This page introduces you to the main shopping street through the centre of Penistone. Market Street becomes High Street somewhere halfway along. It has seen many cosmetic changes but the general appearance has not changed much over half a century or more. A few other business lie off the main road, on side streets; especially the two supermarkets on Park Avenue. Thumbnail pictures on this page are all shapes and sizes from before when I mostly standardised them. Some are old and poor quality. My apologies for that.
The Changing Face of Penistone
Older residents will remember Penistone retail market where the Spar is now; the smell of coffee in Ferguson's shop (later to become the dentist's); Risden Woodcock's hardware shop (it was always 'coming in next week'); Purdey's wallpaper shop; Raymond Smith's Radio and TV shop and another Mr Smith next door to him selling sweets and Charlesworth's clothes shop where YBS is now (official supplier of PGS uniforms). The Clays had a small tobacconists where Zeanti's is now, next door to Charlesworth's. At the other end of the row was the Conservative Party office with its frequent jumble sales before it became the (much missed) Halifax agency. Penistone's own radio station came along in 2009, above SK's cafe.
Shop-front refurbishments, a lick of paint and new signage appeared in 2005 from the 'Market Town Initiative'. The long-time travel agent which in a later incarnation was 'Travelworld' became Barnsley Hospice charity shop. The 'World of Video' became Chuck McBurney's betting shop. Mrs. Bailey's cloth shop next to JT's became Mrs. Porter's DIY shop and then it changed hands again as a DIY shop. It is empty now. JT's became Jaytees. The Vicarage Tea Rooms closed in 2008, leaving elderly organ concert visitors with few options for a sit-down meal or cup of tea, then the Rose & Crown stepped in with food and refreshments and a new cafe sprang up in place of the Halifax. 'SK's Cafe' opened in June 2009 and was popular from day one. 2010 brought along another venue for a nice cuppa, a bun and a sit down, 'The Loft' - an upstairs coffee bar on Back Lane. Another kind of cafe started in 2011 on Church St. The Arthouse combines a delicatessen (with Yummy Yorkshire ice-cream), a cafe and an art gallery. See the Pubs and Eateries page for more on watering holes and cafes.
The Start (or End) of Market Street
The first picture (above-right) is a rainy view of Market Street and is more or less the reference point for when I say the left or right for what follows. The Old Crown is the most prominent building on the right of the picture. The white car just beyond the light-coloured Spread Eagle is on Back Lane, the entrance to the retail market, which is also the site of the monthly Farmers' Market and livestock auctions of small creatures. Clark's chemist is the building on the left.
The old Cloth Hall
The old cloth hall has been Clark's Chemist from 1899 and is still in the hands of the Clark family. The special display below was part of their centenary celebration, when every window had its own theme. There used to be a door in the middle arch. The building failed as a cloth hall but has housed a variety of businesses over the years, including the British Legion.
There is another row of arches on the ginnel side of the building, which are now bricked up. If you are standing outside Clark's, look up at the largest chimney stack across the road and see if you can spot the owl. It's there, believe me. Clark's is the only shop in Penistone where I can properly satisfy my fetish for liquorice and Imps ('addictive' little pellets of liquorice and menthol).
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Up the Street
The first picture below is of Cinnamon Spice just after Clark's ginnel. It used to be Fieldsend's greengrocer many years ago. Going up the stone steps, Fieldsend's was a very cold shop without heating of any kind. It did not need a fridge. It was cold even at the height of summer and I always pitied the frozen shop girls working there. It has changed hands a few times since then. After a long stint as a cafe run by Frank Wordsworth's sister, it became Hanwell's cafe for a few years then 'Carolina's' Italian delicatessen with adjoining cafe for three or four years. In 2007/8 it became 'Cinnamon Spice', a licensed curry house with a new interior and a good hygiene rating. It sits directly opposite the competing Balti House take-away.
Next door is Peter Holmes' butcher (red awning), who has occupied this shop for as long as I can recall. As a vegetarian, I have never set foot inside it. The Yorkshire word for a fish & chip shop is a 'chipoyl'. Ward's chipoyl is next door. Bert Saville had it a long time, then Cedrick 'Edric' Foster (who still lives in the area) took it on in the 1980s. Edric established the 'Saddler's Cafe' around the corner, conveniently close to the bus shelter, for a cup of tea or a meal. The Yates' family took it over in the 1990s but then it seamlessly changed to Ward's some time in the next decade.
Wards Chip Shop Cafe is still doing well and I can recommend their egg, chips and mushy peas, with bread and butter and a strong mug of tea. It is a small, friendly place with regular customers and it is a good place to tune in to the local way of talking (and pick up on 'the grapevine'). Two pictures below show the chip shop and cafe, as seen from Shrewsbury Road, and you can see a door to the barber's shop above the cafe. The current Barbers' Shop was 'Scissor Happy' hairdressers until recently, when Bernice retired. The bottom row pictures were taken from their window. It is still a hairdressers but in a more traditional style. Top-right is an inside view of the cafe.
Shrewsbury Road leads past Frank Platt's electrical shop (where I bought my telly, washing machine, vacuum cleaner and a radio or two), the church, the Town Hall/Cinema and down to another chipoyl, The Dolphin, at the bottom. Directly opposite to that is Green Kleen's emporium, a dog parlour and a Gent's hairdresser.
McBurney's Turf Accountant, Robert's Butcher, Balti House
We are on the right side of the road in the next set. The first picture is an old view of Duncan Roberts' Family Butcher. Duncan is a well-known character with a popular taxi service using his distinctive black and white car. If the taxi is cold, he is delivering meat. Next door was the 'World of Video' but is now Chuck McBurney's betting shop, which you can see in the 2008 picture below right, complete with rainbow. Rather quaintly, we English call a betting shop a 'turf accountant' or a 'bookie' and the windows are, by law, always screened out. Chuck's is conveniently close to the Spread Eagle pub next door and there is constant shuttling of customers between the two on Saturday afternoons.
People watchers like me will sit on the benches outside the Spread in fine weather, watching the boy racers go by with screeching tyres and thumping 'music' as some sort of external heart pace-maker. To the right of the Spread is a solicitors, the Balti House and the Old Crown referred to previously. High up on the Balti House wall is printed 'Bentley's Rotherham Ales'. Apart from some colour changes, someone from a century ago would instantly recognise all of these buildings.
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Bottom-left picture is Back Lane leading to the Market Barn, which is more or less where you see the cars parked. "Battle through the rain and gales", the radio advert went, to encourage people into Penistone's retail market. In fact, so many changes have taken place in this area that a new Market Page has sprouted up for it. The shop just visible to the right is again Duncan Roberts' Butcher shop, with a carrier bag tied to its awning to stop pedestrians bashing their heads.
Now we are back on the left side of the road. The next set of pictures are across from Back Lane. First one is Frank Platts' electrical goods shop on the end of Shrewsbury Road. This has been in Penistone for as long as I can recall and I have bought two washing machines, one radio, one telly and various of other things from Platts. Brian Clegg has been boss there for a long time. Next, the towering three-storey Rose & Crown, on the corner of Shrewsbury Road, with Platt's just visible and an old BT telephone box. Unfortunately, the Rose & Crown's long history as a public house has come to an end. It is now being re-shaped into offices for Dransfield's soliticors. The phone box could go to. BT are trying to make their phone boxes disappear from the UK landscape unless they have listed status.
Looking up the street after the Rose & Crown, we have Penistone IX fashion shop (No.9), Co-op Chemist and Lancasters estate agent. Co-op Chemist had a popular old weighing machine just inside the door but it is beyond repair now. Next is a lane leading down to the Post Office - which is also a stationers, sweet shop and toy shop. Next to the Post Office (top-right) is the Vicarage Guest House, not shown here.
Continuing along the street, we have Yorkshire Building Society (not visible here), Zeanti's fashion shop, GT News, Greggs', Barnsley Hospice charity shop, Hallmark card shop, Scriveners optician and SK's cafe. The rather poor pictures of Penistone Parade were taken from the steps by the Co-op.
Back to Market Street
The first picture below is a long view looking back down Market street and it is a bit out of date now. If you click on it, you will make out GT news, Greggs' bakery, a red-fronted shop which was then a travel agent and then the card shop. This is an old picture and the red-fronted shop is now Barnsley Hospice, which is a much better way of recycling unwanted clothes than the masses of charity bags that we get delivered every week. The middle picture shows the card shop in its later incarnation as Hallmark cards, who always decorate their window for Yorkshire Day, unlike most of their neighbours. Hallmark has a wide range of Penistone merchandise with a picture of the viaduct and church: mugs, cards, pens, keyrings, clocks, etc. That's a picture of one of their mugs below. They also have little 'Penistone' ipod pouches.
The third picture beow shows what follows on from the card shop: Scrivener's opticians, then SK's cafe (which used to be a very useful Halifax agency). The bottom row is from inside SK cafe, which opened May 2009. It takes its name from the partnership of Sue and Kelly, who wanted to keep the name short. The last picture is of a window two storeys above the cafe. It is the studio of our local radio station, Penistone FM, which launched in June 2009. So it really is in a good location in 'The Heart of the Community'.
Going back to the street view above, we can look at the other side of the road from Park Avenue. The line-up (from memory) is the Co-op, Chinese take-away and its upstairs cafe, hairdresser, Britannia building society, optician, tattoo parlour, Roberts' butcher, Chuck McBurney's bookie, the Spread Eagle, a solicitor, Balti House, Old Crown and NatWest Bank. Just off the picture on the left is the Spar. There is a small car park behind the Spar and some parking spaces at the front including a 'disabled' spot which is often disregarded by people driving those big 4x4 vehicles.
The Co-op had a makeover in 2004 when they installed a bakery. Then another makeover in 2010 gave them new isles, fridges and a brighter feel. Incidentally, just for a lark try saying this at any cashout in the Co-op: "It's a bit quiet in here just now" and listen for the "Oooh". They call it the 'Q' word, as it magically attracts a rush of customers. Last time I tried it, a shout of "Hamlet" went up.
