The Horners

George

The business was transferred from Mrs Martha Phillips, widow of Mr Arthur Phillips to Mr George Horner of Chelmsford, on 25th October 1906.

George believed the house was once called The Manor House but no evidence has ever been found to support this in the records. After adding a drapers (at Blythburgh House, in recent times Mains Restaurant), George branched out by opening shops in the nearby villages of Peasenhall, Kelsale and Middleton.

After the First World War the population of Yoxford had diminished but there was a rise in wages and people’s spending power had increased. By 1918 things were looking up for George, the business had become ‘George Horner & Son’ when his son Percy joined the business after his War service. Horners became a Limited Company in 1922.

Percy

Percy continued to increase trade in the 1930s and a chemist’s shop, run by a Mr Heeley, became available for rent at this period, adding to the range of goods and services which could be provided to villagers. This had been Robinson’s chemists from at least 1908.

Percy also set up a delivery service within a ten-mile radius, taking orders one day and delivering the next. Paraffin was also delivered before electricity came to the village. People would have had oil lamps and oil stoves. Deliveries were made by a Rolls Royce van, attracting public attention. This is believed to have come from Colonel Brooke at Sibton Park and had been adapted using a Rolls chassis. (Originally it was a van on a Daimler car chassis but when the engine wore out it was replaced by the Rolls, the body of which became a summerhouse in the gardens of Manor House). Horner’s main van was driven by Fred ‘Toothy’ Warne, father of Rev Susan Warne. It was in use until 1958, by which time spare parts were difficult to come by.

Percy introduced Own Brand Lines including Sunset Tea and Clover Leaf Margarine. The wrappers from these could be exchanged for free gifts, including items of furniture and kitchen utensils. Most of the groceries, including sugar, butter, margarine, lard and tea were weighed and packaged on the premises. In May 1932 light, heat and power was added to the shop, the house and the chemist’s shop when a Lister lighting plant was purchased for £376.

Percy diversified upstairs, selling small household items such as tables, chairs and three-piece suites.

Around 20 people had been employed in total in all the shops but during the Second World War many men were called up so Percy employed mostly women part-time workers. Despite petrol rationing deliveries could continue. However, many foodstuffs were on ration – two ounces of sugar, butter, tea, bacon and cheese, four ounces of margarine and lard – creating a lot of paperwork as customers had to register. Agricultural workers, manual workers and labourers were allowed 12 ounces of cheese, as they were considered essential workers. Rationing was the same for everyone, no matter their income or status. Tinned goods such as meat and fruit were issued on a points system, which came in later, around 1942.

George’s grandson Jack started working in the shop when he was 15 and took over the business in 1947 after he left the RAF.

Jack

Later he vividly remembered the ration books and every delivery starting with the same order ‘sugar, butter, marg, lard, bacon, cheese, tea and eggs’. ‘Slab’ cakes (made in large slabs) and meat pies were not rationed and they were kept aside for registered customers as they were so popular people used to fight over them. Cake was non-rationed, so saved people using their butter and sugar rations.

After Percy died in 1951, Jack bought the shop and his brother Billy became a Director. Jack had the shop refitted in the 1960s, helping to increase turnover. During the week-end of March 15 th – 16 th 1964, the shop was completely re-furbished and re-fitted and opened on the Monday morning as an ultra-modern self-selection store. Sadly, all the original mahogany fittings were removed, a matter of regret in later years. These were donated to Mrs English, the village Postmistress. The traditional coffee-grinder was retained as freshly-ground coffee was very popular in the area. At this time there were 17 employees, 11 full-time and six part-time. Orders could still be taken over the phone and deliveries made by three vans covering a
radius of ten miles. Jack was a regular driver of the Rolls, the main van, which was difficult to start in cold weather. Sometimes it was necessary to resort to the crank handle.

In the 1970s, the increase in staff wages and longer holidays, the opening of supermarkets and car ownership, all made running the branches and home deliveries unprofitable. Jack had to close his Peasenhall and Middleton branches and leased out his shop in Kelsale to Mr. Sidney F. Lawes. The Yoxford branch managed to stay open and Jack and his wife Pat were selling local produce and home cooked hams. They became licensed in 1979. In 1985 their son David joined the firm and introduced seven-day trading. When Jack retired in 1994, a retirement party was held in the village hall on Sunday 5 th June.

Blythburgh House was owned by the family until 2004 but not used as part of the business. It was a restaurant for several years, first Jacey’s, then a fish and chip business.

David expressed a wish not to continue in the business and the premises were let to Sparrows of Laxfield, who were still operating the business in 2000. The lease was sold in 2005 and the shop was run as a Londis store.

It continued to be leased until shortly before Jack’s death in 2017. The shop was later bought by Jon Hunt, owner of Cockfield Hall and it continues to be leased as a Grocery/Newsagent/Off Licence, since August 2018 run by Mr Namasiviyam Ravichandran, known as Ravi and his wife Vasanthiny, who travel from London each week and Mr Thangavelyutham Vasanthakumar, known as Kumar and his wife Thavarany, who live in Yoxford (all originally from Sri Lanka). The business still trades under the name ‘Horner’s’.

Employees included Bill Brown, Mary Warner, Margaret Howlett over 20 years; Jean Chapman over 30 years. Dolly Philpot and Kath Leverett worked in the chemist’s shop. Drapery staff included Gladys Cook, Betty Palmer and Phyllis Rumsby.