Description:During the 1890s, this building doubled as both a village store and coffee house, serving the village of Oakamoor.
It must have been quite a novelty for such a small village to have a coffee house; one can easily picture it full of Victorian women discussing the issues of the day over a pot of fresh coffee.
Pictured are Mrs Tipper and her son Clement in the doorway, shortly after it was opened as a store and coffee shop, with a reading room upstairs. Babies and small toddlers of either sex often wore this type of 'dress' whilst in nappies for easier changing.
Mr John Williams has kindly provided some additional information:
"This is the 'Admiral Jervis', a former 18th century Public House, closed down in the 1860's by A. S Bolton, who would not countenance a pub on the doorstep of his copper works. He added the coffee house and shop for his daughter and chapel services were held there before the building of the Mill's Chapel. It became a pub again in the 1960's after being closed for 100 years."
This image is featured by kind permission of the Churnet Valley Railway.