Celia's Memories Of Kingfisher...

We recently made a request of Barrie’s sister Celia... would she give us her account of what it was like to work here at Kingfisher back in the day?... What follows is a lovely tale of a proper family business!

“Back in the Day” was the 1950s and Father was always up the watercress beds, teaching Barrie the ropes. Mother was in the office and Duncan, my other brother and I worked in the greenhouses with Charlie Bowman and Pat Roberts. We were pricking out 100s of little plants, watering the tomato and cucumber houses, helping with the many customers and many other jobs.  Duncan being a year older than me, earned 1/- an hour, I was on 11d an hour.

It was real family affair and the best part was when Grandpa Coe came into the greenhouse, where he would sit in his chair to change his boots, I loved helping him! It was during that time that the ladies (The Mrs Rawlings Brigade) began bunching watercress on a big table in the the corner of the greenhouse.

Business grew so it was moved to the old potting shed and I started working every school holiday. Father would work from 6am through till whenever orders were finished (at least 12 hour days). All was well until it was discovered that I had packed 35 bunches instead of 30 into the chip, I was in big trouble. Big brother was told of my mistake!

The Easter weekend was always the busiest of the year. On Good Friday I collected hot cross buns from the bakery in Dorking, caught the bus and then delivered them to our members of staff (and there were lots of them!). It was a real treat and everyone looked forward to it. At 3pm some of us would go to Gomshall station to watch the train puff it’s way out to London. The train was full of orders for the London market.

In time, we outgrew the potting shed, and we moved to the bunching shed (which was a converted lorry garage). It was all very smart, there seemed to be lots of us bunching, while the men were packing. There was a dear man called Nobby who was in charge, we didn’t dare put a foot wrong! When I wasn’t working, Nobby would ring me at home at 7.30am to wake me up for school.

I continued bunching in my holidays, until I left home to work in the hotel industry in Devon in 1963. I would visit Rose Villa as and when, to see Barrie and the lovely Margret. I have watched this business grow into what it is today, under the watchful eye of my niece, Marion! What I find unbelievable is that the Farm Shop opened 50 years ago on Monday 13th September 1971, in the shed by my house (which is now an office). Just to make things easier Barrie, Margaret, a friend and I went to Menorca for 2 weeks, leaving the shop and Marion in the capable hands of Margaret’s mum ‘Granny Wallace’. Marion was still a baby really! Very happy days and I would like to think that I was perhaps the original ‘Watercress Girl’.