W. D. TITLOW AND SONS OF LEISTON, IRONMONGERS,WINE AND SPIRIT MERCHANTS, ETC.

Business records (Accounting records, stock records, letter-books, regulation and registration records and reference works), 1884-1978

The business was established at some point between 1875 and 1883; it is not listed in Kelly's 1875 Suffolk Directory, but in that for 1883 Walter David Titlow appears as an ironmonger and agent for W. and A. Gilbey (of Oxford Street, London), wine and spirit merchants. In White's 1885 Directory the business is listed as ironmonger, wine and spirit merchant, stationer and 'fancy repository'. The customer ledger for 1884-1895 (the earliest surviving: HC433/1/1/1) shows that at this time Titlow was also a supplier of coal; Leiston's other ironmonger, William Taylor, similarly supplied coal (White, 1885 Directory). The ironmongery business appears to have been conducted throughout its existence from No. 38 High Street. Until at least 1908 it traded under the name of Walter David Titlow, but by 1916 had become 'W.D. Titlow and Son' (Kelly's Directories, 1908 and 1916). By 1977 it was in the charge of Jack Edward Hastings Titlow (see his methylated spirit licence, HC433/4/2). It was P. Titlow (presumably his successor) who was responsible for the deposit of the archive in the Record Office. The wine and spirit business is not mentioned in the records after 1962. Latterly the stationery business (also including toys and newspapers) was carried on from separate premises at No. 41 High Street, and in 1991 there was also a Titlow's Garden Centre off High Street (Telephone Directory, 1991). By 2000 however, the ironmonger's business appears to have been discontinued or sold, and only the newsagent's shop at 41 High Street remained in being.