Sue Clifford

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Summary

Based on the interview conducted on 11 April 2007

Sue Clifford was born in Hereford in 1948, but Fownhope was always home. Her mother, a Davis, was born at Tump Cottage, and family roots stretch back locally to the 1600s. On both sides there were shopkeepers, publicans, dressmakers and small business owners – a tradition that would continue through West End Stores.

In the mid-1970s, Sue’s parents took on the lease of West End Stores, later buying the freehold. The move from a comfortable house in Hereford to the cold, basic rooms behind the shop was a shock. There was one small fire, no bathroom upstairs, and a dirt-floored barn between the living quarters and kitchen. The old bread ovens still stood in the barn. Over time, the family converted and extended the building, always using local tradesmen.

The shop became a true community hub. Papers were collected at 5.30am and delivered across a vast rural round stretching as far as King’s Caple and Holme Lacy. Winter deliveries meant snow chains, heavy vans and icy hills. Customers often left drinks or small treats for the paper deliverers. Petrol pumps rang a bell inside the house, summoning Sue’s father at all hours. Paraffin, Calor gas and groceries were delivered on request. Inside, chairs by the counter welcomed anyone needing a chat and a cup of tea.

Local produce filled the shelves: home-grown vegetables, fruit from nearby farms, and cakes baked in the village. In 1997 the Post Office moved into the shop, ensuring its survival when other rural offices were closing.

Sue later opened an antiques and gift business in the former Manchester House premises. Though times have changed and rural retail is harder, she remembers West End Stores above all as “a very community shop” – a place of service, trust and belonging.