The Scudders, fruiterers of Wightman Road

I came across this photo with a message on the back sending "Best wishes for xmas and the new year" from 409 Wightman Road. It's a welcome treat to be able to populate our history with the faces of the people who lived here along with snatches of their personal histories. This family were quite easy to track down.

Frederick Scudder, the father on the far right was born to an agricultural labourer in Meopham, Kent in 1864. His wife, Emily Ann Saxby, was born two years later to another agricultural labouring family in nearby Southfleet. The couple apparently arrived in London in the 1880s and were married in St Mary's, Hornsey Rise in 1887. By the following year, they'd had their first son, Thomas and were renting two rooms at 45 Harringay Road. By the Spring of 1891 they were renting a half house at 66 Campsbourne Road off Hornsey High Street, at which point Frederick was working as a coal porter. 

By 1892 the family had moved into 9 Station Buildings the former name of 409 Wightman Road. The premises, in a terrace of shop-houses that was demolished when the Wightman / Turnpike junction was remodelled in the 1970s, was opposite the now closed Polish supermarket at 284 Wightman Road, next to Pizza Pazza.  Frederick described himself as a greengrocer in the birth register entry that year for Fred Ernest, the second of the two Scudder sons. A greennrocer's business was registered as "Saxby and Scudder" but no entry is listed for any business at 9 Station buildings as late as 1896. It is not clear whether this was an oversight by Kelly's Directories or if perhaps Frederick was employed at a nearby shop whilst saving sufficient to open his own. Almost opposite at 8 Bank Building (now the Wightman Cafe at number 294) was Hughes Greengrocer's; perhaps he worked there.

By the time of the 1901 census however the Scudder shop was up and running as Frederick Scudder & Sons. Frederick was listed as an employer and described himself as a "Master fruiterer and greengrocer". The Scudders ran the business at Wightman Road until the early 1930s when it was taken on by Harry Riddington and Son. Frederick and Emily moved back to Kent where Emily died aged 84. Frederick died in 1956 at the venerable old age of 91.

Fortunately, I recently found a photo which includes the Scudder shop. One one side, was the Post Office at 407, on the other was Cockerill's shoe shop at 411. 409 is the shop with Venetian blinds closed (second from left). (The annotations on the image relate to the newspaper story in which the photo appeared.)

The former Station Buildings later 407-427 Wightman Road. The Scudder premises was second from the left.

An article from 1916, about the diamond wedding anniversary of Frederick's parent's offers more context on his family.

Article about Scudder's parents in the Maidstone Telegraph.

Both boys served in the First World War and survived. Eldest son Thomas was to go on to become an inspector of Taxes in Sussex. He subsequenlty moved to Bromley and died there in 1981. Fred married in 1915 and by the 1920s he and his wife had moved to 34 Redston Road off Priory Road. By 1939 he was describing himself as a 'bookkeeper and VA Board Entertainer'. (Any clues as to what a VA Board  Entertainer would be most welcome!). He seems to have emigrated to New Zealand in the early 1950s.