Thundercliffe Fruits on Grantham Market has been going since the end of the First World War

A family fruit and veg stall has been passed down through five generations since the end of the First World War.

Thundercliffe Fruits market stall has been running in Grantham for over 100 years, with its origins dating back to the end of World War I.

The stall is being showcased as part of a Journal series of features to support Grantham Market.

Jake Kingston-Thundercliffe, 28, runs the stall with his brother Shea and grandad Alan, and is the fifth generation in his family to do so.

From the age of 10, Jake used to help out on the stall with his dad, grandad and auntie. He did this until he was around 16 and went on to other things.

Two years ago, Jake’s father passed away, and his grandad thought about giving up the stall for good, but Jake and brother Shea offered to help out and keep the stall running.

Jake said: “When dad passed away, my grandad was maybe going to pack to stall in and stop going but when me and my little brother Shea said that we would start going, he decided to keep it on.

“We were all pleased about that. There’s definitely some history behind the stall, which is cool.”

“We’ve got some regulars that you can have a nice chat with, but my main attraction to the stall is how it’s been in the family for so long and it felt a shame to pack it in."

The family only sell on Grantham market and are based in Nottingham.

The stall’s stock is super fresh as Jake goes at 3am in the morning with his grandad Alan to a wholesalers in Nottingham to collect the produce for the Saturday morning stall.

Jake added: “The fruit can come from all over the world to be honest, but as far as I know, a lot of the veg and salad is pretty local.”

Jake is a supervisor at a pub in Nottingham when he isn’t helping out with the stall.

He said: “[Grantham Market is] definitely not what it once was when I was going when I was younger.

“It was huge compared to what it is now.”

Jake said that discount on rents or a rent-free week for stallholders at Christmas or during January could help the market, suggesting that the council could do more to try and bring in more traders.

He continued: “I also think Covid and the lockdowns were a big thing. I think a lot of people who went down the market or even had a stall, didn’t come back after all of that.

“I think it’s just a combination of things. I’m not too sure how you get it going again.”

You can find Thundercliffe Fruits on Grantham Market every Saturday.