The Full Entry
Memories Of Little Downham’s ‘Lofts’ Shop
Published Monday, May 1st, 2006 by Karl Bedingfield
When one recollects childhood memories, invariably there are many that standout. For me - growing up in Little Downham - these included my first day at Feofee’s primary school, the tragic death of Susan Cockerton (Susan and my Auntie Steph used to babysit me) in April, 1968, the ‘giant hydrogen-filled balloon’ that drifted over our primary school in August, 1970, making houses out of straw bales in the field bordering on our house (sorry Mr. Parsons!), fishing down the ‘Hurst’ and a little shop forever frozen in time. That shop was ‘Lofts’.
‘Lofts’ closed sometime in the late 80s. It was a childhood memory that had not - physically - changed since my earliest visits on the way to primary school in the late 60s. Truth is, it probably hadn’t changed that much from the day it opened in the early 1900s!
Loft’s was a small dark foreboding place lost in the modern world; an amalgam of Royston Vasey’s ‘local’ shop in The League Of Gentlemen and Arkwright’s store in Open All Hours. But to a child in the late 60s and early 70s that lived east of St. Leonard’s Church it was first stop (we were to lazy to walk to ‘Barlows’ or ‘Proctors’) on the way to school or the ‘field’ (playing field), you see, the shop had a lot of sweets, in the big front window and the jars on the back wall, it also had Corona fizzy and Lyon’s ice lollies. What more could a kid wish for?
Loft’s was an amalgam of Royston Vasey’s local shop in The League Of Gentlemen and Arkwright’s store in Open All Hours.
The main gateway to a kid’s nirvana was through two giant sliding glass doors (they were always shut); you would tell Mrs. Hillen you wanted some sweets and ceremoniously she would open the sliding doors. As a 7 year old with ‘thrupenny bit’ in hand I would ask what I could get for my money and then reach into the big shopfront window and choose with the watchful eye of Mrs. Hillen ever vigilant.
The store was from an long-forgotten age that allowed locals to run a ‘tab’ for groceries as long as you paid up on payday. Sure there was the occasional damp packet of crisps or biscuits and the chocolate in the front window did melt on a hot day but overall I had fond memories.
The shop was handed down to Mrs. Hillen (maiden name Lofts) from her Father, Ben Lofts, a man who I have very little memory of.
The shop served me and my friends very well during our primary school life and the long summer holidays of the early 70s when we spent most of the time either fishing at the ‘Hurst’ or playing tennis, football and cricket up the ‘field’.
Popular treats back then were a ‘¼’ of loose sherbet, pineapple chunks or pear drops.
Popular treats back then were a ‘¼’ of loose sherbet, pineapple chunks or pear drops. When playing tennis down the ‘field’ a bottle of corona cherryade done the trick, making sure to return the bottle the 10p deposit. Ice lollies were popular also: Zoom, Fab (a girl’s lollie, but tasted great) and the big ice popsicles. You could walk down the street with a sweet cigarette in your mouth imitating the adults and laughing when some old geezer thought you had a real ‘fag’ in your mouth.
The store was never over-busy as new shops such as ‘Barlows’ and ‘Proctors’ at the other end of the village had arrived as housing in the village grew. But it did have a loyal following of older ‘true’ locals and served the children well who walked to school from Lawn Lane and Ely Road.
I took the following photographs in the late 80s, it was something I had wanted to do for years but hadn’t the courage to ask.
These could possibly be the only photos that exist of the shop’s interior. I hope I am wrong as I would really like to see earlier shots of Ben Lofts. If anyone has any that I can scan please get in touch.
(above) Loft’s around 1920.
(above) Mrs. Hillen.
(above) The gateway to nirvana.
(above) I’ll have a ‘¼’ of sherbet please.
(above) The ice cream refrigerator.
(above) Lofts is now a residential property called Lofts Cottage.
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At 10:22 pm on May 2nd, 2006, Nikki wrote:
Some great pictures. I too remember the early small shop days. My Grandad used to own the shop opposite St. Mary’s Church in Ely. I remember it like yesterday, thing was it was 30 years ago… doesn’t time fly.
At 2:33 pm on May 14th, 2006, Tina Simpson wrote:
I spent everyday after school in Lofts shop, it was a great place to buy sweets and I have never come across anywhere quite like it.
The pictures are just as I remember it, well done for an excellent piece of writing.
At 1:48 pm on May 17th, 2006, Emma Beney wrote:
There were always dead earwigs in the loose box of jelly babies behind the guarded window but I still spent my 2p there every day after school!
At 12:50 pm on June 13th, 2006, Ian Rose wrote:
Unbelievable!! You have photo’s from inside Lofts shop.
I remember once diving in there as me and my mate had just stuck the V sign up at a passing driver - can’t think why, just being big I suppose. We naively thought we were safe in there but he found us and we got a bit of a roasting from him. Plus we ended up having to buy something. The shopkeeper was a just like a female Arkwright!! She used to come round to our house as Dad worked for the Inland Revenue at the time. She was always trying to work out how to dodge the tax man!!
That shop window was fab. I once asked her if I could buy the dead wasp that was on display.
At 3:28 pm on June 16th, 2006, Sharon (nee Woodbridge) wrote:
Brilliant pictures and just how I remember it. She was such a scary woman. Gone are the days when you could get sweets for half a penny.
At 9:19 pm on September 24th, 2006, Teresa Walker (nee Morse) wrote:
How did you get away with taking photos inside Lofts?
I must say it brought back so many memories, not only of when I was growing up in the village, but of taking my own small children there too.
Mrs Hillen was certainly a formidable character, not saying a lot, but that look!
Always in the same flowery overall too.
We used to stand outside the shop to catch the bus to Wisbech College every week, I’m sure she hated that.
At 9:49 pm on September 24th, 2006, Karl Bedingfield wrote:
How did you get away with taking photos inside Lofts?
Well I had been going to that shop since my first day of primary school and she knew me pretty well. I just asked her one day, although initially she didn’t want to feature in any of the shots.
I’m glad you like the pictures, I think they may be the only ones available.
At 3:52 pm on October 3rd, 2006, Paula Bennett (nee Stearman) wrote:
Your photos brought back wonderful memories of sliding back those giant glass doors to buy a packet of golden nugget chewing gum. Its just as I remember it, well done!
At 6:54 pm on October 3rd, 2006, Karl Bedingfield wrote:
You know, I had forgotten all about ‘golden nugget chewing gum’, that’s the one that was in the little sack-like paper bag I think.
At 4:00 pm on November 15th, 2006, Michael Fenn wrote:
I was a regular at Ben Lofts. I often visited my Aunt Laura at Lawn’s Farm. From there a visit to the shop involved a high speed dash through the churchyard - pretty scary for a little lad on a dark winter’s night. I also remember Mr Loft’s coming to the big football matches in the village (eg Little Downham v Littleport) selling sweets from a tray which hung around his neck.
At 12:23 pm on November 16th, 2006, emily wrote:
Wow!!!!!!!!! thats my village and the house’s are still the same!!
I am only 15 and that has amazed me thanks!!!!!
At 10:28 pm on December 15th, 2007, M Hobbs wrote:
Seeing these photographs brought back many happy memories.
The shop is also just how I remember it as well; not shown is what I believe (please will someone correct if I am wrong) was a wooden bench. On this bench were buckets containing seeds like peas being sold in half a pint measures etc.
I can also remember seeing Mrs. Hillen on her bike delivering things.
Also Mr. Moxon who would deliver paraffin in an oil drum which was attached to a hand cart.
One fond memory I have; this being helping him push this hand cart up Ely Road, past what was at that time Mr. Green’s Farm.
One very vivid memory I have of Mr. Lofts amongst many was; watching him grafting mistletoe on to what I believe was an apple tree in his garden.
Quite an apt memory to have; at this time of writing as it is nearly Xmas.
At 12:57 pm on January 31st, 2008, Andrew Hunt wrote:
I used to cycle from Black Bank Road for pear drops and remember the smell of the shop like it was yesterday even though it was 1980! Great photo’s Karl, a real piece of history.
At 2:26 pm on April 16th, 2008, Duffy wrote:
Well done Karl for your memories which matches mine. But forgotten, until I read your account. You done well to get those photos. And there was a wooden seat on the right,and yes it did seem a long walk from Lawns Crescent when your only 8 or 9, to collect your torch batteries which she used to keep loose in a box and test with a small bulb connected to what looked like a small pair of flat dividers.
At 10:44 pm on May 1st, 2008, Jo wrote:
I to have many memories, I was married in St Leonards in March 1975, there were a few of us married that year. I haven’t been back for many years but how many of you remember the school and the long walk a lunch time from the infants to the juniors. Oh god who can forget those dinners especially the puds. Those were the good old days.
At 8:13 am on May 5th, 2008, Karl Bedingfield wrote:
How many of you remember the school and the long walk a lunch time from the infants to the juniors?
Are we talking about the same school? Feoffee School in Little Downham was quite small.
At 7:57 am on May 6th, 2008, Duffy wrote:
I was also one of those many infants that took that long walk. The infants school was an old chapel type school down Eagles Lane which after it was used as a school it was a Youth club. There was little heating and not much light. Outside toilets (and I really do mean “outside”) for the boys.
At Dinner-time we all had to walk up to the juniors, which is now the village hall.It reminds me of a scene from “Oliver”. We had to sit on lines of wooden benches in the main hall, with the teachers up on the stage including Mr Ives, who I think was the Headmaster.
This all happened before the new Feoffees school was built, now even that has been knocked down and a new one built on the same spot. Nothing stays the same!
At 6:33 pm on May 6th, 2008, Karl Bedingfield wrote:
Ah, that was before my generation. I had forgotten the youth club in Eagles Lane (now allotments) was in fact a school!
I went to Feoffees school from 1968-1974 and do remember being a mischievous child playing in the derelict infants school (now the Village Hall). It was very ghostly and still had remnants of it’s past life - old desks and blackboards in place.
Thanks for clearing that up Duffy.
If anyone has any photos of any of these schools please get in touch as I would love to publish some.
At 1:44 pm on May 13th, 2008, Clare Andrews wrote:
Wow I love the pictures.
Two anecdotes about the great Lofty’s as we called it:
It must have been early nineties it shut, my best friend Emma moved to the village in summer 1991 and it was still open then. I remember this as her mum bought some washing powder there and there was a competition or save the voucher thing on it and she was going to do it but it had expired in mid 1980’s hehe.
Also once I bought a packet of ‘lovehearts’ sweets in there, on opening they were completely soft. Mum took them back and she swapped for a packet that were perfectly fine. hehe. I must admit from then on we nicknamed it ‘mouldy’s’ but in an affectionate was as we did not stop going there!