-
-
BATHS
(in larger, white, sans serif font)
---
LADIES &
GENTS
TOILET
SALOONS'
PANEL 4 (above right):
BRUSHES
-
FANCY
COMBS
-
TOILET
GOODS
-
(word illegible behind burglar alarm)'
[All
five images courtesy Dave Riseborough] 
2013
imagePANEL 5 (above) is obscured by the estate agent's sign, but the 2013 view (above right) reveals a little more of the lettering:
'PERMANENT
WAVING
-
FACE MASSAGE
-
HIGH
FREQUENCY
...'
WAVING
-
FACE MASSAGE
-
HIGH
FREQUENCY
...'
We're reasonably sure on
'FREQUENCY'. The final word has been covered in brick-red paint:
'TREATMENTS', perhaps? What sort of
high frequencies might be involved?
2019 image
At last in 2019 the horrible plastic estate agent's sign strips have been removed. Another look at the word below 'Frequency' reveals an 'N' below the 'CY' of 'Frequency', possibly with an 'I' before it, so the last word might end in 'ING'.
[UPDATE 3.9.2024: having been empty for a while, Holland & Barrett have moved into the shop with planning permission to convert the upper floors into four flats. Let's hope the builders respect the lettering and the large slab of whitewash between the first and second storeys, which is currently peeling a bit, beneath which lies the large 'WOOTTONS' sign.See the monochrome photographs below.]
History of Woottons
2019 imageAt last in 2019 the horrible plastic estate agent's sign strips have been removed. Another look at the word below 'Frequency' reveals an 'N' below the 'CY' of 'Frequency', possibly with an 'I' before it, so the last word might end in 'ING'.
[UPDATE 3.9.2024: having been empty for a while, Holland & Barrett have moved into the shop with planning permission to convert the upper floors into four flats. Let's hope the builders respect the lettering and the large slab of whitewash between the first and second storeys, which is currently peeling a bit, beneath which lies the large 'WOOTTONS' sign.See the monochrome photographs below.]
History of Woottons
The large white-painted
area above the first storey windows probably bore the company name (see
the 1958 photograph below to confirm this).
Deciphering these panels
has probably damaged our eyesight for good (and we're quite open to
correction about the interpretation). The panels all display a pale or
white background with maroon chequer border and decorative maroon
coloured lettering which has been expanded or condensed to fit
available spaces. The interlinking double-'O's (as in 'GOODS' are
characteristic. Suffolk Record Office has an original advertisement
for "Wootton's Shilling hollow-ground razor" [Wootton, George, fl 1890,
razor seller, of Ipswich, Suffolk] and the same proprietor is listed as
at 7 Tavern Street, Ipswich and 2 Bent Hill, Felixstowe. So who fancies
a face massage after your hot bath - and perhaps you'd like to browse
our catalogue of cutlery and fountain pens?
c.1890s
The above photograph is apparently the interior of George Wootton's barber shop in Tavern Street; date unknown. Presumably the gent reading the paper is Mr Wootton himself awaiting his next customer. We love the high-tech pulley system for transmitting rotary power from a motor at the rear of the shop, via a shaft mounted near to the ceiling and down to each hairdressers' clippers.
[UPDATE 27.8.2017: 'Hello, your photographs of the old Wootton's shop in Ipswich have been drawn to my attention. The shop was set up by my great grandfather George Wootton in the latter part of the 19th century. He had moved from Aylesbury, where he had been a hairdresser. He died aged 47 leaving 10 children and the eldest boy aged 19 – also called George – took over running the shop. Looking at the … photo … it was taken in the late 1800s and is of our great grandfather so it must have been the second George.
Under George the business grew and they set up other shops, including at Felixstowe and Clacton, all run by various of the brothers. My grandfather who was the youngest of the boys ended up with the business and this was taken over by my uncle who set up another branch in Norwich. My father was also involved and they ended up specialising in shaver repairs, as there was so much competition on the high street for all the other services they offered at one time! The business was eventually sold on in the 1970s.
My uncle, John Wootton, is still alive (aged 90) and knows a lot about the history of the business. If you are interested there's some photos of the shop and of the Wootton brothers on Facebook: Ipswich My Home Town Jenny Wootton (John's daughter and my cousin.) Best wishes, Caroline Ford (née Wootton). Many thanks to Caroline for getting in touch.]
[UPDATE 17.3.2020: Morvyn Finch points out that the Ipswich War Memorial website (see Links) has an entry for Robert Betrand Wootton (1916-1944 – died on active service with the Central Mediterranean Force) who worked for the family business of Woottons (Ipswich) Ltd. His father was Bertrand Spragg Wootton (b. 1879) who, along with Bertrand’s brother Frank Percival Wootton were company directors of the business. Robert’s address is given as ‘Quinton’, 57 Bucklesham Road, Ipswich.]
1934 advertisement
The above advertisement comes from "The Myrtle", the Ipswich (Museum Street) Methodist Church Magazine, August 1934. Other advertisements from this publication can be found on our Introduction page (A.A. Gibbons) and Scarborow opticians in Dial Lane. Thanks to John Barbrook for the publication.
Incidentally, Simon Knott of this parish discovered a 1969 Regency Ipswich Book in a charity shop which contains many display ads. One of them is for 'Woottons – Ladies Hairdressers, Gents Hairdressers, Electric Shaver Service Centre' at 10a Queen Street, Ipswich. He has the image on his Flickr photostream.
1958 image
Above: the striking frontage of the Picture House in Tavern Street draws the eye away from the next door shop: Wootton's (see enlargement). The Picture House Cinema opened in December 1910 and was the first purpose-built cinema in Ipswich. It closed in 1958 and was demolished. It was replaced by a Timothy White's chemist shop, now a branch of Boots. At last we see the proprietor's lettering on that white band between first and second floor windows.
Wootton's post-1910
The painted sign between first and second storeys in 1904 reads: 'GEO. WOOTTON & SON'; however, the most striking feature of the shop, presumably seen by people quite far down the street is the triangular rooftop sign:
Just when you thought the Woottons story had reached its mildly eccentric end...
Woottons ceramic Zeppelin
12.8.2024: 'This afternoon I bought a First World War Crested China Zeppelin, with an Ipswich crest, from an antique centre in Manningtree. Unusually it had an inscription saying that it was made (by Shelley) for Wootton of Ipswich. A quick Google for Wootton brought up your website and the page about Woottons' shop in Tavern Street. I thought you would find it interesting. Taff Gillingham.' Many thnks to Taff; it does promt a number of questions.
Images courtesy Taff Gillingham
Woottons is a gift that keeps on giving. Such an eccentric range of products and services. It’s a curious thing to make a ceramic model of the thing which has been dropping bombs on you. And then to put the Borough coat of arms on it… As far as we can see, the model is just a decorative item for the home so would fit into Woottons' ‘Fancy Goods’ range, as advertised on the shop's Panel 1 (shown above).
Taff continues: '‘China Zeppelins and bombs do seem to be an unusual choice of gift, but they were hugely popular during the war, with manufacturers vying to get their models on sale before their competitors, and taking great pains to get the details on the airships and bombs as correct as possible. The model will certainly be wartime. The demand dried up almost as soon as the war ended, although the makers did try to squeeze additional sales from as many as they could. We have a number of wartime china barrack huts and an additional one with the crest of the British Empire Exhibition in 1924!’
17 Tavern Street
A few yards down the road towards Tower Street and it is worth looking up above The Body Shop at number 17 Tavern Street. Several strengtheners are in place on the brickwork, although the whole area has been whitewashed over recent years,
2013 images
This information comes from Grace's Guide to British Industrial History website (see Links):-
"Robert Boby
c1816 Born at Stanford, Norfolk
1851 Living at 7 Meat Market, Bury St. Edmunds ... Ironmonger employing six men. with wife Jane (age 26). Three servants.
Sometime his wife Jane died
1859 October 22nd. Married Elizabeth the eldest daughter of the late Mr. R. Garrett of Downham Market at Mepel, Isle of Ely. Note: There may be a connection with the Garretts of Leiston here.
1861 Living at 7 Meat Market, Bury St. Edmunds ... Ironmonger and Manufacturer. With wife Elizabeth (age 38 born Downham, Norfolk) and daughter Selina (age 9 months). Four servants.
1871 Living at 17 Low Baxter Street, Bury St. Edmunds ... Ironfounder and Engineer employing 123 men. With wife Elizabeth (age 46) and children Selina M. (age 10), Agnes J. (age 8), Margaret A. (age 6) and Ethel M. (age 4). Five servants.
1881 Robert Boby was living at 1 Low Baxter Street, Bury St. Edmunds (age 66 born Stanford, Norfolk), Ironfounder and Implement Maker. With wife Elizabeth (age 56) and children Selina M. (age 20), Agnes J. (age 18), Margaret A. (age 16) and Ethel M. (age 14). Also four servants and a visitor.
1886 December 1st. Died after a protracted illness aged 72 at his residence in Lower Baxter Street, Bury St. Edmunds. Proprietor of St. Andrew's Works.
1899 January 2nd. Elizabeth widow of the late Robert died. Of Bloomfield House, Bury St. Edmunds. Aged 72."
The Boby Building
The Museum of East Anglian Life (renamed in the 21st century The FOOD Museum, for some reason) is an excellent open air museum and features the largest of their structures: The Boby Building built in brick, flint and timber. Re-erected from its original site in Bury St Edmunds it was a woodworking shop of Messrs. Robert Boby & Sons who made malting and milling machinery (see the image below). The building dates from the 1870s. In 1884 Robert Boby's business was described as '... a business of specialities: the manufacture of screening and dressing machines, of hay makers and horse rakes and the production of most of the utensils comprising a brewer's or maltster's plant ... though general engineering has formed a by no means unimportant feature of Mr Robert Boby employs nearly 200 men.' In 1972 the works closed putting 270 people out of work.
(Information from The Evening Star, October 12. 1985)
Sturminster Newton Mill
In 2018 we spotted an automatic grain sorting machine in the tide mill at Sturminster Newton which stands on the River Stour in Somerset:
2018
images
The transfer on the top hopper reads: 'Manufactured by ROBERT BOBY [LIMITED?], Bury St Edmunds England, Patents Applied For'. Which shows the reach of some of these manufacturing companies.
See also our Lettered castings index page.
c.1890sThe above photograph is apparently the interior of George Wootton's barber shop in Tavern Street; date unknown. Presumably the gent reading the paper is Mr Wootton himself awaiting his next customer. We love the high-tech pulley system for transmitting rotary power from a motor at the rear of the shop, via a shaft mounted near to the ceiling and down to each hairdressers' clippers.
[UPDATE 27.8.2017: 'Hello, your photographs of the old Wootton's shop in Ipswich have been drawn to my attention. The shop was set up by my great grandfather George Wootton in the latter part of the 19th century. He had moved from Aylesbury, where he had been a hairdresser. He died aged 47 leaving 10 children and the eldest boy aged 19 – also called George – took over running the shop. Looking at the … photo … it was taken in the late 1800s and is of our great grandfather so it must have been the second George.
Under George the business grew and they set up other shops, including at Felixstowe and Clacton, all run by various of the brothers. My grandfather who was the youngest of the boys ended up with the business and this was taken over by my uncle who set up another branch in Norwich. My father was also involved and they ended up specialising in shaver repairs, as there was so much competition on the high street for all the other services they offered at one time! The business was eventually sold on in the 1970s.
My uncle, John Wootton, is still alive (aged 90) and knows a lot about the history of the business. If you are interested there's some photos of the shop and of the Wootton brothers on Facebook: Ipswich My Home Town Jenny Wootton (John's daughter and my cousin.) Best wishes, Caroline Ford (née Wootton). Many thanks to Caroline for getting in touch.]
[UPDATE 17.3.2020: Morvyn Finch points out that the Ipswich War Memorial website (see Links) has an entry for Robert Betrand Wootton (1916-1944 – died on active service with the Central Mediterranean Force) who worked for the family business of Woottons (Ipswich) Ltd. His father was Bertrand Spragg Wootton (b. 1879) who, along with Bertrand’s brother Frank Percival Wootton were company directors of the business. Robert’s address is given as ‘Quinton’, 57 Bucklesham Road, Ipswich.]
1934 advertisementThe above advertisement comes from "The Myrtle", the Ipswich (Museum Street) Methodist Church Magazine, August 1934. Other advertisements from this publication can be found on our Introduction page (A.A. Gibbons) and Scarborow opticians in Dial Lane. Thanks to John Barbrook for the publication.
Incidentally, Simon Knott of this parish discovered a 1969 Regency Ipswich Book in a charity shop which contains many display ads. One of them is for 'Woottons – Ladies Hairdressers, Gents Hairdressers, Electric Shaver Service Centre' at 10a Queen Street, Ipswich. He has the image on his Flickr photostream.
1958 imageAbove: the striking frontage of the Picture House in Tavern Street draws the eye away from the next door shop: Wootton's (see enlargement). The Picture House Cinema opened in December 1910 and was the first purpose-built cinema in Ipswich. It closed in 1958 and was demolished. It was replaced by a Timothy White's chemist shop, now a branch of Boots. At last we see the proprietor's lettering on that white band between first and second floor windows.
Wootton's post-1910The painted sign between first and second storeys in 1904 reads: 'GEO. WOOTTON & SON'; however, the most striking feature of the shop, presumably seen by people quite far down the street is the triangular rooftop sign:
'HAIR
CUTTING'
CUTTING'
The 'Domestic Bazaar' is closer
to the camera (at left) and beyond Wootton's is the Temperance Hotel.
Between the second and third storeys we can make out the faint
lettering: 'STEAD & S...', which must be the shoe shop on the
ground floor, Stead & Simpson.
[UPDATE 19.3.2025: 'Being Ipswich born and bred, I love your website and have visited it many times before, but I just want to check with you on one page, at https://www.ipswich-lettering.co.uk/woottons.html.
My 2x great grandmother, Eliza Newton, recently widowed and aged 46, shows up at 59 Kemball Street in the 1921 census, but working as a kitchen help at the Picture House in Tavern Street, with her daughter Ivy (my 2x great aunt) also shown as working there as a cashier, aged 17.
You mention that the Picture House Cinema opened in December 1910 and was the first purpose-built cinema in Ipswich. The website at https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/40613 states this as well and mentions it as designed by noted theatre architect Frank Matcham and boasting a Jacobean Tea Room.
However, the photograph you include on the same webpage as showing Woottons in 1904 appears to show the tower of the cinema building at left of the photo and the frontage as a whole being similar to the 1958 photo of the cinema (when it was showing 'The Enemy Below').
I am thinking that the likeliest explanation is that the 1904 photo must in fact be later than 1910, rather than there having been a tower in the frontage to whatever building was there in 1904, but thought I'd check with you. Shane Hines. Many thanks to Shane for the correction and the family history.]
Did Woottons make a patent medicine for treating corns?
See our 'Woottons Cure For Corns' sign found (but hidden) on Camden Road, off Foxhall Road, related to the Woottons shop. The ceramic pot lid shown on that page (and donated by a contributor) reads:
[UPDATE 19.3.2025: 'Being Ipswich born and bred, I love your website and have visited it many times before, but I just want to check with you on one page, at https://www.ipswich-lettering.co.uk/woottons.html.
My 2x great grandmother, Eliza Newton, recently widowed and aged 46, shows up at 59 Kemball Street in the 1921 census, but working as a kitchen help at the Picture House in Tavern Street, with her daughter Ivy (my 2x great aunt) also shown as working there as a cashier, aged 17.
You mention that the Picture House Cinema opened in December 1910 and was the first purpose-built cinema in Ipswich. The website at https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/40613 states this as well and mentions it as designed by noted theatre architect Frank Matcham and boasting a Jacobean Tea Room.
However, the photograph you include on the same webpage as showing Woottons in 1904 appears to show the tower of the cinema building at left of the photo and the frontage as a whole being similar to the 1958 photo of the cinema (when it was showing 'The Enemy Below').
I am thinking that the likeliest explanation is that the 1904 photo must in fact be later than 1910, rather than there having been a tower in the frontage to whatever building was there in 1904, but thought I'd check with you. Shane Hines. Many thanks to Shane for the correction and the family history.]
Did Woottons make a patent medicine for treating corns?
See our 'Woottons Cure For Corns' sign found (but hidden) on Camden Road, off Foxhall Road, related to the Woottons shop. The ceramic pot lid shown on that page (and donated by a contributor) reads:
'WOOTTON'S
CELEBRATED
MACASSAR POMADE
WILL EFFECTUALLY REMOVE DANDRIFF [sic]
AND INCREASE THE GROWTH OF THE HAIR.
Prepared only by
GEORGE WOOTTON
Hairdresser & Perfumer
7 TAVERN STREET
IPSWICH'
with, around the perimeter of the lid:CELEBRATED
MACASSAR POMADE
WILL EFFECTUALLY REMOVE DANDRIFF [sic]
AND INCREASE THE GROWTH OF THE HAIR.
Prepared only by
GEORGE WOOTTON
Hairdresser & Perfumer
7 TAVERN STREET
IPSWICH'
'SOLE PROPRIETOR OF
WOOTTON'S REMARKABLE CURE FOR CORNS'
Just when you thought the Woottons story had reached its mildly eccentric end...
Woottons ceramic Zeppelin
12.8.2024: 'This afternoon I bought a First World War Crested China Zeppelin, with an Ipswich crest, from an antique centre in Manningtree. Unusually it had an inscription saying that it was made (by Shelley) for Wootton of Ipswich. A quick Google for Wootton brought up your website and the page about Woottons' shop in Tavern Street. I thought you would find it interesting. Taff Gillingham.' Many thnks to Taff; it does promt a number of questions.
Images courtesy Taff GillinghamWoottons is a gift that keeps on giving. Such an eccentric range of products and services. It’s a curious thing to make a ceramic model of the thing which has been dropping bombs on you. And then to put the Borough coat of arms on it… As far as we can see, the model is just a decorative item for the home so would fit into Woottons' ‘Fancy Goods’ range, as advertised on the shop's Panel 1 (shown above).
Taff continues: '‘China Zeppelins and bombs do seem to be an unusual choice of gift, but they were hugely popular during the war, with manufacturers vying to get their models on sale before their competitors, and taking great pains to get the details on the airships and bombs as correct as possible. The model will certainly be wartime. The demand dried up almost as soon as the war ended, although the makers did try to squeeze additional sales from as many as they could. We have a number of wartime china barrack huts and an additional one with the crest of the British Empire Exhibition in 1924!’
17 Tavern Street
A few yards down the road towards Tower Street and it is worth looking up above The Body Shop at number 17 Tavern Street. Several strengtheners are in place on the brickwork, although the whole area has been whitewashed over recent years,
2013 images'R. BOBY
ENGINEER
BURY ST EDS'
The image to the right is an enhancement. It is
interesting that the fitters weren't fussy which way round the castings
were placed on the wall.BURY ST EDS'
This information comes from Grace's Guide to British Industrial History website (see Links):-
"Robert Boby
c1816 Born at Stanford, Norfolk
1851 Living at 7 Meat Market, Bury St. Edmunds ... Ironmonger employing six men. with wife Jane (age 26). Three servants.
Sometime his wife Jane died
1859 October 22nd. Married Elizabeth the eldest daughter of the late Mr. R. Garrett of Downham Market at Mepel, Isle of Ely. Note: There may be a connection with the Garretts of Leiston here.
1861 Living at 7 Meat Market, Bury St. Edmunds ... Ironmonger and Manufacturer. With wife Elizabeth (age 38 born Downham, Norfolk) and daughter Selina (age 9 months). Four servants.
1871 Living at 17 Low Baxter Street, Bury St. Edmunds ... Ironfounder and Engineer employing 123 men. With wife Elizabeth (age 46) and children Selina M. (age 10), Agnes J. (age 8), Margaret A. (age 6) and Ethel M. (age 4). Five servants.
1881 Robert Boby was living at 1 Low Baxter Street, Bury St. Edmunds (age 66 born Stanford, Norfolk), Ironfounder and Implement Maker. With wife Elizabeth (age 56) and children Selina M. (age 20), Agnes J. (age 18), Margaret A. (age 16) and Ethel M. (age 14). Also four servants and a visitor.
1886 December 1st. Died after a protracted illness aged 72 at his residence in Lower Baxter Street, Bury St. Edmunds. Proprietor of St. Andrew's Works.
1899 January 2nd. Elizabeth widow of the late Robert died. Of Bloomfield House, Bury St. Edmunds. Aged 72."
The Boby Building
The Museum of East Anglian Life (renamed in the 21st century The FOOD Museum, for some reason) is an excellent open air museum and features the largest of their structures: The Boby Building built in brick, flint and timber. Re-erected from its original site in Bury St Edmunds it was a woodworking shop of Messrs. Robert Boby & Sons who made malting and milling machinery (see the image below). The building dates from the 1870s. In 1884 Robert Boby's business was described as '... a business of specialities: the manufacture of screening and dressing machines, of hay makers and horse rakes and the production of most of the utensils comprising a brewer's or maltster's plant ... though general engineering has formed a by no means unimportant feature of Mr Robert Boby employs nearly 200 men.' In 1972 the works closed putting 270 people out of work.
(Information from The Evening Star, October 12. 1985)
Sturminster Newton Mill
In 2018 we spotted an automatic grain sorting machine in the tide mill at Sturminster Newton which stands on the River Stour in Somerset:
2018
imagesThe transfer on the top hopper reads: 'Manufactured by ROBERT BOBY [LIMITED?], Bury St Edmunds England, Patents Applied For'. Which shows the reach of some of these manufacturing companies.
See also our Lettered castings index page.
Search Ipswich
Historic Lettering
©2004 Copyright throughout the Ipswich Historic Lettering site: Borin Van Loon
No reproduction of text or images without express written permission
©2004 Copyright throughout the Ipswich Historic Lettering site: Borin Van Loon
No reproduction of text or images without express written permission