Living in Diss - 1939
Living in Diss - 1939
| SQL: SELECT * FROM TotalInfo WHERE Ref = 11 | |
| HOPGOOD, Charles Walter | |
| Family Historian Individual Narrative Charles Walter HOPGOOD, son of Thomas Allen HOPGOOD (c. 1846-c. 1925) and Alice RAINBIRT (c. 1849- ), was born on 26 April 1878 in Stamford Hill, London. He appeared in the census in 1881 at Shot Tar Wharf, Lambeth, London in Lambeth, London - 3, living with parents Thomas (35, wharf manager) and Alice (31), brother Leonard (1) and grandmother Mary HURRELL (55, bricklayers wife) [place believed to be ‘Shot Tower Wharf’ in Lambeth, where his father was the wharf manager, used for maki..... View full FH text (See notes below) | |
| Birth: | 26.04.1878 : Stamford Hill, London : 1878 Q2 Edmonton Middlesex Vol 3A Page 228 |
| Banns: | 05.03.1905, 12.03.1905, 19.03.1905 : Diss, Norfolk |
| Marriage: | 24.04.1905 at Colchester, Essex to Ellen Elizabeth SIMPSON : 1905 Q2 Colchester Essex Vol 4A Page 1217 : married at Christ Church with St. Mary-At-The-Walls, Colchester; grooms father a refreshment house keeper |
| 1881 Census: | Shot Tar Wharf, Lambeth, London : 3, living with parents Thomas (35, wharf manager) and Alice (31), brother Leonard (1) and grandmother Mary HURRELL (55, bricklayers wife) [place believed to be 'Shot Tower Wharf' in Lambeth, where his father was the wharf manager, used for making lead shot and balls up till the 1960s] (RG11 Piece 583 Folio 135 Page 46 Sch 1256) |
| 1891 Census: | Magdalen Street, St Botolph, Colchester, Essex : 12, scholar, living with parents Thomas A (45, restaurant keeper) and Alice (41), brother Leonard R (11, scholar), and boarders Leonard O'BAILEY (22, cabinet maker) and Hebert WOODWARD (18, gardener) (RG12 Piece 1406 Folio 10 Page 14 Sch 82) |
| 1901 Census: | n/a |
| 1911 Census: | Victoria Road, Diss, Norfolk : 32, tailor and outfitter dealer, living with wife Ellen Elizabeth (33) and children James William (4), Thomas Charles (3) and Constance Ellen (1), and general domestic servant Rose Anna HAWES (16) (RG14PN11446 RG78PN624 RD230 SD2 ED4 SN58) |
| 1939 Reg.: | 15 Market Place, Diss, Norfolk, Diss, Norfolk : b. 26.04.1878 : mens clothier (RG101/6524C/015/4 Letter Code: TQBD) |
| Death: | 25.05.1954 : 1954 Q2 Depwade Norfolk Vol 4B Page 349 |
| Probate: | 16.06.1954 at Norwich Norfolk : HOPGOOD Charles Walter of Louies-lane Diss Norfolk died 23 May 1954 Probate Norwich 16 June to Ellen Elizabeth Hopgood widow. Effects £4157 14s. 5d. |
| Elect. Roll: | 1906 Electoral Roll - St. Nicholas Street, Diss, an occupation voter living in a tenement |
| Elect. Roll: | 1915 Electoral Roll - 93 Victoria Road, Diss, an occupation voter |
| Elect. Roll: | 1926 Electoral Roll - Market Place, Diss, by occupation |
| Newspaper: | Diss Express, 28 May 1954, page 4 MR. C. W. HOPGOOD (DISS) One of the best known and most highly respected men in Diss, Mr. Charles Walter Hopgood, died at his home, Louie Lane, on Sunday morning [23.05.1954], at the age of 76 years. Mr. Hopgood, who was born in London, moved with his parents to Colchester, where he became a reporter on a local newspaper. Owing to deafness he had to give up this work and entered the wholesale clothing trade as a cutter. His family came to Diss in 1896 to the Coffee Tavern, retiring in 1914. In 1902 Mr. Hopgood commenced business as a tailor and outfitter in St. Nicholas Street, removing to Mere Street in 1905, and to the Market Place in 1924. He retired in February 1946 and the business is now carried on by his son. In his younger days Mr. Hopgood was a keen cricketer and footballer, played for Diss F.C. and Diss Cricket Club and was often in demand to play in the many teams which used to play games at many of the country houses in the locality. He was an ardent golfer and was for many years a member of Diss Golf Club and had served as captain. Gardening was one of his hobbies and for many years he served on the committee of the Diss Horticultural Society. During the was he served as an air raid warden and carried out the duties in a most conscientious manner. Some years ago, with two or three old Diss friends, who predeceased him, he used to visit the Continent and he delighted in telling of their adventures, humorous and otherwise. The cremation, which was private, was at Ipswich on Wednesday, the Rev. E.H.O. Bennett officiating. |
| Newspaper: | Eastern Daily Press - March 24, 2007 From frock coats to lounge suits, generations of Hopgoods have dressed the gentlemen of south Norfolk in the finest fashions of the day. As they measured, cut and stitched at their outfitters in Diss Market Place, they watched the town grow and ponies and carts give way to motor cars and bustle. While supermarkets and department stores have chipped away at small stores elsewhere, Hopgoods weathered the storm, serving its customers for 107 years - from the end of the Victorian era to the present day. But that is all set to change on March 31. For proprietor Richard Hopgood has decided to retire and the premises have been sold to new owners, who do not wish to continue the family business. It marks the end of an era - the closure of the last of five independent men's outfitters in the town. As a former district councillor, Mr Hopgood was more than a tailor - he was a listening ear to his clients, helping with problems as well as sartorial choices. He said: “My great-grandparents came to Diss in about 1885 and ran the Waveney Temperance Hotel, which is now a Chinese restaurant opposite the Corn Hall, bringing with them their family. My grandfather Walter Hopgood was a cockney, born in the parish of Bow Bells. He came to Diss, having worked in various tailoring outfits, and set up his own business in 1900 at the back of the hotel.” “He didn't count the first two years though, because he didn't have a proper shop until he moved to Crown Street, now St Nicholas Street, in 1902.” The fledgling business faced stiff opposition, but Walter's hard work paid off. Eight years later, he moved to better premises in the main shopping centre in Mere Street, where Woolworth’s store now stands.” Mr. Hopgood said: “Grandfather banked at Barclays and used to walk past this shop, which was a derelict site. He bought it from Barclays, who had foreclosed on a mortgage in 1923, and my father Billy and the two other children slept on camp beds at the back of the shop.” It proved a good investment. The shop is in a prime location and was valued at more than £400,000 when Mr Hopgood put it up for sale two years ago. He was born in 1946 - the year after his father took over the firm - but was at first reluctant to follow in his footsteps. He said: “My inclination was to join the army, but I agreed to go into the company for a six months’ trial. It was said by several people that I would never stick it and they were absolutely right - I've only been around for 44 years.” “My 21st birthday present was a third share in the business and when I took over the major share in 1973, my father became the junior partner!” Although not a professional tailor, Mr Hopgood received excellent training in the key techniques. When the local economy took a downturn in the 1980s and 1990s, his sewing skills saved the firm from going under. “We went through a bad period like many shops, as had my grandfather in the great depression. I was able to use my skill at sewing to get us through, as people were very pleased to have things mended. I've made curtains, cushions, skirts, a Union flag jacket for the conductor of an orchestra going on tour to Germany - everything from a bikini to a tent,” he said. “The bikini was for a lady who wanted one copied in a certain fabric she had bought, and the tent was for someone who had designed a prototype and wanted to see if it worked - and it did.” |
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Page last updated: 10 Sep 2022
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