{"id":49,"date":"2026-08-02T13:01:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T13:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/burnhopeheritagetrail.co.uk\/?page_id=49"},"modified":"2026-08-19T12:59:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T12:59:17","slug":"7-co-op-store-dance-floor-1904","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/burnhopeheritagetrail.co.uk\/?page_id=49","title":{"rendered":"7. Co-op store – dance floor 1904"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Co-op\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Prior to the opening of the Co-op Store in 1904 people living in Burnhope took up membership with the West Stanley and District Co-operative Society and they toiled through rain and snow along unlit roads to buy their requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In December 1896 the first hardware cart from the Stanley store visited Burnhope. In the evening the horse would plod wearily home with its lanterns lit and tin baths swinging noisily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1903, finally the request for their own store in Burnhope was unanimously passed and the land was purchased from Messrs. Ritson (mine owners). The store was built beside the cricket pitch, opposite the Board Inn, and opened in 1904.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were 4 or 5 departments including boots and shoes, drapery, hardware, general dealer and butchery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was not, of course, a self-service establishment but customers were greeted by a sales assistant, who, after the purchase of goods, sent the money overhead to the sales clerk in an office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customers who signed up to their preferred store received a share of the profits called dividend (divi). This ensured loyalty and indeed those Burnhope residents who were loyal to the Annfield Plain Co-op store, chose not to frequent the new Burnhope store but preferred to wait for the Annfield Plain travelling cart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite there being more than 20 shops in the village during the 1900\u2019s, many of which were general dealers, the Co-op continued trading in the village for almost 80 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up above the store was a large hall, reached by external stairs, for dancing and parties. Soldiers  from the Royal Army Service Corps were also billeted there during WWII.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were stables behind the store to house the working horses, and a slaughter house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three houses were built on Co-operative Terrace for employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Co-op<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Residents of Burnhope in the early 21st Century remember \u201cthe store\u201d well, including the memory of buying all their children\u2019s shoes there and one assistant saying, \u201cI\u2019ve brought black ones this time, because your last pair were brown,\u201d such wonderful customer service!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many years Mr. Hardy was the Co-op butcher. A Burnhope resident remembers that as a boy he would be sent by his Mam to buy a joint of beef from Mr. Hardy for Sunday dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I would ask for a piece for 10 shillings, it would always be 10 shillings and sixpence. Eventually I asked for a piece for 9 bob (shillings) and it would cost 9 and sixpence (9\/- 6d).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prior to the opening of the Co-op Store in 1904 people living in Burnhope took up membership with the West […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":7,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-49","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/burnhopeheritagetrail.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/burnhopeheritagetrail.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/burnhopeheritagetrail.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/burnhopeheritagetrail.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/burnhopeheritagetrail.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/burnhopeheritagetrail.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":241,"href":"https:\/\/burnhopeheritagetrail.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49\/revisions\/241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/burnhopeheritagetrail.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}