Arrighis
67 Market PlaceWhitehaven
Cumbria
CA28 7JG
Phone: 01946 696646
100 YEAR Celebrations at Arrighi's Fish and Chip Shop...
The Year is 1908, Henry Ford has just launched his Model-T car, Milan Football Club has just formed, the Olympics are held in London and news has just reached the shores of Whitehaven that Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid have finally been caught and killed in Bolivia.
At the same time BP is in its infancy, Converse Shoes are made for the first time, Lee Cooper Clothing is launched and General Motors have just set up in Business as well.
All of these events are far from the thriving Market Place of Whitehaven, and they have no concern to a young Italian emigrant and his Northern Irish Sweetheart.
For their mind is on the opening of a small Fish and Chip shop. Will it succeed? Have they made an error? The nerves set in as they nervously wait for the first customer to find their way into No 67 Market Place after being lured there by the sweet smell of Fish-Chips and salt and vinegar........
Arrighi's Fish and Chip Shop in the market place of Whitehaven is a name synonymous with Whitehaven as they have been trading there for the last hundred years.
In fact, this year is the 100th year trading from No 67 Market place.
Guiseppe Arrighi, whom opened the shop in 1908, first came to Whitehaven when he was Eleven years old from the northern region of Italy.
At the time, it was quite common for children of his age to leave home and seek work in another country. Northern Italy was not as prosperous as it is now, and work was hard to come by. However, here in Whitehaven, with the booming coal industry there was plenty of work to be found in the mines.
So it was, that Guiseppe found himself working at Wellington Pit, he was still working at Wellington pit when he opened the shop which was run by his Wife Catharine who was a County Down Lass. Guiseppe came to work in Arrighis full time after the Wellington Pit disaster of 1910. He should have been on that disastrous shift but due to divine intervention or pure good luck, he was the Best Man at a wedding.
The entire shift of men, numbering 143, had entered the mine the previous evening and only six had managed to escape immediately, leaving 137 unaccounted for at the time.
Guiseppe and his wife Catharine had six children in all, and all of them and their children have worked in Arrighis at one time or another. They also opened other Fish and Chip Shops around the town and even had six at one time.
In 1941 two men moved to Whitehaven when their factory was bombed in the Blitz in London. The men in question were called, Frank Schon and Fred Marzillier. At first, they made firelighters that they sold from little premises on Swing Pump Lane. To produce the firelighters they needed sawdust, naphthalene and a bi product of oil. As the war was still on, oil was hard to come by, unless you had a fish and chip shop of course. Guiseppe supplied them with the much-needed old oil from the shop. By 1943, this little firm had moved to (Seacliffe) Kells, and Marchon was born.
Arrighis is not the oldest Family run business in Whitehaven, the Town is lucky enough to be able to boast of several family run businesses that are over a100 years old. A business this old is a rare commodity now, which is why, Carla, her Family and Staff would like to invite all customers new and old, to help celebrate this monumental achievement.
As of Monday the 7th July until Saturday the 12th July, all customers eating in the restaurant will be given a glass of Champagne.
On Saturday all children will be given a goodie bag and on Thursday 10th July there will be a book signing by Author Clifford Jones, plus all week Carla and her staff will be giving out Complementary Pens, Key rings and Birthday Cake.
More events will be taking place to find out more then either call into Arrighis and pick up their special News Letter or go to our website.www.thewhitehavenguide.com
