Tuesday 26th August 2025
I posted the above photograph on my Facebook page, and I wrote:
This scene will be immediately recognisable to those who lived in Warminster years ago, particularly children. It is, of course, the bow window at 32 High Street, where Miss Vera Waylen and her sister Mrs Jean Hunt ran their much-loved shop. I took this photo in 1987.
Inside the window is a display of wonderful inexpensive things for little people: there are illustrated story books including Fairyland, The Snow Queen, Farmyard Friends, and The House That Jack Built. There is a game called Beetle, and a cone with hoops you have to try to throw on to it, and a set of colourful skittles. The toys also include a telephone, a first aid kit, a canteen of kitchen plastic crockery, a xylophone, a kaleidoscope tube, a yo-yo, and a police car. There’s even a policeman’s helmet. Plus school bags with illustrations of poodles, an assortment of furry bears and dolls, and bubbles and stickers.
The Waylen sisters used to sell my books about Warminster. They would place an order with me, every three months, and when they phoned they would always ask me to deliver the books in person so that they could have a chat. I would deliver the books, give them a delivery note and an invoice, and they would always pay there and then with cash. Before leaving I would always buy some chocolate, to help support them and the shop. I can remember Jean saying: “We’re glad you like chocolate. We love chocoholics. Without chocoholics we would probably be sunk.” I can “hear” her saying that now.
Also, after delivering the books and getting paid, Vera always went through a customary ritual with me. They sold modern Warminster postcards in the shop but out of sight under the counter, Vera had her own personal collection of old Warminster postcards by publishers such as Coates, Wilkinson, Lucas & Foot, and Raphael Tuck. She kept them in a a square and ancient tin. Without fail she would reach down and bring up for me to see, a single postcard. I was allowed to hold it in my hands and she and I would discuss the scene or event or people depicted on the card. She would then put the card back in the tin. I only ever got to see one card per visit. How I longed to go through that tin and see all the postcards. So, once every 90 days I would get to see one card – just four cards per year. There must have been over 100 old postcards of Warminster in Vera’s tin. I wonder what happened to them?
One of the things I noticed about the inside of the shop was that the shelves (on which were jigsaws, board games, pop-out picture books, toys, puppets and all sorts of lovely things for children) were not fixed to the walls. Each shelf – basically a plank of wood – was balanced on a couple of old and empty Christmas selection biscuit tins or toffee and sweets tins. So there would be a tin at each end, a plank on top with another tin at each end, and so on upwards. Rather quaint but much in keeping with the entire ethos of the shop and the two sisters. Those old tins would be very collectable today.
If you have memories of looking in the window or being treated to something by your parents or grandparents, or purchasing something for your children, feel free to comment.
My post on Facebook gained 184 likes and 60 comments including:
Helly V Foster
Is this where “Our House’ is now?
dannyhowell.net warminster and district
This shop, after Waylens, became Parfitt’s. In recent years it was Our House hairdressers. It is about to become the Cafe Anouk.
Adrian Hall
Looks like the window that Bagpuss would be sitting in.
Angela Saunders – Dix
Nothing ever will come close to the feeling when you walked in, with the lovely ladies with a warm smile to greet you. The large assortment of jarred sweets, only being a allowed a 1/4 of one sort on a visit as a very young girl. It always reminded me of the shop window of Bagpuss, I wonder if that’s why they had a cat.
Clare Tanner
Waylens fond memories of the two old ladies and that cat curled up on the daily papers.
David Hawkins
They had a ginger cat on the counter, and he was really friendly. The ladies in the store were always kind and helpful. Lovely store.
Caroline Ham
I remember being just tall enough to look in at the bottom of the window. The little fairy lights and wooden toys.
Jacob Salter
This and the downstairs toy shop in Paynes newsagent . . . they had an amazing selection of marbles.
Maureen Nix
I remember Waylens I got married in 1965, everything was much different then. How times have changed not for the better though. I worked in Pampered Pets for 13 years until I was 75 and it was sold it is now a large charity shop in the corn market. Also I worked in Touchwood in Weymouth Street, it was a fine art shop, framing, selling lots of lovely things including paintings. Also do you remember Christettes where you nearly fell over things, it sold everything.
Barbara Dodd
Loved Waylens as a child then taking my children there too. Such a sad day when it closed.
Evans Tishtash
It was an Aladdin’s cave of treasures!
Liza Jewellery
We have some of your books. Bought back when C&P carried them. They were the best! I hope you are well. (Linda Beveridge). Thanks for this reminiscence. I do remember that shop. Many of the wonderful doorways and windows were lost. Very sad. And so unnecessary.
Lisa Cook
Loved this little shop, used to go in with my mum and get little goodies to go into birthday treat bag @ can see in the window ” the House that Jack built” forgotten about that game. Great memories.
Simon Venn
I have such fond memories of this beautiful odd little shop with the nicest of people running it. It will remain the most happiest of memories going into the shop I can still remember the smell going in.
Adeline Dalley
Those sugar mice as a child, and weighed out bagged Bon bons. Such happy memories of going in there x.
Ellen Davey
Adeline Dalley I remember being very excited about getting some chocolate wrapped in a foil wrapper which was like a clock face I think . xx
Andy Evans
Every time I visited the dentist of which I believe was next door, probably aged 10. my mum would take me into the toy shop to choose a toy of my own choice. Good memories of my mum.
Janet Hill
Fond memories of this lovely shop. My mum would take me there after the dreaded visit to the dentist a couple of doors down the road.
Nina Burton
I remember it well, and like Mari, was allowed to buy a little something there after a visit to Mr Yates at the dentist.
Mari Booker
Nina Burton My dentist was Roy Dunstan.
Jean Rogers
Mari Booker he was also my dentist when I was a child. I always went into Waylens after going to the dentist!
Gillian Ephgrave
I used to go to school at The Old Close, where Kyngeston Court is now. Every day I was able to look into Waylens window and plan what I was going to buy once I had saved up my pocket money. When I worked at Farnfield & Nicholls, someone from the office would come and collect our pennies to go across to Waylens and buy us a Warminster Journal, always late on a Thursday afternoon. Happy days.
Ranger SJ
I loved the two old ladies that ran that place Waylens . . . could barely see the sisters behind the counter bless them . . . Now the new sweet shop in Silver Street the Sugar Hut takes pride of bringing back the old sweets to the town. x
David Marsh
Used to order magazines from there and the children loved going in for sweets – this was over 30 years ago but still have fond memories of the two ladies.
Vicki Hampton
My favourite toyshop.
Linda Clarke-Small
When we moved into Warminster in 1987 Paynes newsagents was down stairs and the had a cafe upstairs. They owned pastimes which was a toy shop further down the High Street just up from Cordens adjacent to their other shop which was a luxury ladies outfitters called Pleasures?
dannyhowell.net warminster and district
Linda Clarke-Small Sorry but you’re slightly incorrect. There wasn’t a shop called Pastimes in Warminster. Alan Gallagher, over the years, had four shops in Warminster. Paynes the newsagents was at No.49, with Polly’s tea and coffee room on the first floor. Pleasures, a toy shop was at No.19 Market Place to begin with and then moved to No.1 Market Place with the slogan “Warminster’s Toy Shop with two exciting floors of toys and models”. No.19 Market Place then became Delights, ladies fashion, hats and shoes, and for a time was run by Alan’s wife Moira (nee Payne – daughter of Fred and Rebecca Payne). Alan’s other shop was a bookshop, circa 1972, called Chapter One which was at No. 67 Market Place.
Linda Clarke-Small
dannyhowell.net warminster and district you are quite correct i couldn’t remember the name delights as it has been over 30 yrs.
Antonia Jayne
I loved their little paper dress up dolls. Very happy memories of Waylen’s.
Jan Meaden
Lots of happy memories of Waylens – taking my children in when they were young – such lovely ladies too.
Pauline Boyce
I loved taking my children in waylens, always helpful ladies.
Vicky Garrett
I loved that shop! Can only vaguely remember it but loved it!
Mary Finley
Loved that little shop.
Julia Young
They were very kind people, always welcomed every single customer. You were allowed to have a look around to make the proper choice of what you wanted to buy.
Jo Smith
Used to take my daughters there for a treat. They could be in there for hours deciding what to have . Lovely memories x.
Mell Boulton
Remember it well x.
Andrea Cairns
Loved this little shop. X
Mike Hamilton
Brilliant, great memories.
Helen Thomas
I remember doing my Christmas shopping in there as a kid they always had all sorts of things and all the chocolate bars on the counter . . . lovely little shop.
Glo Newman
So many memories, I loved that shop.
Alison Gray
Remember it well.
Susan Welch
So many memories, they had so much stock you could hardly get in to see it.
Graeme Coward
Loved that shop.
Cherrie Ford
Miss waylen and sister.
Paul Englefield
Waylens.
Natalie-Jayne Fletcher
I loved the rickety uneven wooden floor and all the crammed shelves, full of sweets and toys. I would go in every Friday after school and spend my 5/- pocket money on a book of cut out dolls and their clothes. The good old days.
Philip Pinnell
Always had to get the Warminster Journal at 4.30 sharp every Thursday for Herb Poolman I was a young apprentice in 1972 then worked for R BUTCHER & SON. Happy times.
Robert Lewis
Thankyou all for our memories!
