The Bussens I.T/Computer Department heralds back to the independent Computer Scene store which was established in 1989 with its primary focus to give outstanding service in the local community. We cater both for the private home user and small to medium sized local businesses. Our regular customers particularly value our after sales service for equipment bought from us.

THE HISTORY OF BUSSENS AND PARKIN

In 1928 Mildenhall was a pleasant, quiet and even sleepy little town. Horses, carts and a few motor cars used the roads and the drone of the aeroplane was unknown.

This was where Bussens and Parkin was born. Opposite the Church and between the White Hart Hotel and the Bell Hotel. An accompanist to the parent company in Downham Market that was began in 1919 by two ex-soldiers Arthur Bussens and Harold Parkin. The Mildenhall shop to be ran by John Spencer another ex-soldier from Norfolk and a trained ironmonger. John was a serious man with flashes of humour and a somewhat stern exterior capable of sentimentality. He was an able salesman and easily established a rapport with his customers.

It was a narrow three-storey building, the first two levels being used for the business and the top level was where the family lived (until 1947 when they moved to a private house). It was a ‘rabbit warren’ of a place stacked high with an assortment of stock required at that time ranging from oil lamps, flat-irons, stone hot water bottles, black grate polish to beet hooks, hoes, rakes, sinks, taps and shot-guns and cartridges (this being good pheasant shooting country). Even the blacksmith’s needs were catered for. Deliveries were made in a second-hand bull-nosed Morris-Cowley van that had cost £10.

John Spencer worked hard to stock and sell the wide range of commodities with only two men to help until 1929 when his son Billy came in to help after leaving school.

By the outbreak of the Second World War, the business was thriving and robust enough to withstand the loss of the male staff to His Majesty King George VI’s armed forces and rely on female help but retaining the company of John Spencer who had done his bit in the First World War. In spite of the inevitable difficulties and shortages caused by the war Bussens survived well.

In addition to serving the local community, Bussens supplied troops at RAF Mildenhall thus giving good service to military personnel and civilians alike.

 Finally, in 1945 victory arrived in Europe and Japan and like everywhere else in the country, Mildenhall celebrated and Billy Spencer returned having served as a Despatch Rider in North Africa and Italy in the 8th Army and happily unscathed. He had been away for three months short of six years and was mentioned in Despatches in the London Gazette of May 1946 for distinguished service.

Billy pitched in with his father giving the same kind of dedication and hard work and gradually the business increased, although there was still a long way to go.

Unfortunately in 1954 after 26 years of single-minded effort and hard work, John Spencer died leaving his son Billy – a fully trained ironmonger – in charge. His personality was nowhere near as serious as his father’s was and he evoked a spontaneous popularity with the majority of people and had few, if any enemies.

The continuity of the firm was assured because Billy’s son Peter even from a small boy was showing great interest. However, before settling down at the age of 19 he went to Australia for two enjoyable years only returning in March 1968 after a disastrous fire which destroyed the building beyond repair. The fire happened on Saturday 13 January 1968 on a cold, dry and very blustery day. The old building was alight from the middle and huge flames could be seen shooting up to the high roof. Tins of paint, aerosol packs and cartridges exploded into the night along with plate glass windows crashing into the street. Four fire engines and their crews battled magnificently against hopeless odds to control the fire.

By midnight the tired and blackened firemen had brought the inferno to a sullen smouldering mess which continued smouldering throughout the Sunday. What caused the fire is still unknown. The building had been completely re-wired two years before, ruling out any electrical fault. 

So after 40 years of Bussens being in the High Street nurtured by John Spencer, Billy turned his attention to the premises in King Street bought in 1965 and with Peter created a modern store comprising showrooms and offices. Both worked and worried together until Billy’s death on 25 December 1995.

Peter continued to run the family business with great success. Having the humour of his granddad as well as a '‘sprinkling'’ of his father'’ personality, Peter led his team to create one of the most influential businesses in Mildenhall providing a treasure trove of stock to suit everybody’s'’ needs. As the saying goes “Bussens will have it!”-–Peter certainly kept the standard up and with the help of his able staff supplied normal everyday items as well as the ‘unusual’ items which are hard to find nowadays.

Then on a warm sunny day in the year 2000, Peter was playing golf and casually remarked to his partner at the time Ken Thompson that he wouldn’t mind retiring from the business having been in it for many years and wishing to take up other interests. Ken, in turn casually remarked that he might be interested and after many a ‘golf game’ and endless discussions and considerations it was agreed for Ken to purchase Bussens and Parkin.

So in December 2000 the ‘dynasty’ of the Spencers in Bussens and Parkin came to an end with Peter and Ken shaking hands in front of a business which had seen several generations and trends through its lifetime.

Ken, already having Computer Scene selling hardware and software and Computer Scene Limited writing software and providing a helpline, now faced another challenge – running Bussens and Parkin, a far cry from computers. However, with the help of the newly appointed Managing Director, Tony Kent-Woolsey, who started work at Bussens in June 1972 as Peter’s assistant. Tony has an abundance of knowledge of the business, and together with Ken, they have guided this fine establishment into the 21st century whilst at the same time been able to keep the ‘old charm’ which Bussens has accumulated over the years.  Now with an extension to the main shop and the purchase of more land to provide a further yard area, Bussens & Parkin Ltd is going forward as before with a few different ideas and a more progressive outlook.  But underneath it will always be the shop that has and can do everything!