Wortley’s: Caught the pet goldfish from tanks out back
AFTER reading our request for any memories of Wortley’s pet store in Baxter Gate Loughborough, former employee Elizabeth Rouse rang Looking Back with fascinating tales of her time there.
Elizabeth, 70, worked at both the Baxter Gate pet store and the family’s seed and corn merchants premises in Sparrow Hill, in 1964-65.
She said that the owners were Dennis and Barbara Wortley and that Dennis’ elderly mum also worked there.
The store sold many live animals including dogs, kittens and tortoises.
At the back was an old “barn” type of affair which she said had a corrugated roof and was at least twice as big as a garage. The building contained around four tanks full of goldfish.
Whenever a customer came in to buy a fish, they would go round to the containers and point out they one they wanted and then Elizabeth or one of her colleagues had to try and catch it.
Elizabeth listed some of the people she worked with including Mary Allen, Jean Loakes and even her own twin sister Rosemary.
Rosemary took her place at Baxter Gate after Elizabeth moved to the Sparrow Hill premises. And then, when Elizabeth left to have her first baby, Rosemary took her place there as well.
She said of her time at Wortley’s: “We had a lot of fun and had an enjoyable time,.”
She added that Mrs and Mrs Wortley were always: “Very kind.”
Like Looking Back reader Anita May who also worked at Wortley’s she said that Dennis was very clever, was a keen fisherman and tied his own fishing flies.
Can you remember Wortley’s pet stores in Baxter Gate?
Please contact Andy Rush at Looking Back on 01509 63580. E-mail andy.rush@trinitymirror.com