Independent retail has always had a home in Knowle, and some of the businesses on the High Street today occupy buildings with stories that go back generations. As part of our 750 celebrations, we look back at the history of some of the buildings, and some of the shops that used to be in Knowle.

Many of our local shops grew from the front rooms of houses along the High Street, Station Road and Kenilworth Road. Even the Guild House was once a shop and the first home of Knowle’s Post office in the 1880s.The first purpose-built shops were those at the corner of Station Road and Lodge Road, ‘The Victoria Buildings’, opening in 1897. Now you’ll find Ester Broomhall & Partners, Prontaprint and other businesses there.

Caroline Creba Fine Jewellery and World of Time

These two shop sit on what was once a blacksmith’s yard. A blacksmiths yard and cottage on the site was extended in the late 19th century to create Knowle Men’s Institute – the vision of Mr Everitt of Knowle Hall and Reverend Canon Howe, who had seen the difference similar institutions were making to working men elsewhere. From 1886 it provided a reading room, assembly room and space for sports.

1683 Chocolate Place

This building has had many lives. Known as Kingscote, it took its name from the King family, who later ran the post office from the premises after it transferred from the Guild House in the late 19th century. It would have been a busy hub at the heart of community life. Letters arrived by mail cart from Birmingham via Hampton in Arden as early as 5.25 in the morning, and the sorting office at Kingscote dispatched post twice a day. When Mrs King retired, the building reverted to a private home before becoming the Statham family’s bakery in the 1920s. It subsequently became a bakery run by a Mr Statham, before being divided into three units to house a variety of shops and businesses over the years.

Ivory Tower

This bridal boutique used to be Soden’s butchers. The sash window at the front of the boutique used to open up and that was used as the frontage to sell meat. The gated entrance at the side of the shop led to a yard and buildings including a slaughterhouse.

Knowle Goldsmiths

In case you’ve never noticed, Knowle Goldsmiths has two front doors. The current building was built in the front garden of Mrs Curtis cottage in the mid 1950’s. Back then, one side was a wool shop and the other a jewellery store. When the wool shop closed the previous owner of Knowle Goldsmiths just cut straight through and left the two front doors in place. Knowle Goldsmiths are another long serving business in Knowle, having been part of the High Street for over 60 years.

Cristal Boutique

The building now home to Cristal Boutique was once the village police station, with a lock up in its cellar. In living memory, most will remember it as Maddocks newsagents which traded until 2001.

Schmidt Kitchens

On the footprint of The Swan Inn, the building was for many years NatWest. You can see references to The Swan Inn in the stonework in the building.

Central Plumbing

On Station Road, Central Plumbing currently occupies a building dating back to 1883. It has been a bakery, general store and, in more recent times, a carpet shop.

Eric Lyons

Eric Lyons Butchers has been trading from its High Street premises for over 200 years, making it one of Knowle’s longest-standing businesses. The building that Lyons Butchers trades from today was originally the middle property of a row of three late medieval houses, the others being the Red Lion and the White Swan. This row was an important feature in the medieval high street of Knowle, facing onto the square opposite the church — a position that suggests the building was home to someone of standing in the community.

Architectural evidence points to it being a medieval farmhouse with an open hall living space, typical of rural buildings of the middle ages. Under a glass cover at the back of the shop is a well.

Records show that from 1816 the shop was owned by the Knowle Hall Estate, described at that time as a “house and outbuildings,” and in later records as a “house, butcher’s shop and yard” (1841).

In the early 1800s the Alldays were trading as butchers from these premises. By the 1861 Census, the occupants had changed to Corbett’s, employing three men and a boy. From 1888 until 1901 the shop was run by Dick Barratt.

The 1901 Census shows the premises occupied by the butchers Joshua Harper (aged 30) and Frank Harper (aged 28), along with their sister Fanny Harper (aged 32), who was acting as housekeeper. There was also a servant/butcher. Phil and Mary Lyons, along with daughters Jeanette and Yvonne, moved into the flat above the High Street shop. Jeanette and Yvonne recall free-range chickens in the yard and Eric in the backyard. It was in the 1950’s that Eric and Pat Lyons purchased the building.

The Lyons family connection to Knowle began in 1903, when John Lyons opened a butchers on Station Road, and five generations of the family have been involved in the business ever since.

Carly’s

The shop frontage of what was once a larger building (now Eric Lyons and Carly’s) was altered in the mid-1950s. One side was named Eric Lyons. A separate shop was created alongside the butchers, replacing the downstairs living accommodation – taken on by Brian Chare and opened as Chare’s Furniture Store. This is now Carly’s.

Midland Business Equipment

At ‘Wrenson’s Corner’, Midland Business Equipment has been trading for over 50 years, but Wrenson’s was a shop that once was here. Previously, Wrenson’s Corner was known as Wilson’s Corner.

Shops of Times gone by

Knowle has been home to a surprising variety of shops over the years. Music lovers were once served by two dedicated music shops – The Music Shop on Station Road, selling keyboards, and Knowle Music Shop in the precinct, which specialised in sheet music. Now, music lovers can go to Slow Century Records.

Fresh produce came from a handful of greengrocers, most recently Covent Garden on the High Street, with another in the precinct.

For children’s clothing, there was Rosemary’s in the 1970s and Zebra Kids in the 2000s.

The High Street and surrounding streets have also seen their share of homewares and interiors businesses, including Greswolde Gallery offering framing services, Indigo Art Gallery in the 2020s, a curtain shop in the precinct, and various furniture stores over the years. You could even pick up a tv at John Clarke TV shop in the precinct.

Florists have come and gone too – among them Konstance Flowers, Stephanie’s in the precinct, and Pauline’s Florist, which occupied the site where Jamm now trades.

Antique hunters were also well catered for at various points, with Chester House among those to have traded as an antique shop.

We’d love to hear your memories of shops in Knowle. Head to our Facebook Page to tell us more.

750 Celebrations

We invite you to Knowle on Sunday 21st June to join us in celebrating 750 years since Knowle became a manor. The High Street will be bustling with market stalls, community stalls and street food. Entertainment will be on stage outside of the Red Lion and also near Slow Century Records. Come for the day, visit our places to eat and drink and celebrate the history of Knowle village. Find out what’s on at https://visitknowle.co.uk/knowles-750-celebrations-everything-you-need-to-know/.

Knowle Society

Read more about our buildings in the trail ‘A Walk in Time’ and visit them in the library during the 750 celebrations. Thank you to Knowle Society for providing the images many of the facts in this article.

Image: Knowle Society