserved at the Fernhurst Archives, these originally were published in the monthly Fernhurst News.
The Fernhurst Archives
Fernhurst History
