Dorothy Thomson, Hathaways and Mrs Wiggins

dorothy thomson as a child in Scotland
Dorothy Thomson as a child in Scotland

Here is another in a series of extracts from our many Oral History audio files. In it, former 1920s Shipton Court resident Dorothy “Dor” Thomson tells of her meeting in later life of Mrs Wiggins (nee Coombes), whom she remembers from Mrs Wiggins’ days at Hathaways Stores.

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Dorothy Thomson, interviewed with Mary McNeill: 2004

Transcript

“I can also remember, thinking of recollections of the village, that what I believe is now called the Village Store was at that time Hathaways, because it was run by a gentleman who had been Captain Hathaway in the First War. And you had to call him very carefully ‘Captain Hathaway’, because he was very proud of having been a captain, and he ran the shop, and it was a splendid shop and everybody used it.

And also I can remember Miss Coombes who was the dragon in the Post Office, and she used to terrify the children – we were really quite frightened to go in. She was quite harmless really, I suppose, but we were a bit frightened of her. And then some years after that- I mean, we thought she was quite old then- and then suddenly to everybody’s astonishment she got married. And she married Mr Wiggins, and became Mrs Wiggins which was very difficult for us to remember to call her Mrs Wiggins.

Since I came to live in Bampton I read a number of years ago in the Witney Gazette that she had just retired, and I happened to be in Shipton and I went to see her. And I was so delighted because she remembered me and remembered the family, and we had quite a good chat. Her husband I think was still alive then. And I was so glad I’d been because I think it was three or four years after that she in fact died, and it was very nice for me that we’d made this contact late in both our lives”.


Hathaway’s shop High Street Shipton 1930s. Originally Dees stores, the shop was built in 1919 when Mr Dee moved from his premises opposite Shipton Lodge. The drapery section was upstairs with the groceries below. Deliveries were made to surrounding villages by Stanley Gorton seen here with Mary Barnes and the Model A Ford van. The railings around the shop went in the war effort in 1940

The Full Interview – and Additional Reminiscences

There are two separate audio files of Dorothy “Dor” Thomson’s memories in the WLHS archive.

Find them here and here

She is interviewed by Mary McNeill at her home in Bampton, where she talks of the arrival of her family in 1919 at Shipton Court, where her family lived until 1934. She recalls the Wild Garden, and reference is made to the lack of motor traffic – but there is an amusing anecdote about Mr Samuda of Bruern Abbey and his Model T Ford. There are especially detailed descriptions of the stables – which were prominent in the lives of the Thomson family. Some interesting details of the main gate into Plum Lane are also recalled.

Inspired by this interview, Dorothy recorded her own set of additional memories for the society, creating rich and varied insights into Shipton and Milton life over several decades from the 1920s, as well as stories of her father’s gambling and interest in horse racing.

More Extracts