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Fetter Hill, the shop.

Fetter Hill

Fetter Hill shop

Peter added: " ... the little shop was run by May Nelmes and her husband was Les. George and Alice White lived in the house to the left, and joining the shop was Mrs. Hoare and Jim Smith and his wife".

The bottom photo was taken in 1965 and shows Peter's Austin A 30 in which he used to return to the Forest to visit his parents.

Barrie Mapps recalled the shop: "... a shop where I used to, as a boy, take accumulators (batteries) for charging for my nan Cissie Powell from Ellwood. Can anyone confirm my thoughts please?".  

Gill Knowles added (June 2009): "... I also remember going to the little shop to get the accumulator topped up with my mother Mrs Fowler when we lived at Gorsty Knoll in the 1940's. I think the shop was run by Mrs Nelmes".

Gillian Baker added (July 2009): "... My father was Thomas Hoare, grandson of the mentioned Mrs Hoare, Jim Smith was his cousin. Yes they did live with Mrs Hoare for quite some time. Of course Mrs Hoare was my great grandmother, she was the sweetest lady you could ever wish to meet.  My brother and I spent many hours playing near the railway line upon the bank at the rear of my great grandmothers house, it was wonderful times which I remember with great joy.  My father's, father James Hoare was killed in the First World War and was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for bravery, he was only 25 years old".

Margaret McGuinness added (September 2009): "I can confirm that the shop was indeed run by Les and May Nelmes who were my aunt and uncle. I have spent many happy hours in  the shop with Uncle Les while he cut peoples hair or served them with anything from electrical goods to sweets. Auntie May used to run up and down the hill to the bungalow behind where they lived. As Uncle Les grew older he was very frail but he still managed to get down to the shop. My mum was Gladys Morgan nee Nelmes. We used to come to the Forest every summer on holiday and have spent many happy times at Fetterhill or Whitecroft nearby".

Roger Davey of Roger Davey Electrical, added (December 2009): "... Mr and Mrs Nelmes still ran the shop in 1973 when we first moved into Fetter Hil l- in fact into Peter's parents old home. I can't remember when the shop shut, but the accumulators where charged in a small lean-to on the back of the shop. There were slate shelves inside for them to stand on during charging. Two of these are now being used as shelves on our barbecue and one is capping off the old chimney of the shop. The shop was rented by myself and Terry Oliver from Mrs Nelmes after they shut to use has a work shop for packing model railway scenic aids. Later it was turned into a Model railway shop until we moved to St John's Street in Coleford. Later still I purchased the shop and then reopened it selling electrical goods returning it back to partly its original us. Today it is still my office for the business".

Heather Priestley added (December 2012): "... This photograph transports me straight back to my childhood when I used to visit my great grandmother Sarah Hoare who lived in the cottage to the right of Les and May Nelmes shop. I would spend ages looking at the goods Mr Nelmes had in his shop window and I seem to remember things like hair slides and brushes so, as well as the accumulators there were all sorts of other things to buy too.
Great-gran was as Gillian Baker my cousin said the sweetest lady you could wish to meet. I never knew my great grandfather George Hoare as he had died before I was born in 1945. Great gran's life must have been changed forever when her only two sons were killed in the 1914-18 war. She had eight children of which my maternal grandmother Georgina was the eldest.
I also vaguely remember Peter Jones whom I am sure I used to play with when visiting great gran's home with my mum.
Mrs Wintle I seem to remember lived in the house to the left of the shop...I was later at secondary school with her niece or maybe grand-daughter.
Many, many hours were spent exploring the hillside around my great grandma's house playing on the rail track trains never seemed to run very frequently picking the wild flowers to take back for my great grandma...and once I fell into some stinging nettles. Sometimes I would go with Uncle Jim Smith to get water from a spring on the road towards Ellwood then back to the house for tea often it was Downhams fresh bread and strawberry jam...heavenly. So many happy memories from just looking at these photographs".

Graham James added (March 2014): "... I lived in Ellwood House when I and my family returned to the Forest of Dean from Richmond Surrey. Peter Jones and Barrie Mapps were some of our first friends and still are although my wife and I now live in Aberaeron Ceredigion. My memories of Les Nelmes is also as a young boy from London was - when he was cutting your hair he would serve loose sweets from a jar to weigh them also handle accumulators then maybe cut a loaf of bread if the customer only wanted half a loaf - all without washing his hands !!! I am still alive so my mum's old saying of (eat a peck of dirt before you die is still in my mind)".

Trudie Middleton added (August 2016): "... This photo brought back lovely memories of my great uncle Mr Tom Pullen having his hair cut by Mr Les Nelmes and afterwards we always purchashed a bag of mints.Gt. uncle Tom had the stone yard just in front and along the road at Fetter Hill".

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