Marlene Tolley – Porters and delivery men

Simon: You mentioned a couple of men working there …

Marlene: Two Porters.

Simon: Ok.

Marlene: They delivered on a bicycle. If somebody’s goods came in, they would deliver them. And of course they unloaded any stock that came, and I would assume they cleaned, I don’t know, I can’t remember that. ‘Cos of course once you’ve left, you don’t know what goes on.

Simon: So when people had … was that after they’d bought something and it had arrived or after it had been altered?

Marlene: They delivered it on their bicycle. They had one of those with a thing on the front ..

Simon: Oh, a basket.

Marlene: Yeah and H Pack & Co on … like the bread bicycles used to be. They used to cycle a long way too. There was no delivery van. People either came and got them or they’d cycle Haylands and, well wherever they had to go.

Simon: Right. Sounds like they’d have been the fittest people in the building.

Marlene: Yeah, I expect so. And I think they cleaned the windows too at that time, ‘cos they had to be kept pristine obviously.