Biddy on Broadway

And before I am tempted to burst into a Frank Sinatra number, you will be relieved to know it is The Broadway in Newbury rather than the New York version of which I write.

If you are rounding the corner from Mint Velvet on Parkway, you pretty soon find yourself on The Broadway.  I had a bit of business to attend to at the clock tower end of town – and as I was a little early, it was a treat to sneak in a quick coffee at the delightful Hetherton’s coffee shop.

My meeting was at Broadway House –  once the home of Vodaphone but now owned by Greenham Common Trust , who provide office space here for a number of charitable organizations (for example, Citizens Advice Bureau take over the whole top floor).  Did you know that Greenham Common Trust was formed when they bought the former US nuclear airbase at Greenham Common? How fantastic for something so positive to come out of something once so volatile a topic.

Post-meeting I had a little wander.  Close to Hetherton’s is Multiyork furniture store – to be completely accurate, it is in Northbrook Street but Northbrook Street and The Broadway tend to flow into each other. Anyway, I popped in as my mum wants a smart new armchair and there was the most beautiful button-back velvet affair in the window, which I know she’d love – and there is a huge range of fabrics that you can choose from.  The helpful staff were happy to let me have a brochure to take away and show her. 

There are a couple of jewellers along here with some lovely items: on the left as you look towards the clock tower is Bradley & Willows (who as well as some very special stock also make custom-designed pieces); on the other side of the road is Deacons (again, officially in Northbrook Street) – a traditional family jewellers who originally started in Swindon as long ago as 1848.

This part of Newbury is big on estate agents, perhaps most noticeably Cricketts with their imposing shop front on the corner of The Broadway and London Road, right by the clock tower. They are a local company, so the staff have a great knowledge of the area and specialize in properties within an approximate 20-mile radius of the town. A friend of mine who lives near me, has two young children and works in London is looking to upsize – they may just be the people to help her.

Opposite Cricketts, occupying the fine corner position where The Broadway meets Oxford Street, is Roderick Anthony hairdressers. They have been established in Newbury since 1970 and expanded in to their present premises last year. There are plenty of other opportunities to beautify yourself in this part of town, too – for example, Philola (hairdressers and beauty salon) who offer a 25% discount to new clients and, tucked away in Saddlers Court, you will find Kellie Hair and Beauty. 

Just beyond the clock tower are a couple of Indian restaurants if you fancy some spicy cuisine: the Red Peppers and the Gurka Chef.  

Of course ‘beyond the clock tower’ enters into a whole new world – that of Oxford Street and London Road. More about them another time.  Until then, I just can’t resist it: ‘Start spreading the news …’. (Surely the husband hasn’t got his fingers in his ears AGAIN?!)

Biddy x