Fond memories of the Portsea Island Co-op | Nostalgia
Southern Co-op – originally Portsea Island Mutual Co-operative Society Ltd – was formed in 1873 by dockyard workers who had transferred from Woolwich docks in east London to Portsmouth dockyard.
The workers had previously set up a successful Co-operative Society in Woolwich. When they arrived in Portsmouth they decided to replicate a similar set-up here.
In December 1872, 30 people attended a public meeting and unanimously agreed to pay one shilling (12 old pence) for the establishment of a local co-operative.
After five months, the Portsea Island Mutual Co-operative Society's first shop opened in Charles Street on May 9, 1873.
A message from the editor, Mark Waldron.
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