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Howdens are famous............We`ve made it into print!
A new book has just been published and its a little cracker.
365 REASONS TO BE PROUD TO BE SCOTTISH by Richard Happer.
We feature on October 29th in the book under the heading `Hug a Sheep` and it refers to our history way back when the shop was established in 1830.
Its a great read and the book would make an ideal stocking filler. Its available at all good bookshops or from www.anovabooks.com priced at £7.99
It describes itself as a proud history of Scottish inventors,discoverers,explorers,artists,actors, world beaters and all round braw folk!
Look out for it .....it deserves recognition from everyone whether Scottish or not and would be a great addition to everyones library.
Howdens are famous............We`ve made it into print!
A new book has just been published and its a little cracker.
365 REASONS TO BE PROUD TO BE SCOTTISH by Richard Happer.
We feature on October 29th in the book under the heading `Hug a Sheep` and it refers to our history way back when the shop was established in 1830.
Its a great read and the book would make an ideal stocking filler. Its available at all good bookshops or from www.anovabooks.com priced at £7.99
It describes itself as a proud history of Scottish inventors,discoverers,explorers,artists,actors, world beaters and all round braw folk!
Look out for it .....it deserves recognition from everyone whether Scottish or not and would be a great addition to everyones library.
A long history from 1830
An elegant old-fashioned interior, timeless standards of good service and the most modern of products are the keynotes of Britain's oldest pet food shop which serves customers in both the Scottish Borders and North Northumberland. We can confidently claim to be the leading pet food suppliers in the Borders - a position we have achieved through ensuring that the personal service we offer is second to none.
Although the products and packaging have changed over the years, the interior of this 'listed' building is much as it was a hundred years ago, with original shelving, glass jars and wooden drawers for the various compounds used to treat animals in nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
This business, primarily concerned with animal medicines and feedstuffs, was established in 1830 by George Wilson. It was he, who in that year, invented and produced the world's first sheep dip. Wilson's Sheep Dip was manufactured here and sold nationally. From Coldstream it was transported by horse and cart to the nearby port of Berwick upon Tweed, from where it was distributed to all points south by package steamer.
The business was sold around the turn of the 20th Century to W.E. Howden (hence the name above the shop) and it was at about that time that the shop was refitted, using mahogany and brass fittings. Rivalry with a neighbouring butcher resulted in Howden having the six pink granite columns added to the building's facade. These each cost the princely sum of half a Crown or two shillings and sixpence - 12.5 p in today's money!
Today, the shop is 'listed' for its architectural interest - both inside and out - and remains virtually as it was around the turn of the last century. However, Wilson's sheep dip has fallen foul of E.C. regulations and is no longer manufactured. The shop now specialises in pet foods and is the leading supplier in the Borders. All this makes it the oldest and most historically important business of its kind in the world, so you are welcome to visit and browse at your leisure. You may even experience some good, old-fashioned counter service!
To see more interesting artefacts be sure to visit the Coldstream Museum in the Market Square.
Although the products and packaging have changed over the years, the interior of this 'listed' building is much as it was a hundred years ago, with original shelving, glass jars and wooden drawers for the various compounds used to treat animals in nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
This business, primarily concerned with animal medicines and feedstuffs, was established in 1830 by George Wilson. It was he, who in that year, invented and produced the world's first sheep dip. Wilson's Sheep Dip was manufactured here and sold nationally. From Coldstream it was transported by horse and cart to the nearby port of Berwick upon Tweed, from where it was distributed to all points south by package steamer.
The business was sold around the turn of the 20th Century to W.E. Howden (hence the name above the shop) and it was at about that time that the shop was refitted, using mahogany and brass fittings. Rivalry with a neighbouring butcher resulted in Howden having the six pink granite columns added to the building's facade. These each cost the princely sum of half a Crown or two shillings and sixpence - 12.5 p in today's money!
Today, the shop is 'listed' for its architectural interest - both inside and out - and remains virtually as it was around the turn of the last century. However, Wilson's sheep dip has fallen foul of E.C. regulations and is no longer manufactured. The shop now specialises in pet foods and is the leading supplier in the Borders. All this makes it the oldest and most historically important business of its kind in the world, so you are welcome to visit and browse at your leisure. You may even experience some good, old-fashioned counter service!
To see more interesting artefacts be sure to visit the Coldstream Museum in the Market Square.
