20th June 1968
A Small World Indeed

Visitor was none other than the great, great granddaughter 
of Mr. David Longstaff

Visitors to Pontefract have frequently stated that no town of its size in the country is better equipped with shops. The same was true over 200 years ago when the shop which for long has been Vaux Bros Ltd., in the Market Place, was doing business.

The premises occupied by Vaux Bros, grocers and provision merchants, wine and spirits merchants, corn and seed merchants, are said to have been established for trade in

1740 but the name of the merchant who was in business there at that time is not known, for there appears to be no records until 1820 when David Longstaff, a corn merchant, grower of liquorice and manufacturer of Pontefract Cakes, took over the premises.

An interesting document which is still in existence, is Mark Pearson's indenture of apprenticeship to David Longstaff for a period of five years. The date on the document is 1851. David Longstaff was succeeded by Mark Pearson who later became Mayor of Pontefract and in due course Edwin and Arthur Vaux were apprenticed by Mr. Pearson.

In 1883, Edwin and Arthur Vaux, together with John Vaux who was in the wholesale trade at Doncaster, acquired the business. From that time it has been known as Vaux Bros. As the years passed however, Mr. Edwin Vaux, who was also a farmer, became the sole proprietor.

After his death in 1911 the firm was carried on by trustees until 1930 when the present company of Vaux Bros. Ltd. was formed, with Stanley, Cyril, Albert and Gerald Vaux as directors. When the Vaux brothers took over the shop nearly a hundred years ago it was only 15ft square with one small window. The rest of the present frontage was used for domestic purposes and at the back of the shop were stables for the horses. Today, Mr. Cyril Vaux recalls the days when horses were used for deliveries and an amusing incident, which happened to his father:

"The horses had just been harnessed and brought round to the front of the shop ready for the days deliveries, when the towns fire alarm was sounded. The fire brigade commandeered our horses to draw the tender. A few hours later, it was discovered that the fire was in fact on father's farm!"

In those days Vaux Bros, were the only exporters of liquorice root in the country, exporting to many parts of the world, but mainly to Germany; even today the firm receives inquiries from abroad. Vaux Bros. Ltd., like some other old-established traders, regret the passing of many of the big estates for in the ‘eighties’ and ‘nineties’, they conducted extensive business with Nostell Priory; Lord Houghton of Fryston Hall; the Earl of Mexborough, of Methley Hall. and Mr. Claude Leatham of Red House, Wentbridge, to name but a few.

From the earliest days of the firm, a large amount of trade was done at Pontefract Barracks. One tender, written in fine copperplate in 1884, is still in the possession of Vaux Bros. and shows that that the firm undertook to supply the canteen at the Barracks with thick twist tobacco at 3/6d lb, cigars at 6/6d and 9/6d a box, and ale at 9d a gallon. Another order from Fryston Hall showed Imperial rum at 12s for six pints.

Today, Vaux Bros. are still going strong. They stock a vast range of Continental, Eastern and Asiatic foods and they still roast and grind their own coffee. Recently a Canadian visitor to Pontefract went into the shop, looked around and when asked by Mr. Cyril Vaux if he could help her she replied that she just wanted to see if her great-great grandfather's shop was still in existence as she was the great, great, granddaughter of Mr. David Longstaff.

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