Main StreetPhoto c.1906, reproduced in the book 'Old Coldstream and Cornhill' by John Griffiths published by Stenlake Publishing
From left to right: St. Helen’s View with Cornhill Village shop, run by Nicholas Jeffrey, Church View and next door, Carlowrie. The latter used to be the Police House occupied by Constable William Crisp. The distant cottages, including the former Post Office, managed in 1906 by Miss Ann Reid, the sub-postmistress, have been replaced by modern bungalows. Front House, middle right, on the east side of the Learmouth-Mindrum road has been demolished.
Cornhill Shop
Photo April 2019 taken by descendants of the Jeffrey family The shop is thought to have been started by Nicholas and Isabella Jeffrey as a grocers shop around 1900?
Reported in the Berwick Advertiser, 23rd May 2007.
In 2002, the owner Elspeth Bell decided to take her well-earned retirement after 20 years running the store. Morag Pitman and daughters Linda Waite and Julie Jones took over in the February of that year and the shop proved to be just as popular as it had always been with the locals. Now, they have decided the time is right for a major revamp of the store. “We have always been a small newsagents, catering for the local townsfolk of Cornhill. We acted as newsagent, grocery, off licence and post office” said Julie. “Of course, it is important that we continue to provide these services for the people of the village, but now we hope to offer a lot more on top of these things.” As well as the store getting a complete make-over, there will also be a modern style coffee shop with hot and cold snacks on offer. Julie said: “We‘ll be selling food like muffins and doughnuts, as well as paninis and sandwiches. We’re hoping this will make the store even more popular than it already is. As well as being able to do a general shop, you can take the weight off your feet and have a chat and a coffee before you head home.” The expansion has meant an increase in staff and there could yet be more job opportunities in the future. “We’ve already taken on a couple of new staff members and, depending on how things go, there also could be a couple of new vacancies in the near future,” said Julie. In addition to this, opening hours on Sundays are now going to be slightly extended. Julie explained: “We’ve always been open from 6.30 am - 5.30 pm. Monday - Saturday, with the shop closing at 1 pm on a Sunday. Now however, the shop will be staying open until 4.00 pm on a Sunday to accommodate people who want to use the coffee shop.” Julie sees this venture as a symbol of the expansion of Cornhill. The village is seeing a number of new businesses setting up here, as well as more established businesses that are having a revamp. This is a very exciting time for the village. The whole of Cornhill just seems to be taking off. It really is the place to be,” she said. Morag, Lynda and Julie see the revamp as being the start of a long-term investment. “We all see our futures here. We’re planning on this as being the next 25 years of our lives, and we hope the people of Cornhill take to the place as much as we think they will,” said Julie. Local produce is also very important to the owners, and this is a point that will be stressed even more so when they re-open for business. “It seems that these days Borderers are taking more pride and interest in their area. Local products are becoming increasingly popular and we’ll certainly be stocking a lot of it here,” she said, adding: “We’ve always had local products, but they used to be a little harder to find. Now we want them to be at the forefront.”
Reported in the Berwick Advertiser, 23rd May 2019.
Front House
View down Main Street to the east, c. 1910, with Front House on the east corner of the minor road to Learmouth and Mindrum
Main Street, looking west
View of Main Street looking west. The horse and trap are coming out of the Learmouth-Mindrum Road. Marshall’s can be seen on the far corner of Main Street and Knowe Head.
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