More than 50 years’ of buying at Kirkby

Kirkby Stephen butcher and regular mart supporter Ivan Brown’s business has reached some milestones.

Ivan, who bought the prime lamb champion pen at Kirkby Stephen at Christmas, has seen the business celebrate 50 years in the Market Street butcher’s shop – and he is still helped in the business by his mother Madge who has turned 90 and is still in the shop by 6.30 each morning.

Prime business: Ivan Brown and his mother Madge who still helps in the butcher’s shop every day

Madge and her late husband Raymond opened the butchery business in the early 1950s. Raymond had learned his butchery skills in the army during the war and returned home to work for a butcher. However, when he asked for a 10 shilling (50p) rise on his £6 a week wages, he decided to set out on his own, moving to the present premises in 1957.

Ivan gave up the chance of becoming a professional footballer to join the family business RI Brown, running it with his mother after his father died in 1966. “We have bought at Kirkby Stephen mart for more than 50 years and 95 per cent of our lambs come through Harrison & Hetherington. We try to buy the champions at Christmas and Easter.
“The Christmas champions from Martin Brown, of Catterick, killed out at 60 per cent,” said Ivan, whose policy like his mother’s is to buy from and support local farmers and businesses.

Madge has never been into a supermarket and says she never will! Meat from the Browns’ butchers shop also goes all over the country with regular visitors to the town coming back each year for supplies – a hindquarter of beef even went to Holland.

Ivan and his wife Judith’s son Paul specialises in dry stone walling and he and his father have also diversified into farming at Ravenstonedale running 500 sheep on just under 200 acres.

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