| Title | Shopkeepers - Mersea Island - Oscar Whiting - Winifred Hone memoirs |
| Abstract | The established shops on the Island are run by independent families who are interested in what they sell, also
interested in the people they are selling to, and as long as it isn't peak hours a little friendly chat can be
thrown in, which keeps you in touch with what is happening on the Island. Councillor and Mrs Whiting, who with
their son Richard own the Island's nicest store, have been part of the real Mersea community over many years.
Passing through their front door you are immediately impressed by the presence of vegetables, fresh food mostly
local grown, also first class confectionary. There is also a good range of home made jam etc., specially prepared
by Mrs Whiting. Their speciality is bacon and ham, the very best Danish and they know how to present it through
long experience. People come far and near to purchase their cooked joints of ham. The wall fixtures are lined
with every sort of canned or packaged goods of the finest brands, a splendid selection of soaps and toilet and
to complete your purchase all sorts of frozen goods.
Councillor Oscar Whiting is the Island's Poet Laureate, each day he displays on a board outside his shop something special he has to offer his customers, an amazing rhyme which is concrete evidence of his genius.
I have included a sample of his masterpieces.
[ unfortunately the sample has gone missing over the years ].
|
| Author | Winifred Hone |
| Published | c1969
|
| Source | Mersea Museum / Wendy Brady
|
| ID | WW01_551
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| Related Images: |
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| ImageID: | FL11_027_003 | | Title: | Oscar and Else Whiting outside their shop in Barfield Road. Some of the employees who worked here were Len Pullen, Mr Smith, Mrs Maskell, Rose Carter (Harvey), Brenda Whiting.
From Album 11 Accession No. 2016-11-001K 2016.11.001K | | Source: | Mersea Museum / Owen Fletcher Collection |
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| ImageID: | FL11_028_001 | | Title: | Oscar Whiting outside his shop. You could always rely on a different rhyme.
From Album 11. | | Source: | Mersea Museum / Owen Fletcher Collection |
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| ImageID: | FL11_028_003 | | Title: | The fleet of vehicles at one time owned by the Whiting family pictured outside Underwoods Garage. Oscar Whiting on the left. Richard Whiting and the mobile shop in the centre. Mersea Fuel Service J.W. Whiting on the right. | | Date: | 1960s | | Source: | Mersea Museum / Owen Fletcher Collection |
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| ImageID: | LH29_014_002 | | Title: | Mr & Mrs Oscar Whiting celebrate their golden wedding. They kept Central Stores in Barfield Road for 27 years.
From Rose Harvey Scrapbook LH29. | | Source: | Mersea Museum / Rose and Len Harvey Collection |
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| ImageID: | RG03_493 | | Title: | Barfield Road. Oscar & Elsie Whiting's Central Stores and house of Charles and Ida Pavey, former dairy. Demolished to make way for Coop.
Zebra crossing on the left. 1960s or 70s | | Date: | c1970 | | Source: | Ron Green Collection |
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