A well known shop that was once at the junction of Station Road and Commercial Road. The building has been replaced by the Paddock Wood Business centre where there are shops (2022)

This lovely picture was kindly shared by a visitor to Heritage Open Days 2022. Thank you ©

Shops we remember. CAVEY'S at Paddock Wood:

As Christmas approached many years ago residents of Paddock Wood and the surrounding area would be stocking up from the local shops as well as looking for presents.

Caveys, at the corner of Commercial Road and Church Road, opposite the Railway Station and War Memorial was one of the well known premises where so many bought their food as well as a range of other items.

Residents such as the late Eric Knight worked there as did the owner of this photograph who kindly brought it to our Heritage Open Days event, in September 2022 (Thank you)

Do you have any memories of Caveys?

The bank building is still there at the southern entrance to Paddock Wood Station. The building to the right that was once Caveys has been replaced ©

From the HPW Facebook Page

“I worked in Caveys after school & on Saturdays. I worked on most of the counter on a Saturday. Learning how to cut cheese and wrap it securely in grease proof paper. Also learned to use the bacon and meat slicer, weighed out biscuits, sugar and flour placing them in the correct colour paper bags. After school after arriving at the station from Tonbridge Technical School (which was the on corner of Avebury Avenue stretching over the Library) I used to work out in the back barn where the orders were made up ready for delivery. You might wonder that a school girl would be let loose with the bacon slicer but then in the 1950’s the laws were very different. I just about remember my brother in law Eric working there, also our neighbour in Rose Cottages, Mount Pleasant, Mr Fancett and later Michael Tighe. Mr Cook was the Manager. Hope this helps your Historical Society improve their knowledge of Caveys. My sister Margaret always sent me the Historical Society books they used to publish and sold in Barsleys. One of the articles Margaret contributed was called My Walk to School. I was later asked to repeat the Walk to School to illustrate the changes in the village along the same route to School after almost 20 years. Margaret did not get to see her surprise baby sister till I was a toddler because she was working hard at Bletchley Park as a decoder. But my sister Betty did a lot of the caring and feeding of me to help Mum out.”

Caveys on the right before the bank building was built. These buildings on the right, now demolished, belonged to the Love family. ©

Eric Promoted to Grocers Assistant: Memories shared by the late Eric Knight. (Margaret, referred to above was Eric’s wife)

“During the early days of the war I was errand boy for Caveys Ltd, Family Grocers at Paddock Wood. Then in 1941 I was promoted to a full-blown Grocers Assistant. I had a lovely new white jacket and apron with the words “Caveys Ltd” proudly worn on the left breast. Boy! I did look smart. It was Hop Picking time.

We used to close for lunch, one o’clock until two. Hop Pickers were not used to shops closing for lunch and quite a large crowd gathered outside, waiting for us to open. The crowd grew quite restless and noisy. Someone said “Open the door Eric”. It was a double door and as I slid the bolt back, they pushed.

The doors flew open knocking me flat on my back, as I got up one very angry woman attacked me, her dirty hands pawing and making horrible finger marks all over my new white jacket. It became filthy in no time. It had to be changed and I was sent to rest to get over the ordeal. After that I didn’t volunteer to open the doors. ©

CAVEY’S of Paddock Wood

Paddock Wood Women’s Institute

The Old Closed Churchyard