By Geoff Fisher At the April meeting of Reepham WI, Jarrolds, a favourite shopping and luncheon destination, was the subject of a talk by Peter Goodrum, a renowned local writer and broadcaster. To coincide with its 250th anniversary, Peter was commissioned to write a book on the evolution of the business.
The founder, John Jarrold, opened a grocers and drapers business in Woodbridge in 1770. He kept copious notes, most pertinently rules on how to be a good tradesman that are still relevant today.
John Jarrold passed away in 1775 after which his wife, Elizabeth, ran the business until their son, John Jarrold II, was old enough to take over. This he did in 1794, expanding the business into farming and printing.
He purchased Grove Farm in Suffolk in the early 1800s, where he installed a printing press, while moving the retail business to 13 Cockley Lane (now London Street), Norwich, in 1823. With his four sons, John James, Samuel, William and Thomas, involved in the business, the focus was on selling books, publishing and printing.
Jarrolds moved to its present site on London Street in 1840, with a gradual expansion over adjacent buildings in the years since. Interestingly, at one time the caretaker lived above the store, with a rose garden and fish pond on the roof.
The family has continued to expand, with sons taking control of various interests, including publication of Norfolk News, the forerunner of Archant, the former publisher of Eastern Daily Press. Another notable publication in 1878 was Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty, an all-time children’s favourite.
On Samuel’s retirement, he handed over the business to his sons, William and Herbert, who further developed it into a substantial retail concern, with branches in Cromer, Sheringham and Lowestoft; Cambridge was to follow later.
The printing operation was enhanced by the Victorians, who favoured “Poppyland” as a holiday destination, with the requirement for guide books and postcards.
At the height of its success, this arm of the business, latterly based at St James Mill, Norwich, employed 1,500 people. The printing and publishing divisions were sold in 2005, although the site continues as the company’s headquarters.
As well as remaining one of the few independent department stores in the UK, Jarrolds has more recently ventured into property development and business services, with members of the family, now daughters as well as sons, still heavily involved in its management.
In 1965 the John Jarrold Trust was established, donating millions to various charities throughout Norfolk.
Reepham WI meetings are held at St Michael’s, Reepham, at 7.30 pm on the third Thursday of the month.
Dee Taylor