Brian and Siobhan O'Rourke owned the Cotton Club and started it in these premises in Rosemary Lane. It acquired a wonderful reputation and I know one seamstress in South Wales who came once every two months to buy her cotton fabric here. After a few years, the shop went across the road into the right-hand side of Duttons and from there it went to the Market Square in the premises that had once been the Central Garage, then Barclays Bank and it was when the bank left the Cotton Club moved in.
This video club shop was well used and its demise was brought about when the local little supermarket began renting films and it was just too easy to get a film from the supermarket while buying other items. It was a special outing to rent a film from this shop in Bushey Row and a few people collected the posters that used. Now a film can be downloaded something of the magic of making the special effort to go out and rent a copy has gone.
Comments by Local Residents/emplyees, Steve Pearce said: - "Worked with Tom Papworth, Jack Day, ‘trickie’ Taylor, Val, Alan, Dave Taylor, Tina Foreshew, and Ben Neville was a lovely man helped me so much." Joe Stephens said: - "I think Richard Todd left his car White Aston Martin in John Tayler's Showroom at one time." Dave Taylor said- "Think that’s ‘trickie’ Taylor in pic; George used to be our foreman, spent years there before and after school and later years. Some wonderful memories, still go to solicitors which used to be our accessory shop when Ben Neville was there." Rob Crew said: - "Great memories. Not just a garage, I used to get my fishing licence there."
A Caversham firm want to make a 49 acre marina at Tadpole Bridge on the Thames. WODC lowlands area planning committee are objecting tot he plan because gravel extraction will have to take place first a marina could be built. The decision has been put into the hands of the County Council.
Now 2021 and no marina has been built or gravel extracted.
In the 1970s Fleur de Lys was a hair salon owned by Margaret Roberts. It is in Bushey Row. There were several owners after Margaret and it was later a video rental shop, a shop selling twee things for gardeners and a Physiotherapy Centre. Now it sells pottery (2021)
The garage in the Market Square was in existence at the start of the C20th when Oliver Onesipherous Collett owned and ran it. Around the middle of the twentieth century it was bought by Len Hughes.
Hughes' Garage was behind Cromwell House with access to it between Cromwell House and the house now called Exeter House
