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215 Bath Road (formerly 110A Upper Bath Road)

This was part of the property belonging to the blacksmith William Bushell from at least 1851. William lived at The Weighbridge House (now 219 Bath Road) on the corner with Norwood Road and also owned the site of the café next door to this shop.

For at least half of the 20th century this little shop was associated with things to eat. As early as 1917 Buckles, who described themselves as ‘wholesale and retail grocers, bakers, confectioners and forage merchants’ occupied these premises. Their main shop was across the road at the current 238 Bath Road. ​

By 1924 these premises were occupied by Marguerite Horatia Parker and in 1926 she advertised her home-made sweets and other confectionery at this address. On 12th April 1925 Marguerite had married the blacksmith Walter Herbert Poulton from next door but seems to have retained her maiden name for business purposes.

​This remained a confectioner’s throughout the 1920s and 1930s. After the war it was empty for a short period and then became a small cafe for over 20 years. From the mid 1940s it was called Sandy’s café, owned by Nelson Graves (1949), and then the name was changed in the early 1960s to ‘Chico’s’. There were no tables for customers – just a counter along three of the walls – and people would either sit on stools or stand whilst they had their refreshments.

In the mid 1960s the shop became a hair and beauty salon, following which the trade changed to various antique dealers, with names such as Elephant’s Bag, Leckhampton Antiques and Bumbles. In 1997 it became Molly’s antique shop and is now home to Rosa Blue which specialises in gifts, fabrics and home accessories, many of them hand-made.

Rosa Blue

For more information click here.

Researcher: Marilyn West
Updated: Stuart Manton (July 2018)

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