Description:Frisby’s shoe shop pictured on the corner of Brook Square and Upper Brook Street, Rugeley. In earlier years the building is thought to have been the town house of the Wolseley family, standing in large grounds with a fountain, formal flower beds, an orchard and a coach house.
The coach house was later converted into a printing office, occupied by Mr Walters, then by Mr Leonard and acquired around 1860 by Mr H C James who lived in the house and had a newsagents and stationers shop on the corner. When the James family moved out of the house the next occupant was Dr Chapman who had a surgery at the rear of the house.
The corner site was acquired by Mr H J Pascoe, this became Pascoe and Son, newsagents and stationer’s business. This was taken over by the Rugeley Times newspaper from 1937 to 1954. The Benhill Press Ltd continued with the printing business and Lichfield Laundry occupied the shop.
In the 1950s Frisby’s occupied the house and the shop and used the rear part of the house for shoe repairs for several of their shop branches in the area. The shop was demolished in 1970 and rebuilt with Frisby’s continuing to occupy the new shop until around 1975 when the family owned chain of 156 stores was sold to Ward White in 1982.