Comments

Thanks for this David.

As part of my research involving  my great granfather (Wilfred Marriage Brown) I have only just started to look into Brown Brothers, so any info/background you can provide will be greatly appreciated. I am planning to travel down to Weston this Saturday and intend to visit the library to gain more info.

I am aware of Brown Bothers Cafe being located at 25 & 26 High Street, and did know that there was cake and confectionary business at the rear, as my father remembers visting the chocolate factory to 'get sweets' and also remembers Margaret Peck (who was my grandmothers governess at Hillcrest, 31 Trewartha Park and then worked at the chocolate factory) making him birthday cakes and Easter eggs.

I was not aware of the other shop (Cash Grocery Stores, Provision Dealers and Fruit Merchants) at No 31, but that is really interesting as I knew that Wilfred Marriage & Emily Brown were living at 31 High Street at the time that my grandmothers brothers Wilfred Maurice Brown & Charles Reginald Brown were born in July 1894 & February 1897 respectively, before living at Brantholme, 8 Grove Park, at the time of the 1901 census.

Do you know the name of the shop that currently is at these premises?

Thanks for your help again David, it is much appreciated

  Are you aware the Brown Bros had two shops in the High Street.  No 26 Oriental Cafe which had a chocolate factory at the rear where my wife worked. and No 31 Cash Grocery Stores, Provision Dealers and Fruit Merchants who imported exotic fruit that could not be bought elswhere.

Thank you Steve, this all sounds really interesting and I'm sure that members would find it fascinating.  We are thinking of running a series of articles in Buckets & Spades about people's experiences during WW2 and this would fit in beautifully.  Paul Tracey would welcome articles from other members who have access to similar memories.

Last January a Notice Board was erected in the Cemetery to commemorate civilians who were buried there and who died during the bombing.  Details can be seen in the January Update of 2016 but we are very much aware that only shows a small part of the war-time memories and that we should record others while we still have the chance.

Wilfred Marriage Brown was born the 16th December 1870 at 2 Monpelier Terrace, W-s-M. He lived at Hilcrest, 31 Trewartha Park, W-s-M with Emily Brown (formerly Dixon) from 1920 until he died in 1950. Katherine Dixon is Emily's sister, and moved in with her sister.

My father used to visit his grandparents every other weekend and remembers a housekeeper called Ada. He recalls she wasn't there long and left at the start of the war. He can't remember Barbara, but that is not to say that she was not there also.