BACK in November 1954 Henry (Harry) Rutherford walked into a butchery business he could call his own for the first time.

The 60 year story of the business since is told in a series of photographs from the family archive that Harry’s grandson Andrew hopes to add to over many more years to come.

Harry started as a ‘butcher’s boy’ for George Lane in Hampton Street, Bartonsham, Hereford, before shifting to Stourport for a wartime stint as a cold store slaughterman.

He returned to Hereford and a job at Pritchard’s Butchers in St Owen’s Street , then a manager’s role at London Central Meat in Bridge Street until 1954 when he started his shop in St Martin’s Street.

By then, Harry had a wife, Molly, and two sons, Frederick and John. He stayed with the business until a heart attack forced his retirement in 1976.

Harry passed away in 1984, by then John was involved in running the business with his son Andrew

Andrew recalls the 1980s as something of a boom time with the business contracted to the Sun Valley canteen and HP Bulmer.

When Frederick retired at Christmas 1996 after running the retail part of the business, John and Andrew continued trading together until John’s death in 2004.

Andrew runs the business now and its still under the H A Rutherford & Sons name.

Recent years have seen expansions into restaurant, pub and catering contracts, as well as retail.

Shop manager Barry Rogers has been with the business since 2007. Andrew says Barry does ‘much of the running’ and is the ‘face and voice’ of the store.

These days Andrew is free behind the scenes to get hands-on with a range of homemade sausages and faggots.

Andrew remains mindful of Harry’s old-school motto of ‘quality, service and price’.

“And in that order, and with H A Rutherford & Sons having notched up 60 years of successful trading, he could be right ,” says Andrew.