Fred Randell outside his original shop premises, Market Place, North Walsham

(1882 to 1892 / North Walsham, Norfolk)

Randell's Ironmongers, Market Place, North Walsham
This photograph shows Mr Fred Randell standing before his ironmongers shop in the Market Place prior to the rebuilding of the property in 1897 and it is part of the building we now know as the "Drugstore". The shop was established early in the 19th centure and James Randell is thought to have had control of this and the foundry at Northrepps until his death. An invoice dated 1868 indicates that his widow was then trading at North Walsham, Northrepps and Cromer as M.Randell & Sons and, upon her death, her son Fred took over. The move of the foundry and works to North Walsham occurred around 1865 and was situated between Reeves Lane and Swafield Lane (now Bacton and Mundesley Roads) where Sainsburys now stands. For much of the 19th century, the pig iron for the foundry came up by wherry on the North Walsham and Dilham Canal to be unloaded at Swafield Wharf and then carted to the "St Nicholas Works" foundry. In this era, farming implements were almost exclusively made of cast iron and Randells made innumerable items including water carts, blood carts (used by butchers to spread blood onto the land), ploughs (such as the famous Norfolk "Cornish" plough invented by Cornish of Walsingham), wagons and many one-off items for individual farmers. Fred had a brother, Horace, and, for a time, the business continued as F & H Randell. The partnership ceased in the 1890s and, in 1897, Fred formed the limited company F.Randell Ltd. He continued actively in North Walsham, Stalham and Cromer until his death in 1918. Freds son, Frank, "The Guvnor", controlled the "St Nicholas Works" from 1888 to 1939 and was the man who really built up the business and foresaw the benefits of mechanised farming

View in Google Street View

Photograph. Fred Randell outside his original shop premises, Market Place, North Walsham (North Walsham Archive).

Archive Catalogue ID: 198 Archive Website ID: 33 This archive item has been viewed 6415 time(s).

< Previous North Walsham Photograph

The Black Swan Public House 1890

Next North Walsham Photograph >

North Walsham Market Place in 1890's

Return to North Walsham thumbnails.

More North Walsham photos from...
1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1889, 1890, 1891, 1892,

We believe this photograph of "Fred Randell outside his original shop premises, Market Place, North Walsham" is either in the public domain or we have been granted permission to use it by the photograph owner. If you believe "Fred Randell outside his original shop premises, Market Place, North Walsham" is being used without the appropriate permission then please do not hesistate to contact us here.
If you would like to use this photograph of "Fred Randell outside his original shop premises, Market Place, North Walsham" in your own project then please acknowledge North Walsham & District Community Archive and the appropriate owner (if shown) on the page where it is used, thank you.
If you wish to use this photograph of "Fred Randell outside his original shop premises, Market Place, North Walsham" in print then please contact us as we may have a higher resolution copy on file in our HQ!