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Surrey Street, Croydon:
not just Fruit and Veg.
Vivien Lovett (Mrs Whitehouse) gave a talk
to the Society on 20th February about Croydon's street market,
its history and the many colourful and enterprising characters
who have made it what it is today.
The earliest records of the market go back
to 1276, when Archbishop Kilwardy obtained a Royal Charter for
a weekly market in Croydon on Wednesdays. The market underwent
many changes. In 1894 the Croydon Times called for a public market
place in the reconstructed Surrey Street, and the Surrey Street
market in its present form as a six-day-a-week market dates from
June 1922 and was licensed as such in 1926. The recent Sunday
market is rather different, and is not attended by many of the
established market traders
The Lovett family, of which Vivien Lovett
is a member, is intertwined with the history and development
of both the market and of horticulture in Surrey. Her grandparents
were Walter and Agnes Lovett who lived in Church Path. He was
only 21 when in 1897 he fought for his pitch in Surrey Street.
Agnes was a full partner selling fruit and vegetables from the
stall in her immaculate white apron. After some years of trading
in fruit and vegetables, Walter decided to branch out into garden
plants, taking advantage of the new discoveries of the botanist
collectors from Kew Gardens and elsewhere, and the prosperous
middle class in Croydon, with large houses, gardens and gardeners.
In the 1920's and 30's these customers would readily buy expensive
plants from Mr Lovett, and have their gardeners tend them. The
Lovett stall, the first by the steps at the top end of Surrey
Street, still provides Croydon gardeners with root, pot and bedding
plants in due season. Although firmly based in Surrey Street,
Mr Lovett was in a large way of business, visiting nurseries
in Holland for his purchases of bulbs, and holidaying in expensive
resorts on the continent. He was the proud owner of the first
Model T Ford motor car in Croydon and later on acquired an Armstrong
Siddeley. He also saw the necessity for transport for the business
and had vans and lorries for this.
The family had connections with the stage,
Dolly and Betty Lovett in particular appearing at the Victoria
Palace in shows with the Crazy Gang in the 1930's. Perhaps there
is a link between the qualities needed of a market trader in
selling his goods and those of a stage performer. The family
exemplified the motto "work hard play hard" and
certainly enjoyed the fruits of their labours in dressing up,
going out, and generally enjoying the good life.
The family were also growers and Vivien Lovett's
father, Bill Lovett had a holding on the Woodcote estate on which
plants, flowers and tomatoes were grown for sale in the market
and to the trade.
Other market traders included the Phospherine
man, who sold a tonic and exhibited his torso whatever the weather;
the Sarsaparilla man, and Goldie the newspaper man who was not
above editing the news to sell his papers. There was a tradition
of boxing among the market families, and the names of Mark Hart,
Albert Finch and Jim Toohig will be remembered.
On November 29 1994, the market was honoured
by a visit from Prince Charles, who was clearly fascinated by
the lively scene. His genuine and continuing interest in the
Surrey Street market was proved by his foreword to Vivien Lovett's
book "Surrey Street, Croydon A Stall Story".
This excellent book gives the full story behind the market and
its characters, only briefly touched on in this brief record
of her talk which was illustrated by historic slides, many of
which are reproduced in the book.
Geoffrey Myers
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