 |
|
|
Businesses |
There are two parts to the Business section. The Commercial section covers mainly shops and banks. The Professional section concentrates on Solicitors and Doctors Number of pages: 175 EXTRACT Contents: Businesses – Commercial Early Llanelli Banks Barclays Bank Brecon Old Bank Messrs Wilkins & Co. 1778-1890 Lloyds TSB Bank Midland Bank Natwest Bank Savings Banks Christmas Evans Hardware Evans Jones Chemist Francis & Jenkins Successors Ltd Benjamin Howell & Sons Ltd The Market Pawnbrokers Silversmiths, Watchmakers, Jewellers Pugh Brothers J & P Zammit – Steeplejacks Advertisements Merchants & other Local Companies Shopfronts Welsh Bookshop Deriges Alcwyn’s Burtons St Elli Shopping Centre Tailpiece – Typewriters & Tills Contents: Businesses – Professional Architects – James Wilson & James Buckley Wilson Attorneys & Solicitors 1830-1867 Solicitors Gomer Williams & Co. Interesting Tales of Local Solicitors Land Law of 1925 Jennings Goring Road Professional Offices David Jennings, Mayor of Llanelli 1927-28, Portrait First Practice Certificate Census Details Goring Road 1851, 1861 First Telephone Roderick Family Tree William Roderick (1831-1882) Bank Manager Census Burry Port 1841 Letter from William Roderick to James Buckley – Proposed Marriage to Maria Buckley Llanelly Guardian Report – Government Prosecution of Bank Census 1881 Roderick Children at Penyfai Llanelly Guardian Almanac 1880 (Extract) Llanelly Guardian Reports Illness of William Roderick William Buckley Roderick (1862-1908) Solicitor Captain Hume Buckley Roderick 1887-1913 Roll of Honour – Captain Hume Buckley Roderick Photographs of the Roderick Family Roderick Family Memorials at Holy Trinity Church, Felinfoel War Memorial, Llanelli Parish Church A Country Solicitor’s Diary, 1920 Doctors Dr Henry Child Buckley Dr T. R. Davies of Avenue Villas
Arcade Upper Level, 2002 A Victorian Arcade in Stepney Street had been planned for some years before it was eventually built. Randell and Sons of Llanelly had purchased a plot of ground in Stepney Street next to the premises occupied by Mr T Griffiths of Luton House, but delayed implementing the plans. In 1894 Griffiths purchased the land from Frank Randell and promised to build a fine arcade without delay. He intended to finish the Arcade before the Llanelly National Eisteddfod of 1895. The proposed arcade would have an imposing entrance in Stepney Street leading into Frederick Street over the Lliedi, provided the Local Board of Health agreed to undertake construction of a new bridge. William Griffiths was the architect who drew up plans for an arcade that would embody the very best of Victorian architecture. The plans provided for six lock-up shops each side, with basements and 14 sets of offices above, seven each side. At one time the gallery was occupied by a number of small businesses including a shorthand school operated by Rowland Thomas and an insurance office. In 1962 Littlewoods Mail Order Stores (a national multiple-store company) planned to develop the town’s busy Arcade and had approval for a two storey walk-around shop. They decided not to proceed without giving a reason why and the Arcade was offered for sale. Today the lock-up shops are occupied by a number of different businesses and the upstairs offices are now used for storage. Extract from Banks The London and Provincial Bank moved from Falcon House to Vaughan Street which was the old premises of the West of England and South Wales District Bank (which failed in 1878) and the Board of Directors’ Minute Book for 7 January 1879 gives information about the cost of the new premises. The Bank was permitted to take a lease terminable at the option of the bank every 7 years at such rent as would give the purchaser (J B Phillips) five and a half percent on a sum not exceeding £2,000. J B Phillips was in the process of purchasing the building and on the 14 January 1879 a letter from Llanelli Branch reported that ‘a party’ (J B Phillips) was disposed to purchase the premises if the bank would take them at £150 per annum. On the 21 August 1879 the lease was set for the entire term of 89 and three quarter years from 24 December 1879 and was due to expire in 1968. The whole term was at £150 per annum with the bank having the power to terminate at the end of 14 years on payment of a £100 fine. Note J B Phillips [John Beavan Phillips] was listed in the Trade Directory of 1897 as JP and manager of Lloyds Bank, Stepney Street. Messrs Wilkins & Co., Brecon Old Bank, 1778-1890 1758 Walter Wilkins (1741-1828) travelled to India, amassed a large fortune, returned to Wales sometime before 1778 and lived at Maes-llwch, Radnorshire, which was the family home for generations. With his vast wealth he was able to establish a banking partnership which provided opportunities for investment. 1778 Walter Wilkins, his brother Jeffreys Wilkins and possibly two other partners established a bank at Brecon in 1778. The capital was £4,000 and each member of the original partnership invested £1,000. Other members of the family, including John Wilkins I (1713-84), probably invested their money as well. Undoubtedly, the driving force behind the bank was Walter who was the Whig (Liberal) Member of Parliament for Radnorshire from 1796 until his death in 1828. He served under many Prime Ministers including William Pit the Younger who held office between 1783-1801 and 1804-1806. It is said that Walter and Pit had a stormy relationship, which led to Pitt allowing large amounts of Government money to accumulate in Wilkins . . . |
