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48 Suffolk Road (formerly Staffordshire House)In 1810 a spur line of the tramroad from the Leckhampton quarries terminated here, in a field formerly called 'The Grottens' and stonemasons yards existed to fashion the stone, some of which was used to build Cheltenham. In 1825 the site upon which these premises stand was acquired by a builder called John Knight, coinciding with the sale of parcels of land by Henry Norwood Trye, lord of the manor of Leckhampton.
The title deeds state that Mr Knight held the land in trust for William Baylis, who may have intended to develop the site but died in 1847, without apparently achieving this ambition, since the Old Town Survey map of 1855-57 shows the land to be devoid of any buildings. From 1871 this property was known as Staffordshire House and it was occupied in that year by Mr Dennis Potter, a china dealer & broker. The business was later taken over by his son John Henry Powell Potter, who initially called himself a bookkeeper but traded here under the name of the Suffolk Road China Shop, until his death in May 1919, aged 71. He had been an active member of the Bethesda Wesleyan church and, like his father, a pioneer in the cause of temperance.
The shop was sold in 1920 and changed trade to become a greengrocers run by Charles Selley & Son, who sourced their fresh fruit and vegetables from fields in Leckhampton. By 1927 the shop had changed hands again when Mr Henry Payton ran his Wireless and Electrical store here, offering radios for just a £1 down-payment. He didn't remain for very long, as by 1931 Mr Percival Roach had opened his provisions merchant shop in these premises. He relocated next door to number 50 Suffolk Road late in 1937 and Ellen Basher ladies hairdresser took over this shop. A further change happened by 1945 when this became a newsagent run by Mr Charles William Brendecke, commencing a long series of newsagents at various times under the names of Smith, Buckley, Ann's Newsagency and, in 1975, Jackson. In the early years of the 21st century this became a restaurant called Brasserie HPJ. Then in 2016 Ryan Bennett opened his new bakery, restaurant and coffee house called Baker & Graze.
Researcher: Stuart Manton (August 2017)
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