The local high street chemist since 1904
A. Procter & Son Limited has cared for the people of East Sussex for more than 120 years. Five generations later, we are the same family with the same high standards, and we are always exploring more ways to provide high quality health care.
To provide a welcoming and caring environment where the needs of our customers and patients are our first priority and their expectations are exceeded.
People first
We take time to listen and treat every customer and patient as an individual. Their needs guide the advice and care we provide.
Trusted advice
Our advice is honest, professional and clearly explained. We recommend only what we genuinely believe is right for the person in front of us.
Part of the community
Procters Health has served local families for generations. We remain committed to being present, dependable and actively involved in the communities around us.
Timeline
Alfred Procter graduates at the North of England School of Chemistry & Pharmacy
After completing a full course of lectures and practical demonstrations in botany, materia medica, physics and chemistry, together with systematic laboratory training in practical chemistry, pharmacy and dispensing, Alfred Procter passed the examinations of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. He was subsequently registered as a fully qualified chemist and druggist.
Alfred Procter opens his first pharmacy in Eastbourne
After a number of years gaining professional experience, Alfred struck out on his own and established what would become Procters Chemists. Surviving family records suggest that his first pharmacy was most likely in Church Street, Eastbourne, close to his home, although the company’s earliest records are incomplete.
Procters opens at Station Parade in Eastbourne
Following the construction of a new parade of shops beside Eastbourne railway station, Procters established a pharmacy at Station Parade. By 1915, Kelly’s Directory of Sussex confirms Alfred Procter as a chemist at 5 Station Parade.
A. Procter and Son Limited is incorporated
Alfred’s son, Terence 'Terry' Flexman Procter, had also qualified as a chemist. The company was incorporated in February under the name A. Procter and Son Limited, with Terence as managing director. Terence and his wife Dorothy also welcomed their son, Michael Anthony Procter, in February 1931.
Procters opens in Church Street, Eastbourne
Before the company expanded into Heathfield, Procters was already operating a pharmacy in Church Street, Eastbourne. Surviving staff books and receipts confirm the branch formed part of the company’s early Eastbourne network, although its precise opening date has not yet been established.
Terence Procter dies in a tragic flying accident
Flight Lieutenant Terence Flexman Procter, RAF Volunteer Reserve, was killed in a flying accident in Canada, aged 37. He was a flying instructor and was buried at Ocklynge Cemetery in Eastbourne. He left his wife, Dorothy Maude Procter to continue the family business.
First Heathfield branch opens
Procters expanded beyond Eastbourne with the opening of a pharmacy in Station Road, Heathfield. The premises included an adjoining apartment and marked the beginning of the company’s long association with the town.
Michael Procter takes over as company director
After previously running a small pharmacy called Crossways in Cheam Village, south-west London, with his wife Valerie, Michael Procter permanently returned to East Sussex at the age of 32 to take over the family company.
Second Heathfield branch opens
When Heathfield’s only other chemist on the high street closed, the property, including an adjoining shop and apartment, was offered to the Procter family. The acquisition established Procters as the town’s sole remaining pharmacy operator and strengthened its long-standing presence in the local community.
Church Street pharmacy closes
After serving Eastbourne’s Old Town for many decades, the Procters pharmacy in Church Street likely closed around the early 1970s. The period coincided with substantial redevelopment and road widening in Church Street, although the precise circumstances and date of the branch’s closure have not yet been established.
Expanding across East Sussex
During the mid-1980s, Procters expanded its network of pharmacies across East Sussex. The company opened a pharmacy in Hailsham High Street and another in Seaside Road, Eastbourne, adding to its established locations in Eastbourne and Heathfield.
Procters comes to Polegate
Procters continued its expansion with the opening of a pharmacy on Polegate High Street, extending the family business into another East Sussex community.
Procters opens the Care Centre
Procters expanded beyond traditional community pharmacy with the opening of the Procter Care Centre at Station Parade, Eastbourne. The centre specialised in mobility, independent-living and healthcare equipment, and within a few years had expanded to twice its original size.
The family business continues
Michael and Valerie’s sons, David and Christopher Procter, were formally appointed Managing Director and Financial Director respectively, marking the next generation’s transition into the leadership of the family company.
Procter Health Care expands to Uckfield
Building on the company’s growing specialist healthcare business, Procters opened a Procter Health Care Centre at 75 High Street, Uckfield. The centre supplied mobility, disability and independent-living equipment, extending the company’s services into another East Sussex town.
Expanding beyond traditional pharmacy
Procters Chemists rebrands to Procter Health Care and broadened its services to include specialist healthcare, mobility and independent-living products, building upon the company’s long-standing experience supporting patients and their families. The business began it's first online ecommerce operation at this time.
The end of an era
After more than half a century leading the company, Michael Procter retired as a director. Under Michael and Valerie’s stewardship, Procters had grown from its Eastbourne origins into an established group of community pharmacies across East Sussex.
Uckfield Health Care Centre closes
After several years serving customers in Uckfield, the Procter Health Care Centre on the High Street closed. The company continued its specialist healthcare and mobility services through its larger Eastbourne operation, which had since passed out of Procter family management.
A new generation takes responsibility
Michael and Valerie Procter’s daughter, Liz Adams, joined the company’s leadership alongside her children, Tom Brabham and Sarah Vockins, continuing the family stewardship of a business founded more than 120 years earlier.
Rebranding as Procters Health
Following the closure of the Station Parade Care Centre and original online shop, Procter Health Care, now Procters Health, returned its focus to its community pharmacies in Heathfield and Polegate, combining its family heritage with a renewed programme of modernisation and investment. This newly built online platform is part of the ongoing improvements.
Three pharmacies in East Sussex
Drop in for advice, health services, or repeat prescriptions. We're open six days a week.
Procters Pharmacy
Polegate
69 High Street Polegate, BN26 6AH
Mon-Fri: 9am-1pm and 2:15pm-5:30pm
Sat: 9am-1pm
Sun: Closed
Procters Pharmacy
High Street
63 High Street Heathfield, TN21 8JD
Mon-Fri: 9am-1pm and 2pm-5:30pm
Sat: 9am-1pm and 2pm-5pm
Sun: Closed
Procters Pharmacy
Station Road
1 Station Road Heathfield, TN21 8LE
Mon-Fri: 9am-5:30pm
Sat: 9am-1pm
Sun: Closed