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206 Bath Road (formerly 1 Waterloo Terrace)
This was one of two greengrocer’s shops belonging to the Barrett family in Bath Road. They also had a shop in Winchcombe Street and later one in the High Street.
Albert John Barrett was born in 1854 to John and Elizabeth Barrett, who were local market gardeners. He formed a business partnership with his brother Josiah Jeanes Barrett, trading here in Bath Road and at The Nursery in Leckhampton, as J & A Barrett, Market Gardeners, Fruiterers and Greengrocers. That partnership was dissolved by mutual consent in 1901. Albert and his wife, Carolina initially lived here with their three sons, Francis, Theo and Herbert and their daughters, Tryphena and Tryphosa (named after two women in the Bible). They owned this property and several others in the road, including at least two more in Waterloo Terrace. At the turn of the century Albert described himself rather grandly as an ‘English and Foreign Fruiterer’ and also as a 'Market Gardener'.  Albert’s wife Carolina died in about 1902 and around that time J & A Barrett became A.J. Barrett and Sons. All three of Albert’s sons were in the fruit trade but it seems that his middle son, Theo, ran this one. The First World War saw many changes everywhere and the shop again became known as a fruiterer, dropping the “English and Foreign” from the title. It appears that Theo was absent for a time during this period, probably serving his country, and Albert resumed the management of this shop.
Their businesses continued to flourish selling much of their own produce grown at their market gardens in Tewkesbury Road and Leckhampton. Albert’s two other sons; Francis and Herbert carried on running the other shops especially when ill health forced Albert to take a much less active part. He died in February 1924, at the age of 70. For a short time the Barretts shop was known as the Cash Fruiterers but by 1926 it had again become just greengrocers! By the start of the Second World War Theo was again running the shop and his name was displayed over the window. Notice the outside lamps which enabled trading until well into the evening. Notice too the creative displays of fruit and vegetables to entice the shopper into the shop.  Gloucestershire Echo, 8th November 1948
Theo was a keen pigeon fancier who raced birds as a hobby, keeping some in the yard behind the shop. He continued business here until 1948, when the shop was bought by the Gloucestershire Co-operative and Industrial Society for its greengrocery department. The Co-op continued here until the mid-1960s when, after at least 80 years, the premises ceased to be connected with the retail fruit and veg trade.
For a while this became the home of Gloucestershire Motor Cycles Ltd whose owner was Mr Jack Browning, the brother of the watchmaker Don Browning. It changed again for a short time to become Peggy Morris Ladies Outfitters. By 1970 the Bath Road had a new take-away with the arrival of the Fryer Tuck Inn which traded from here until it became the first outlet of a chain of burger bars under the name of Burger Star. Researcher: Marilyn West.
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Bath Road Street Furniture, 2014
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