BROOK HOUSE
Brook House is on the south-eastern part of the High Street, in between Greenfield House and the former Forge. The section next to it is a private house. The house is named after William Brooks, who lived there in the early to mid-1800s. A watchmaker called Bates lived there in the 1850s, and he was succeeded by David Vinall, a shoemaker, in the 1870s and 1880s. After Vinall, also in the 1880s, came Samuel Johnson, a grocer and baker. Samuel's son, Joseph, succeeded him, and Joseph is described in the 1901 census as a "Grocer, Baker and Evangelist". In fact, Joseph was the minister at the tin mission in Nep Town Road for over 60 years, was the Parish Clerk for 20 years, and a Trustee of the Gresham Charity for nearly 40 years. He died in 1944.
After Joseph Johnson came Edmund Bowerman, also a grocer and baker, who was at Brook House until the early 1930s. When the baking for the day was finished, local people could bring their own cakes to be baked in his oven for a small charge. In the 1930s, the Musson family took over Brook House, having 3 shops in the High Street in all. Brook House was known as "Top Mussons", and it was in 1936 that a row of pollarded elms lining the High Street outside the shop was felled. In the late 1950s, Margaret Hills, late of House of Hymans, took over the premises and ran her hairdressing business there until early 1970. After that, there was a run of estate agents in Brook House: Gladding, Son & Wing from 1970-73; Bradley & Vaughan, 1973-1986; St. John Vaughan, 1986-1989.
Between 1989 and 1996, Brook House became Virginia Hogge Designs, a stationery shop, to be followed by Goodmans Lettings from 1996 to 2003. The last occupant of the premises before Taste...deli arrived in 2006, was the Alice Carroll dress shop. The Taste...deli owners retired in January 2019, with the premises and business being sold. As of February 2019, extensive renovations took place in the building, ready for a new café called Relish which opened in late April 2019.
SHOPS 3
Alice Carroll: This dress shop was replaced by Taste Deli.
Taste...deli 1: Brook House as Taste Deli - eat in, sit outside or takeaway.
Taste...deli 2: The interior of the delicatessen.
SHOPS 27
Taste...deli 1: The shop closed its doors on 22nd December 2018 with the retirement of Rick and Lou from the business, which they sold. It re-opened under new ownership in April 2019.
Taste...deli 2: The closure notice. Alison and André are the new owners.
Taste...deli 3: The interior of the café in 2007.
SHOPS 28
Taste...deli: A notice from the new owners - the opening was delayed.
SHOPS 29
Brook House 1: This view from late February 2019 (as are all the views 1-6 on this page) shows the interior from the doorway looking towards the back.
Brook House 2 A view of the Tudor beams, some with Tudor woodworm in the exposed ceiling. Slats are being fastened to the beamwork to hold a new ceiling.
Brook House 3: A view of the inerior taken from the back of the premises, looking towards the front entrance.
Brook House 4: The old oven. This looks like a room built on to the back of the house but was, in fact, a huge bakehouse oven.
Brook House 5: Wall panel removal exposed some remnants of late Victorian wallpaper.
Brook House 6: The cast iron door of the bakehouse oven.
Relish (Brook House): The new shop sign - now "Relish". Mid April 2019.
SHOPS 30
Relish (Brook House) 1: Easter Sunday, 2019 - the new café is open. A view of the interior.
Relish (Brook House) 2: As above - the exterior.
SHOPS 32
Relish (Brook House): The interior - going great guns in mid-February 2020.
After Joseph Johnson came Edmund Bowerman, also a grocer and baker, who was at Brook House until the early 1930s. When the baking for the day was finished, local people could bring their own cakes to be baked in his oven for a small charge. In the 1930s, the Musson family took over Brook House, having 3 shops in the High Street in all. Brook House was known as "Top Mussons", and it was in 1936 that a row of pollarded elms lining the High Street outside the shop was felled. In the late 1950s, Margaret Hills, late of House of Hymans, took over the premises and ran her hairdressing business there until early 1970. After that, there was a run of estate agents in Brook House: Gladding, Son & Wing from 1970-73; Bradley & Vaughan, 1973-1986; St. John Vaughan, 1986-1989.
Between 1989 and 1996, Brook House became Virginia Hogge Designs, a stationery shop, to be followed by Goodmans Lettings from 1996 to 2003. The last occupant of the premises before Taste...deli arrived in 2006, was the Alice Carroll dress shop. The Taste...deli owners retired in January 2019, with the premises and business being sold. As of February 2019, extensive renovations took place in the building, ready for a new café called Relish which opened in late April 2019.
SHOPS 3
Alice Carroll: This dress shop was replaced by Taste Deli.
Taste...deli 1: Brook House as Taste Deli - eat in, sit outside or takeaway.
Taste...deli 2: The interior of the delicatessen.
SHOPS 27
Taste...deli 1: The shop closed its doors on 22nd December 2018 with the retirement of Rick and Lou from the business, which they sold. It re-opened under new ownership in April 2019.
Taste...deli 2: The closure notice. Alison and André are the new owners.
Taste...deli 3: The interior of the café in 2007.
SHOPS 28
Taste...deli: A notice from the new owners - the opening was delayed.
SHOPS 29
Brook House 1: This view from late February 2019 (as are all the views 1-6 on this page) shows the interior from the doorway looking towards the back.
Brook House 2 A view of the Tudor beams, some with Tudor woodworm in the exposed ceiling. Slats are being fastened to the beamwork to hold a new ceiling.
Brook House 3: A view of the inerior taken from the back of the premises, looking towards the front entrance.
Brook House 4: The old oven. This looks like a room built on to the back of the house but was, in fact, a huge bakehouse oven.
Brook House 5: Wall panel removal exposed some remnants of late Victorian wallpaper.
Brook House 6: The cast iron door of the bakehouse oven.
Relish (Brook House): The new shop sign - now "Relish". Mid April 2019.
SHOPS 30
Relish (Brook House) 1: Easter Sunday, 2019 - the new café is open. A view of the interior.
Relish (Brook House) 2: As above - the exterior.
SHOPS 32
Relish (Brook House): The interior - going great guns in mid-February 2020.