H. L. Roberts, Russell St

The following story is part of Memories of Wednesbury High Street, a collaboration between artists, Iain Armstrong and Jo Löki, involving participation from a variety of Wednesbury residents. You can look through the photographs while you listen to people’s stories. For more information on the project and to view more stories, visit here.

H. L. Roberts, Russell St

The Roberts family originally ran a dairy shop at 8 Russell Street and a newsagent at 9 Russell Street. Pat Hunt and her younger sister, Elaine Copson, grew up in the family business until a compulsory purchase order in 1965 forced the family to move out of the town centre to one of the new estates. The family was then provided with a temporary shop on Russell Street before taking over Riley’s Stationers at 26a Market Place in 1966. They ran it as H. L. Roberts newsagents until 1985.

ⓘ There are two sets of audio and images on this page, scroll down to view and listen to all of the audio and archival photographs.
Pat shares her childhood memories of growing up in the family business in Russell Street. She shares some of her family history and recalls life living in the back-to-back surrounded by family. 
Elaine shares her early memories of Russell Street when, even as a toddler, she started helping in the shop. She also recalls community living alongside family and knowing all the customers by name.  
Elaine remembers the compulsory purchase of the Russell Street properties in 1965 which had a devastating impact on the local community as family, friends and neighbours were split up and dispersed to different parts of the town. 
As well as running the family’s newsagent business, Pat and Elaine’s father, Harry, was a trained musician who worked as organist and choir master at some of the local churches. Elaine remembers how much music was a part of family life. This track features family archive recordings of Harry Roberts on organ and piano with vocals by good friend and choir member Frank Massey.

ⓘ To see more, and to read captions, click on the photographs. Scroll down past this gallery for more audio interviews and photographs.

  • The Roberts sisters' grandparents' Wedding Day, married at St. Bartholomew's parish church Wednesbury on 11 November 1916
  • The Russell Street Dairy owned by the Robert's sisters' grandparents. Nan Roberts holding her daughter Constance
  • The Roberts sisters' grandparents
  • Charlie the milk horse who Pat used to feed every day
  • No. 9 Russell Street, Newsagents
  • Henry Leonard Roberts married Mary Hackett in March 1948
  • Pat Hunt with mother Mary Roberts in the party yard at the back of Russell Street
  • No.9 Russell Street
  • Pat and Mary outside No. 9 Russell Street on Coronation Day 1953
  • Coronation Day 1953
  • The Ox Roast, Wednesbury celebrating Coronation Day 1953
  • Pat Roberts aged 2 outside Russell St
  • Pat Hunt playing in the yard, the buildings on the right are the washhouses of No 8 and 9 Russell St
  • Pat Hunt with father Henry Roberts
  • Elaine in her Silver Cross pram in the party-yard at the back of Russell Street
  • Elaine Roberts on her birthday with her new pedal car, in front of Dad's piano, which was the heart of the house with music played every day, Russell Street
  • Elaine in fancy dress with cousin Dennis Willetts, inside the space Rocket. He made the space rocket indoors and could hardly get it through the door once he had finished it
  • Elaine Roberts in the party-yard at Russell Street
  • Elaine Roberts
  • Elaine Roberts and cousin Dennis Willetts
  • Henry Roberts playing the organ at St Francis of Assisi. At 19, he became the permanent organist and choirmaster at St Francis church
  • Family Christmas in Russell Street
  • The demolition of Russell Street (newspaper cutting)
  • The demolition of Russell Street

H. L. Roberts, Market Place

The Roberts family ran H. L. Roberts newsagents at 26a Market Place from 1966 after a compulsory purchase order forced them to move from their former premises on Russell Street. Previously Riley’s Stationers, the shop continued to sell stationery along with newspapers, books, greetings cards, confectionery and tobacco. Sisters, Pat Hunt and Elaine Copson, worked in the shop with their mother Mary who ran the business for several years after the death of her husband, Harry Roberts, in 1973.

Elaine and Pat remember working in the newsagent shop as teenagers and supporting their mother to run the business after their father died. They remember a vibrant, busy shop serving the many local customers and keeping them entertained with occasional music and comedy performances. 
Local resident Ian Bott recalls his first job as a teenager working as a paperboy for Roberts Newsagent in the 1970s. 

ⓘ To see more, and to read captions, click on the photographs.

  • After the compulsory purchase of the Russell St shop, the Roberts family occupied a temporary shop before being offered anew premises in Market Place
  • The Robert's family were given Riley's Stationers to take over. This photo is from the 1950s, during the Market Place Parade (Courtesy of Teresa Davies)
  • The family at their new shop in 26a Market Place
  • H L Roberts at 26a Market Place
  • H L Roberts became an Aladdin's cave of stationery and greeting cards
  • 26a Market Place, (left) Kath Handley who worked for Rileys and stayed on, Pat (middle) and Mary Roberts
  • Wednesbury Market Place in the 1970s
  • 26a Market Place - the middle shop in the row, behind and to the right of the clock tower
  • HL Roberts was a popular shop on the high street
  • Mary and Henry's 25th anniversary, The Anchor Pub, 30 March 1973. Tragically, Henry would die 3 months later leaving Mary a widow at aged 48
  • Mary Roberts on her 90th birthday. She passed away aged 92, in July 2017. Loved by all and missed every day
  • Mary was a very strong person to carry on and make everything work out. She ran the newsagents until she retired aged 65, with Elaine and Pat becoming partners with her to keep the family business going. Pat, Mom, Elaine

Images in the gallery were shared by project participants working with visual artist Jo Löki.  They were collected, edited, adapted and digitised into photo-albums © Jo Löki/Memories Of Wednesbury High Street.  With special thanks to the Robert’s family: Pat Hunt, Elaine Copson and Teresa Davies who gave their time, access to personal collections and memories of Wednesbury High Street. Their vital contributions add to the conversations around Wednesbury’s rich heritage.