Walter Biddulph

Walter Biddulph was the owner of Biddulph's newsagent/cafe in Rosamund Street. The shop was known locally as a rough and grotty fleapit and, according to Deirdre Hunt, there were stories about Biddulph, an elderly gentleman, of having "140 'ands and all of 'em clammy". Nevertheless, in May 1973 Biddulph had enough money behind him to sell up and move into a £10,000 villa on the Costa Del Sol. Ray Langton jumped at the chance to buy the shop and asked Biddulph to consider selling to him in exchange for a quick cash deal, abandoning a previous deal that was all but signed on the dotted line. When he heard that Ray was Len Fairclough's partner, Biddulph laughed, telling Ray that it was Len who he'd been dealing with for two weeks.

Biddulph concluded the deal with Len and left Weatherfield immediately afterwards. In view of how much money Biddulph must have made from the shop, Len thought he had a goldmine on his hands, but it was only later that Alf Roberts informed him that Biddulph had a 60-year-old widow who was besotted with him, and she'd put up the cash for the villa as he didn't have two pennies to rub together. The shop was ultimately a wise deal for Len anyway once it was refurbished and became the Kabin.