NEN Gallery

Stiles in the High Street is a wonderful old building with windows on the second floor still in place 400 years later. The accommodation on the second floor was the home of the Stiles' family and adjacent to this is a long hall that overlooks the churchyard. The fireplace in the sitting room overlooking the High Street is still in place and in immaculate condition. The tiny room above the shop was used by the owner to receive the money from the overhead cash run. It was a haberdashery shop which sold womens' clothing run by Miss Jude the manageress.In 1959 it was purchased by the Morley family who owned the shop next door on the corner(now Elvins' Estate Agency) They used it as a cycle shop.Mr Alan Thompson ran this shop for Cecil Morley as he was a keen member of Mildenhall Cycling club. This whole block of shops owned by the Morley family included a clock and watchmaker's shop and was run by Cecil and his brother Bert. They ran the shop until Bert emigrated to Australia having inherited it from their father. One of their clocks which used to be in the shop is now in the Mildenhall Museum.The time for the church clock was taken from this clock.At one time the shop extended round the corner into Mill Street selling china, baby clothes and school uniforms for the schools in Mildenhall. After Mr Thompson retired from the cycle shop it became a china and hardware business run by Mrs Sandra Royal-1986-1989( shop still owned by Morleys). The colour room run by Mrs Jennie Spencer and her daughter Mrs Lucy Summers followed this selling material for quiltiing. (2002)On the second floor at that time Graham Carter had a picture framing business.(The shop was still owned by the Morley family). Mr Kenny Thompson bought this shop at the same time as acquiring Bussens and Parkin in King Street from Peter and Jennie Spencer. It is presently rented out as a restaurant called The Brasserie. See photographs from " Mildenhall in Pictures pages 12,13 and 17 and photographs 064,067,068,166 and 140 from the Museum collection."