Local History Of Marlborough, Wiltshire,

[oldragbag]

Can anyone tell me what the shop now occupied by COSTA coffee used to be. The entrance has the word MOBY'S in a wonderful mosaic which has been retained for posterity. Thank you on advance.

[Buenchico]

If you don't get an answer on here, try an email to Nick Baxter:
[email protected]
(He's the official historian for the Marlborough History Society)

[kvalidir]

I've just checked all the census returns on Ancestry and it doesn't appear to be a local name as no-one with that surname appears anywhere in Marlborough from 1841-1911, so I'm out of ideas I'm afraid.

[Buenchico]

Moderator's note:
I've removed lots of squabbling (about the validity of answers) above.

To get back to the original question:
You can probably find out what the shop (or possibly a pub?) originally was by looking through the Kelly's Directories which should be available at the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre:
http://www.wshc.eu/

[Buenchico]

Just a thought:
I've quite often asked the staff in shops and pubs if they know anything about the history of the building they work in. While I've been met with plenty of blank stares, I've been pleasantly surprised by the number of people who've been able to answer my questions. Perhaps simply paying for a cup of over-priced coffee could get you an answer to your question?

[Svejk]

I expect the squabbling was more interesting than questions about the Marlborough Old Boys Yoga Studio.

[kvalidir]

Are you sure it's Moby and not Mundy ( if it's in a script type might be easy to mistake) as in 1911 the person responsible for the census being filled in there was a Richard Mundy- and everyone living there were Book dealers listed as working at home, so perhaps it was a book shop? The Costa shop I assume you mean being at 143 High St, Marlborough?
If so it might tie in as still listed is Stephen Mundy at 143 High St, which is a Dept store according to this:-
COMPANY NAME:
Mundy,Stephen,
142 High St
Marlborough
SN8 1HN
Swindon
Wiltshire
Marlborough
Wiltshire
South West England
England

The people on the 1911 census were, Richard Mundy -book dealer, Isabella his wife- assistant, his brother William book shop assistant, son William book hop assistant and son Thomas scholar and a servant called Florence Lucas.

If it is in fact Moby then I'm still out of ideas :)

[kvalidir]

Stephen Mundy is at 142, my apologies :)

[Svejk]

perhaps ragbag typed mundy's and got 'auto-corrected' to moby's.

[Buenchico]

Good work, Kvalidir.

My own thought it is that it might have been a pub where the name changed over the years. For example, the Shakespeare's Head pub in Sheffield was known as 'The Shakey' for so long that the name outside now declare it to be exactly that. I was wondering if there was originally a pub called 'The Moby Dick', which eventually became known simply as 'Moby's'?

[kvalidir]

Hmm might have actually, hadn't thought of that Svejk- and the squabbling was dull you didn't miss anything;-)

[kvalidir]

I know what you mean Chris- it's usually easy to track down shops etc which is why I was surprised when I couldn't find it straight away. I think it looks likely, but it might be Moby's we're after, in which case I'll have to get more lateral.

[kvalidir]

Actually looking very closely at the original it's not 'Book shop' it's ' Boot shop' which then made it easy to find this- which if you read to the very end mentions Mundy's Shoe shop.http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/towns/marlboroughheadlines/9325249.In_Dad___s_footsteps/