1934 – New Beginnings. Built by Mr. Feather, Peel Park Fisheries was given an address on Bolton Lane as the numbers on Bolton Road were all taken. Purpose built as a Fish & Chip shop, the first owner was Mr. Bashforth, who ran the shop for 25 years until 1959.
The original Frying Range was coal-powered rather than gas, and simply used the chimney that is still behind the current range (where the menu is mounted).
1959 – Into the Family. Jim Mitchell buys Peel Park Fisheries, a new departure for him having previously owned a garage & workshop. He ran the business with his wife Fay and son Colin for 12 years before handing the business on to Colin to run full time.
Jim had a new-fangled electric frying range installed which required three-phase electricity to be connected to the shop, and made a whole raft of improvements.
1971 – Family Ties. Colin takes over as owner of the shop, with his wife Lenore. Using quality ingredients and traditional methods, they saw the business grow. They ran the shop for 27 years.
During their tenure they had a gas frying range installed in 1978 by Frank Ford, a company based in Halifax who made a whole range of things, including aeroplanes! Colin also made a whole number of other improvements to modernise the workings of the shop.
1998 – A Short Break. After growing the business for 27 years, Colin & Lenore decided to keep the property, but sell the business to Paul Jepson, a trained chef. Paul ran the business for 5 years, before selling it on again. The business then passed through three further owners.
2010 – A New Name. Nick wanted to put his own stamp on the business, so as well as making several improvements to the preparation areas of the shop, he changed the name to Moby Nick’s. Due to poor health, Nick decided to put the business up for sale in 2013.
2013 – Back to the Family. Timing is everything, and while Nick was looking to sell the business, Colin & Lenore’s son-in-law, Paul Hutchinson, was looking for a new opportunity. A deal was struck, and the business was brought back into the family in April 2013. To complete the transition, the name was changed back to Peel Park Fisheries in August of 2013.
2019 – The Family that Works Together… Making the business even more of a family affair, Joanne joined Paul in the shop, together they plan to run the shop as a real ‘Mom & Pop’ family concern! Paul has made many improvements to the shop, most notably a new High-Efficiency frying range made by Hopkins Catering Equipment based in Pudsey. Since time Paul has owned the shop almost every piece of equipment has been replaced, and the whole interior has been upgraded and revamped.