The Golden Key, 8 Fore Street

Photograph of the Golden Key, December 1892

Photograph of the staff in front of the Hook Brothers’ Golden Key Grocery and Provision Stores. On the back is the following note:
Taken Christmas 1892
[left to right] C. Marshall; W. Hook – boss; C. Philips; H. Bryer; A. R. Poole; S. Coles; F. Hook – Boss.
Photograph, excluding the black backing board, measures 147.5mm by 101mm.

Notes

The building appears in a photograph by Robert Gillo, taken c.1865, shows it as Akerman’s Music and Piano Warehouse (Squibbs’ History, no.37). At the time there was a Hook’s grocers was three doors down to the west, at number 14 Fore Street (Squibb’s History, no.93).

The Whitby Directory for 1883 mentions: Hook, Charles & Sons, grocers and provision merchants, Golden Key, Fore Street. Also Hook, Charles junior, grocer of Cattle Market.

In 1884, some rebuilding works behind the Golden Key revealed a portion of the moat of Bridgwater Castle, which was found to have been filled with rubbish and black mud (Squibbs’ History, p.96).

By 1933 the premises had become the World’s Stores (postcard image with postmark – see below). By 1965 the business was trading as Key Markets (Bridgwater Images of England 1, p.23) .

The shop highlighted on the 1880s OS Map.
The Shop on a c.1905 picture postcard.
Another view of the same, from an unposted postcard, with unattributed printer, although printed in France and bearing the monogram LV or VL, and serial number 12202-1991. This is probably twenty years later than the group photograph.
The premises in the 1930s.