We continue with our shops theme in Warminster in our Then and Now series, moving just along from last week's feature on the Corn market.
This week we look at at the former Lucas and Foot shop in the Market Place.
A directory of 1848 shows Arthur Lucas as a draper in the Market Place - an old Warminster name that survived into the 1960s, as Lucas and Foot.
By 1898, Arthur's sons Jedidiah and Manoah occupied number 17 for stationery and book selling with men's outfitters at number 18.
Records tell us that Jedidiah Lucas was very well known locally. He had a pony and trap in which he used to go round the nearby villages, taking orders and was also secretary of the local Sunday School Union.
By 1920 Alfred Foot had joined and the company Lucas and foot had been formed. The stationery and book selling side of the business expanded to sell toys in any quantity for the Christmas trrade.
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Alfred was a keen amateur photographer selling postcards using his own pictures of the town.
Although Jedidiah died in 1922, the shop still traded as Lucas and Foot until 1935 when it was sold to a Mr Roberts. In 1946 Ivan Ewins purchased the business.
Several tenants occupied the former newsagents until it was taken over as Kelseys in 1961. Kelseys also took over Alfred Foot's men's outfitters at Number 18, which he had run from 1920 to 1961.
After 1961 the businesses were run by Harold Kelsey and later by his son Peter as Kelseys of Warminster
These premises are now the former Factory Shop and Town Pets.
Our archive picture shows Lucas and Foot decorated for the Queen's Coronation in 1953.
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