6) Once

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5 St James Terrace

For the greater part of its existence this property was associated with the food trade. In 1841, when St James Terrace was quite new, this was a pork butchers belonging to Mr Joseph Lambourn. He lived on the premises with his wife Hannah and two sons Joseph (junior) and William and a daughter named Caroline. In due course the two boys were included in the business, which then became Lambourn and Sons.

In December 1843 a young man called Edward Williams was convicted of stealing 4 lbs of pork from the shop and was sentenced to 5 months in the penitentiary, whilst in January 1857 a woman called Emma Buttriss, from Montpellier Retreat, was found guilty of stealing about 4 lbs of pork from the shop and was remanded for a week in gaol at Gloucester.

The southern area of Cheltenham was developed in a rather piecemeal fashion in the mid 19th century and the urban landscape we perceive today evolved gradually, with large tracts of agricultural land existing within the built up area. This is indicated by the fact that in 1858 Joseph Lambourn was summoned before magistrates for creating a public nuisance, by keeping pigs on his land near to Angle Villa in Grafton Road, Leckhampton. A month later, he had still not resolved the problem and was allowed two weeks to sort it out. The lack of modern refrigeration meant that the slaughtering of animals was carried out relatively close to the butchers shop.

Hannah died in 1875, followed in 1877 by their son Joseph (junior), at the very young age of 44. His inquest was held at The Beehive in Montpellier Villas, where it was decided that he had died from "natural causes", although newspaper reports of the time are very suggestive of a fatal heart condition. The shop changed hands later in the 1870s and the father Joseph died in 1884, at the age of 78.

1879

The new occupants retained the same trade and were firstly George Tarr, a pork butcher with another shop in the High Street, and then Charles Fryer and his wife Ellen. The Fryers were to relocate across the street to 5 Suffolk Parade before 1891 and remained in business there until Charles Fryer died in 1922, aged 80.

Sometime after 1885 this house may have reverted to residential use, until 1902 when Alfred and Alice Caudle set up their greengrocery business here. Their son Ron inherited the business when his parents retired in 1930. The Caudles were at these premises until 1972 and you can read more of their story below. Many of their comments about customer service still seem relevant today.

Ron with his sister and father, at the door of the shop. c.1908

Alice Caudle outside the shop c. 1920.

2016

Within just a few years this shop then became one of the many antiques dealers in the area, called Martiniques Antiques. In the early years of the 21st century the trade changed again to a garden design shop named Capability. Since July 2022 it has been Once, a gift, plants and card shop owned by Jo Mitchell.

Researcher: Stuart Manton (January 2023)

Article in the Gloucestershire Echo, 1972, about the retirement of Mr & Mrs R. E. Caudle, fruiterers, who occupied the site from 1930.

FRUITERERS RETIRE

The owners of Cheltenham’s oldest fruiterers, which dates back to 1902, retire tonight. They are Mr and Mrs R.E.Caudle, of St James’s Terrace. Mr Caudle was born in the shop a year after his parents took it over.

“It was a butcher’s then,” he said.”There are still meat hooks at the back. There were square panes of glass in the windows.” But it was only by accident that he came into the business. “I was an ecclesiastical joiner,” he said, “but in 1928 to 1930 there was no work, so I started to help out in the shop.”

He took over when his parents retired in 1930 and has remained for 42 years.

The shop was supplied by fruit and vegetables from its own gardens in the Park and at where Sandford Pool now lies. Grapes were included among a wide variety of fruit and vegetables. “Eating habits have changed a lot since the shop first started,” said Mr Caudle. “People are choosier these days,” he said. “They like foreign stuff like avocados and red peppers, whereas a vegetable like sea kale that used to be very popular, has gone out altogether.”

He had not been alarmed by the rise of the supermarkets and pre-packaged vegetables. “We give a different service,” he said. “There are three things. Personal service, personal credit and personal delivery. You won’t find a supermarket giving all those.” “We serve people who used to come in 30 years ago, and others who’ve moved into other parts of the town make a point of coming back to us.”

After their retirement, Mr and Mrs Caudle plan to go on a long holiday before returning to their home at 92 St Georges Place, Cheltenham.

The Caudle's retirement in July 1972

1950

Once

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