Page 10 - Partridge & Spencers

Redditch Heritage Partridge’s & Spencer’s

Spencer’s Music shop in Evesham Street

The Music Business

Samuel's daughter, Edith Phyllis, left school at fifteen and began work at a local millinery shop,
Jones Brothers, in the town but she always considered shop work as a form of economic slavery.
However, she was both a good pianist and singer and in the evenings, particularly weekends,
she worked in the family music shop playing the piano to customers who were interested in the
latest sheet music and gramophone recordings. This was a time when the ‘talkies and musicals
at the cinema were becoming popular and the music of Al Jolson and others were in much demand.
She also took part from an early age in concerts at the Congregational Chapel and the flourishing
Redditch Opera Society.

Although not educated beyond secondary school she had a sharp mind was popular and possessed
an extravert personality. Her health remained good all her long life but her brothers' health was
not the best. Her eldest brother 'Eddie' died at the early age of thirty four from a heart attack
which could have been brought on by heavy work such as piano removals, and Sidney suffered
a stroke in his 50's. Although both married they died without offspring.

Ted & Phyl Partridge (nee Spencer) had one son Simon who inherited his mother's love of music.
His father's war time commitment at the factory by day and air raid warden duties at night meant
he had little chance of meeting under easy circumstances. Fortunately this improved in later life.
Simon's uncle Sid, who lived with them (he was part owner of the Plymouth Road house with
Simon's mother), worked at Terry's Springs, a local factory, as a skilled production worker and
was an auxiliary fireman during the war.

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