Woodley - Branch 2
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| Woodley Branch - circa 1973 |
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| Parking spaces were at a premium inside the branch |
The village of Woodley in the Berkshire suburb of Reading was originally served by Shinfield branch. It was opened by Job's in the 1950's with just four rounds, when the majority of homes in Woodley had no mains drainage and there was very little street lighting.
But Job's saw great potential for the branch. It was a time of expansion for Woodley with many new housing developments in progress and by the mid 1970's the number of rounds had risen significantly . It was not until 1974 that Woodley officially attained 'town' status with a population of 29,000.
Among the establishments served by Job's were the Berkshire College of Education and the old RAF aerodrome where Douglas Bader lost his legs in a pre-war accident.
The relatively close proximity of the new housing developments meant that the majority of the rounds at Woodley were never more than a mile away from the branch itself.
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Karl Brown with trolley and helpers on a round in Woodley during the early 1970's |
Loaded and ready to leave the yard at Woodley for an early morning round |
Like many of the Job's branches, Woodley had an active social club with regular get-togethers and events. The photo below was taken around 1978 at Stewarts Cafe in Woodley where the staff were performing their own version of the film Grease! Thanks to Mick Warrick for sending in the photo.
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| Jim Hayler, David Bunce and Mick Warrick perform Grease at Stewarts Cafe |
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| A Cabac parked outside Woodley branch relieves congestion in the yard |
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| One of the two daily deliveries from Hanworth in the yard at Woodley |
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| Unloading by forklift - seen here outside the entrance to the coldstore |
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| Another shot demonstrates that space was limited at Woodley |
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| The branch was situated in a residential area of Woodley |
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