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This northern end of Suffolk Parade had already been developed by 1820, making these premises among the oldest in the street. The property now known as 2 Suffolk Parade was two separate shops until the 1980s when Roylan Cycles, already at number 2, expanded into the adjacent premises.
In 1850 this property was home to a linen draper called Mr Charles Wynn but within the next 5 years it changed to a tailoring business, firstly under Mr J.H. Hands and, from 1857, Mr J. Payton.
By 1875 the association with cloth retailing had ended and Mr W.F. Slader ran a cabinet making business at these premises. It seems that Mr Slader abandoned this trade in later life, as in 1892 he was a newsagent.
At the end of the century came another change, when in 1899 J.W. Cheshire ran his cycle depot and jewellery business from here.
The interest in bicycles ceased quite soon and, after leaving this shop, Mr Cheshire went on to run his branch in North Street until at least 1920.
Jewellery and watchmaking continued also at these premises when, in around 1915, Charles Henry Dent owned the business. Mr Dent was here for about 10 years and in 1926 he shared part of the property with a printing firm called Mayfield & Pates.
All of this changed again in 1930 when Allan Reginald Smith ran a fish & chip shop here. He didn’t last long and was succeeded by a grocer called Thomas Giddings in the early 1930s. Then in 1945 the Lloyds from number 10 & 11 Suffolk Parade set up as dog food and chemical manufacturers.
The next two decades saw a number of general and electrical engineering companies at these premises. In 1976 the occupant was an electrical company called Mel Davis but by the time Mr Glanville took over number 1 in the 1980s it housed a picture framing business. It is now combined with the Roylan Cycles shop at number 2 Suffolk Parade.
Although many people have owned businesses at these premises, remarkably only three principal trades are listed since 1850.
The first commercial activity was carried out by Mr Francis Evenson, a shoe and bootmaker, reminding us that in earlier times many goods that are now mass-produced were hand-made locally. Francis lived here in 1861 with his wife Mary and son Francis.
In about 1864 there was a complete change when Mr E. Leonard (Junior) established a stationers shop here. By 1870 Mr Leonard had moved on and Mr J. Rosling ran a newsagents here. He only lasted about 4 years and was replaced by William Grant, stationer and newsagent. Then came W.H. Raymond (1890), C. Dickens (1895) and Miss R.E. Jones (1900), all tobacconists. Traditionally, newsagents, stationers and tobacconists were all combined in the one shop.
In 1910 the shop reverted back to bootmaking under W.H. Hoskins. He lasted until 1922 when the business was taken over by Ernest William Bond. Mr Bond was here until early in World War II but by 1945 Charles J. Vizard ran the shop as a boot repairer.
Mr Cecil Glanville established Roylan Model Services here in 1959, whilst Charles Vizard continued to trade from the rear of the shop for a few years. Mr Glanville derived the name of his business from that of his previous employer, Royal London Insurance. Roylan soon began specialising in bicycle repairs and sales – representing the next main trading activity at this site – and continue to do so to the present day under the third generation of the family.
Researcher: Stuart Manton (September 2019)
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