FAREWELL TRIBUTE TO THE TEDDINGTON BUTCHER
PHOTO TRIBUTE TO THE TEDDINGTON BUTCHER, 152 WALDEGRAVE ROAD, TEDDINGTON
(with thanks to the owners for use of photos)
It’s always sad to bid farewell to a business that has been at the heart of the community for too many years to remember exactly how long…
But the day has come for The Teddington Butcher to turn off the fridges and for its last day this coming Saturday.
Distressed customers have brought gifts of cakes and dropped off thank-you notes to express their gratitude to the only proper and traditional butchers in Teddington
The tears are not far away as owners Penny and Steve share their memories of 18 years at 152 Waldegrave Road, Teddington.
In a heartfelt letter posted on the door the family said:
“To all our lovely loyal customers:
Sadly, Saturday 30th November 2024 will be the last day we will be here to serve you in this wonderful Teddington community.
Our shop has been a butchers for over 100 years, but because of the short supply of skilled butchers we’ve made the difficult decision to close.
Everything changes, not always for the better, but we feel proud and honoured to have served you for the last 18 years. This wouldn’t have been possible without your ongoing support and loyalty to us, a local and small independent business. Thanks to you, we have some amazing memories to look back on.
Over the last 10 years you have also helped with our fundraising for The Brain Tumour Charity (The Linzi Geddes Fund) in memory of our daughter and sister, Linzi. Together, we’ve raised more than £32,600 towards our £47,000 target. Your generosity has been hugely appreciated.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and wish you all the best for Christmas and the future.”
The butchers actually dates back to over 100 years when it was called Diveys and the road, now known as Waldegrave Road was called North Parade.
It’s difficult to confirm the full detailed history but it is thought the shop was built somewhere between 1900-1910. It was a butchers from the start and was known as 4 The Parade and owned by H J Divey. It was then owned by A G Lawson & Sons, who sold it to Raymond Miller in the 1960’s.
Andy Miller (Ray’s son) took over in the early 90’s. Steve and Penny then took over in January 2007.
The news comes in the same week as it’s announced that the world famous Smithfield meat and fish market in east London is closing down.
A combination of factors have conspired to their final decision to shut up shop in Teddington – not least of all the prohibitive parking restrictions which put off regular and historic customers.
Penny reflects how the business struggled when the council decided to use the only available parking spots for roadworks machinery on a Saturday which stopped virtually all those customers with cars.
Her complaints to the council about the parking rules wrecking their business was met with a stony silence, she says.
The world of business and life generally has radically changed for such a traditional and independent shop so dependent on its regular family of customers but it’s also tough to find staff and the supermarket boom offers easy and convenient alternatives.
Marks & Spencer, Sainsburys, Tesco, Lidl and a newly opened Waitrose in Hampton Hill are all within a mile radius of The Teddington Butcher.
Steve said: “The truth is that people are time poor. We are no longer convenient and the parking and the growth of supermarkets has not helped, so perhaps we have had our time. But we have no regrets.”
Penny’s daughter Lisa, who does all the accounts and admin for the butchers is able to crack a joke: “People must understand a butchers is not just for Christmas!”
Each Christmas The Teddington Butcher would sell about 350 pre-ordered turkeys and 150 turkey rolls, expertly boxed up with cooking instructions inside and a chirpy Happy Xmas message from the upscaled team working through the festive period.
The cheerful queue snaked around the corner happy to wait their turn for a steaming hot cup of coffee and a mince pie served by smiling Penny in her Christmas Santa hat.
“We were in two minds whether to make it our last Christmas but in the end we thought it best to make a decision now and not to disappoint our many loyal customers,” said Steve, 64, who plans to put his feet up but partner Penny has other ideas for him….
Butcher Tyler Riley was sent off by the couple to learn the trade as an apprentice on an eighteen-month college course at Waltham Forest. The day after he left it closed the course because of lack of demand. He is just 20 years old and worked in the butchers since he was 16.
“I was never the academic type but this has been a great job for me, working with genuine, honest, hardworking people with fantastic customers,” he told Teddington Town cheerfully. He hopes to land another job and has already been headhunted. “I know I’ll get another job,” he says in his upbeat, confident manner as he tackled a large joint of meat.
Shelving, machinery and equipment will be left in the short-term in the hope that someone will come along and revive the shop.
Penny said: “We do feel very sad that we have had to close down but we feel we have been an important part of the community for many years and I hope that won’t change.
“We feel very proud to have served this fantastic community and are grateful for the love it has shown to us.
“We have had some fantastic staff and in particular we are very thankful to Richard, Penny and Tyler who have stayed with, and supported us until the end. Their personalities, commitment and dedication have been more than we could have hoped for.”
The family have also raised a staggering £32.000 for the Brain Tumour Society following the death of one of Penny’s daughters.
