Brown's Shop, 2 Crown Street, Castle Hedingham

Brown's Shop was a grocers and haberdashery in Castle Hedingham that occupied number 2 Crown Street. Run by Len and Sylvia Brown. Len always wore a brown overall coat. Inside the shop was quite dark, to the left hand side of the shop was a grocers and on the right hand side was everything else.

Brown's had a van which they used to make deliveries, but also sold all sorts of things from the van as a mobile shop. Selling things such as including ribbons, groceries and pink paraffin to the outlying villages. Apparently Len even took his driving test in the van. The shop was closed by the 1970s[Does anyone know when specifically?]

Many residents fondly recall the old fashioned sweets on sale: "As children we all loved the simple glass cabinet displaying the sweets for sale. Penny arrows, black Jack's, bubble gum, chocolate tools and white chocolate mice. The expensive sweets were in another glass cabinet like Turkish delight, Fry's chocolate creams. Cadbury Jamaican rum and raisin."

One resident recalls:

"Mr Brown used to ask customers to bring paper bags for him to re use and she used to have to straighten them out and put then behind the counter."

Peter Cook recollects:

My grandmother would cycle in from Great Maplestead with her paraffin can hanging from the handlebars, she would do all her shopping in Castle Hedingham on her bicycle, I'd come with her sometimes if I needed a haircut at Dick Walker's!

Susan Mack recollects of Browns:

''My first job aged thirteen was in Len Browns shop. On a Friday I did two hours collecting stock from the barn at the back of the house which included climbing rickety stairs and balancing on broken floor boards with great big holes in them. Gathering Omo and Surf soap powder to stock the shelves. Then gathering eggs from the chickens from all around the garden. Collecting Bramley apples to sell in the shop. The winter job no one wanted to do was filling up paraffin cans from the pump in the garden in freezing cold weather.''

The house "Overeds"

The house attached to Brown's shop is called Overeds, named after John Overed, a 17th century preacher who founded a Presbyterian Meeting House in the building, after being expelled from nearby Toppesfield. Later on the non-conformist chapel moved to Queen Street.

The property is now a private residence.