No 4 Trinity Street (now demolished)
 



1900
John King - Fishmonger (wholesale and retail). John King also runs a grocery department next door at No 2b. Behind No 4, is a large smoke house. (LM)

1908
Edward (Ted) Denney - Trading as James Denny & Son - Fishmonger. (K1908) John King continues to trade as a grocer next door at No 2b but has relinquished his fishmongery business to Edward Denney.

Note: James Denny (or Denney) was Edward's father. He was a fisherman, married to Eleanor and is recorded in the 1881 census as living at No 38 East Cliff Green. It is not thought that he ever ran the fish shop but probably purchased the premises for the benefit of his son, Edward. James & Eleanor had three other sons: James Jnr who was three years older than Edward, John and William. The spelling of the family name is mainly recorded in the census returns as 'Denny' but is sometimes spelled 'Denney' (including by the present generation), distinguishing it from other Denny families in the town.


 

1911
James Denny
dies in the summer of 1911 aged 73 but the business continues to trade as James Denny & Son - Fishmonger, owned by Edward, now aged 37. His older brother, James William (40) works for him as an employee.

During the First War, the yard behind the shop, now called 'Trinity Close' was occupied by stables for the 2/1st Regiment of the Montgomeryshire Yeomanry which had been moved to Southwold under orders of the Ist Mounted Division. Ted Denney's young son, Noel, used to frequent the stables. "He was a bit of a tearaway and always seemed to have holes in the seat of his pants. The soldiers dubbed him 'Holey Joe and the name stuck. He was never called anything but Joe for the rest of his life." (Ian Denney, Noel's son).

 

 
1924
Edward (Ted) Denney -
Trading as James Denny & Son - Fishmonger. (K1924)
 

1933
Edward (Ted) Denney -
Trading as James Denny & Son - Fishmonger. (K1933).

At around this time, Edward and his brother, James William have a falling out, resulting in the latter leaving to start his own fish business at No 17 East Street.

The following is an extract from an unpublished memoir titled 'Memories of Southwold 1920 - 1939' by John Harris who spent his boyhood holidays in Southwold between the wars. It is quoted by kind permission of his widow, Mary Harris.

"The Fishmonger situation became complicated. Two brothers were in partnership in Trinity Street. One was known as the Red Denny, the other as the Long Denny. They fell out over whose son would come into the business. Long Denny opened a shop in East Street, backing onto Centre Cliff. I think, for once, my parents had no strong view but it became noticeable that Long Denny Junior was much more polite than his Red counterpart and I think it swung things his way"


Edward (Ted) Denney - Trading as James Denny & Son - Fishmonger.

 

1953
Noel (Joe) Denney - Fishmonger. Joe (The son of Ted) takes over the business but only briefly. He served his apprentiiceship as a printer before the War in Ipswich and has now been offered a job as Machiine Minder at The Souttwold Press, Nos 2-4 Church Street, run by his uncle, Leslie James. For a time he juggles both jobs, sometimes to be seen setting type behind the counter between serving customers with fish. After a few months, however, the business is sold. (LM)

1953
Quantrill & Son
- Fish merchants and curers, ice Merchant. (CSP)


Quantrill & Son - Fish merchants and curers, ice Merchant. Mrs Phillis Welham becomes the shop assistant in approximately 1964 having moved from a similar position at No 34 East Street. (Source:Peter Ellis)

c1967
The building is demolished. (exact date required)

 

 

 
 
 

 

 
 

 

   

Do you have any memories or records about this address? Can you correct any of our information or fill in any of our blanks? If so, please email Barry Tolfree
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SOURCES:
BSD - Bernard Segrave-Daly
BCS = Bygones & Characters of Southwold by Barrett Jenkins
C = Census
CP = Cinema Programme 1958
CSP = Coronation Souvenir Programme 1953
G = Gales Trade Directory
GRO = General Register Office
K = Kelly's Directory
LM = Local memory
M = James Maggs' Southwold Diary 1818-1876
MCG = Methodist Church Guide 1930
NA = National Archives
PP = Pantomime Programme 1933
PLR = Petrol Licence Records

POD = Post Office Directory
PPP = Pier Pavilion Programme 1924, 1926
RCE = Rotary Club Exhibition 1969
SCM = Southwold Catholic Magazine 1923
SCTG = Southwold Corporation Tourist Guide
SER = Southwold Electoral Register
SFP = Southwold Scouts Fete Programme 1947
SG = Southwold Guide
SGCH = Southwold Golf Club Handbook
SLHR = Southwold Local History Recorder 1980s 1990s (Mrs R. McDermot)
SMHS = Southwold Museum & Historical Society

SN = Southwold & Neighbourhood 1903
SPM = Southwold Parish Magazine 1895 -1954
SR = Southwold Recorder 1927, 1932, 1934, 1935
SRB = Southwold Rate Book
SRT = Southwold Railway Timetable 1915
SSAS = Southwold Sea Angling Society Handbook 1909
SST = Southwold Summer Theatre Programmes
SSW = Southwold Shopping Week Programme, June/July 1922
STG = Southwold Town Guide 1930
SVL = Southwold Visitors List 1907, 1930
SVCP = Southwold Victory Celebration Programme 1946
SWCG = Southwold Wesleyan Church Guide

TTR = 'The Town Revisited' - Portraits of Southwold by Stephen Wolfenden 2000
TTT = ''To The Town' - Portraits of Southwold by Stephen Wolfenden 1988
W = White’s History, Gazetteer and Directory of Suffolk 1874

 
Note on dates
Unless otherwise stated, dates given do not indicate the years in which the business started or finished but those for which there is firm evidence that it was trading at this address. Sources in brackets; key at bottom of page.



No 4, now demolished, occupied most of the width of Trinity Close, above. Below , the shop was used by John King as his Fish department prior to 1908 when Eedward Denney took it over.

J Denny & Son advert

This 1924 advertisement is from the Southwold Corporation Tourist Guide of that year.



Denney's shopwindow (date unknown)

with thanks to Ian Goffin for the photo.

Click image to enlarge