East St.

My dad is John the barber and used to work for Fred. I have lots of happy memories of Olive and the toffees, she used to slide me an old penny to pay for a bag and I still have a little child’s wooden chair she d pop me up onto so I could reach the counter top.  When Fred’s wife passed he signed over the barbers to dad and contently went home to make cakes and tend to his beautiful standard roses lining his pathway in his neat bungalow. Fred giving dad the job of barber helped us his family settle in Rochford and I will always be grateful to the community for welcoming us “home” x 

The little guy on the right was called Mr. Sharp (Sharp's the name for toffee). That's me in the middle, white shirt and roller skates. When I had a hair cut there I always seemed to get the barber who we called "snipper teeth" as he used to click his teeth in time to the scissors. I had to be about 9 years old then so taken around 1953.

I have some happy memories of Fred Mathews shop. My brother and I were taken there to buy sweets and to have our haircut. I remember being lifted up and sat on a flat board to have my locks reduced. My brother reminded me that if you wanted to change your hairstyle you had to take a note from mum.

I do remember that there was a metal sign standing on a pedestal outside the shop, I thought at first it was the little bloke standing between the two ladies from the sweetshop.

On the left at the front is Terry McKinnel behind the fair-haired boy (I remember his face) is Mrs Mitchel.