HistoricaLeigh - The Ham & Beef Shop

March 13, 2018 by Carole Mulroney

In 1835 Lady Olivia Sparrow, Lady of the Manor, erected  infant and junior schools in Leigh and engaged the Rev Ridley Herschell to run them.  This first school was almost on the site of Mr Bernhard’s shop in the Broadway where in later years Dr Orme lived stated a local paper of 1914.

From checking Kelly’s Directory for 1914 we find Mr Bernhard (Hermann  Bernhard) ran a ham and beef shop at No 35 Broadway.  He came from Germany and lived at the premises with his wife and 2 sons.

No 35 was later a greengrocers run by James Palmer, the son of Charles Palmer who ran the original greengrocers at what is now Clement’s Arcade (family rivalry within a few yards of each other).  Later it became Edes Electrical which has departed recently.

The newspaper relays that Lady Olivia would always put on her gloves before shaking hands with the Leigh people!

This article is by Carole Mulroney of Leigh Lives - www.leighlives.co.uk
To read all of Carole's previous article of the History of our little town, click here