Description:The White House was built by the Staffordshire & Worcestershire canal Company in 1797. From 1991 until about 2005 it was the village shop and Post Office run by Mr and Mrs Ward.
The two storey building on the right was called The White House. It was built by the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal Company in 1797. In the 19th century it was a beerhouse known as The Hand and Bottle. In 1923 the single storey building in the foreground became the telephone exchange for the area. It is this building that became known as The White House Stores. From the 1950s to the late 1970s Joe White and his sister ran a newspaper shop and general store which was known locally as Joe White's. Joe White sold the store to Mr Singh who ran it until 1988 when it was purchased by Les and Dot Ward who developed The White House Stores into a thriving local store and off licence. In the 1990s when Milford Sub Post Office lower down by The Barley Mow closed, Les and Dot opened a Sub Post Office with Les as the Sub Post Master. The couple retired from the business in 2001 after thirteen years. In 2013 it is owned by Chase of Milford who sell wood burning stoves.
The main railway line runs at the back of the property and in the early 1900s London and North Western Railway had a water pumping station behind the store. The pumping station was used to pump water under pressure to Stafford Railway Station to operate the lifts. It was also used for filling the water troughs between the railway lines for the steam engines to take on water.
Sources: The Story of the Ancient Parish of Berkswich Part 2 by Alf Middlefell; William Dawson's story in Down Memory Lane, Brocton, Milford and Walton by Jim Foley.
Information: Tony Pickerin and Dot Ward. Research Jim Foley