Web Page 3027 11th May 2024 First Picture: William Pink

Second Picture: Pinks shop Petersfield

Third Picture; Pinks shop Portsmouth

Fourth Picture Sugar in blue bags

Pinks I suspect that many of our mothers would have, at one time or other shopped in Pinks Grocery store, there always seemed to be one near wherever you lived. William Pink was born on December 15th 1829 at Durley, near Botley he was a farmer's son. The Pinks were a notable Hampshire family having their family seat, for over 300 years, at Kempshott Park near Basingstoke. On leaving school he was apprenticed to a greengrocer at Winchester. During the Crimean War period he worked in London for the prestigious grocery firm of Fortnum & Mason thereby gaining extra experience of the retail trade. Returning to Portsmouth in 1858 he opened his first shop at the corner of Surrey Street and Commercial Road. He stood for the Council in 1868 and, with but a two year hiatus, served his borough for thirty-six years. By 1866 the business was firmly established and William Pink began to devote a greater part of his time to public duties , first as a Councillor and then serving as Lord Mayor for five terms. He was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1891 and made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour for his services in entertaining the officers of the French fleet which visited Portsmouth the same year. In 1887 William Pink took his three sons into partnership - Ernest, Harold and Victor . Harold followed his father into public affair s as well and was Mayor three times. He was knighted in 1919 for wartime duties. The partnership was changed into a limited company in 1912 with Sir Harold Pink as Chairman and his son Frank as Secretary, After the First World War Frank Pink became Managing Director of the company and expanded it into a very prosperous concern with forty ¬ two branches. Frank Pink did not involve himself in civic affairs but his son Ralph Bonner Pink did , becoming Lord Mayor in 1961 and Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South in 1966, holding the constituency until his death in 1984. Our nearest Pink store was on the Havant Road in Drayton. To me it always seemed rather dull and dreary inside. But here you could see the shop assistants making up blue paper bags to serve sugar in, or a whole cheese being cut with a cheese wire. Many items were sold loose or individually sultanas, butter beans and dried peas being examples. There was also wine counter where, if you brought your own bottles, your folks could buy loose wine or sherry. Another popular sight in the shop was when the assistant took up the butter bays and moulded it into half pound blocks. I also remember that all the cash transactions where undertaken by a lady sat in a cash booth in the back of the shop. These were the days when there was always a chair by the counter for the customer. I am getting old. Stay in touch Peter gsseditor@gmail/com