In 1823 Thomas Pritty, an ironmonger and iron founder, acquired the property from one Charles Pretty (or perhaps Pritty), leading to the speculation that Charles, perhaps Thomas´s father, had also been running a similar trade there even earlier. Thomas Pritty ran his business from the High Street until 1861 when he sold his firm to another ironmonger and iron founder - John Graham. By 1865 John Graham was working in partnership with a Richard Crush Joslin to whom he left the business on his death in 1883.

Sixteen years later, in 1899, Richard Joslin leased the premises for 21 years to Henry Robert Taylor for £80 per annum. Richard Joslin died in 1900 leaving the property to his wife and brother. Eight years later, after they had both died, Henry Taylor was able to buy the freehold.

Henry Taylor continued to run his business until 1929, when he sold out to two partners, the delightfully named Maitland Walter Partridge of Hadleigh, (after whom the present business takes its name) and Daniel Partridge of Kersey. Accounts from the first years of trading still exist. In the first eight months of business ending 31st March 1930, sales exceeded £4,000 leaving a net profit for each of the partners of almost £240. In the first full year of trading sales amounted to £7,563 18 s.4d with a net profit for each of the partners of £391.Os.9d each, perhaps not a fortune but still a tidy sum back then, before galloping inflation began to eat into the value of our money.

That early partnership did not last long. In 1934 it was dissolved and Maitland Walter Partridge and his sister Edith Partridge registered the long- lasting name of M W PARTRIDGE & CO. In 1969 it became a limited company.

Our customers come from a very wide area including Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and obviously Suffolk, although it has been known to serve people from as far afield as France, Canada, South Africa, Australia and America.

Mr Keith Young acquired the business in 1984 and has made extensive improvements by expanding it from a small corner shop to the large comprehensive store it is now. Existing 15th century buildings were renovated and new ones added in a style complementary to the structure of the older ones.