Groves’s Corner, at the junction of Low Street and Cook Lane, was among the oldest shops in Keighley in the 1920s.
The property had belonged to the Drake and Tonson Trust which helped fund the Girls’ Grammar School, and the plethora of advertisements covering 'Ye Olde Shoppe' hid a virtually unchanged 18th-century building.
However, the 20th century had little use for “low shops and dark interiors”, so in 1930 Groves’s Corner was replaced by “a steel-frame building of three storeys” first occupied by what was then called Messrs Boots, the Cash Chemists.
James Groves, founder of the grocery business, had served on Keighley Town Council in the 1890s. A beekeeper and sportsman, he died while fishing at Winterburn Reservoir in 1916.
His widow, Mrs Emma Groves, became the only woman to be elected a Freeman of the Borough of Keighley in 1947, in recognition of her work for the Infants’ Aid Society and the temperance movement. She was also awarded the MBE in 1948, dying the following year at the age of 93.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here