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Greengrocers & Hardware In Aldersgate

April 22, 2014
by the gentle author

Aldersgate takes its name from one of the ancient gateways to the City of London that formerly divided the street into “within” and “without.” Here Shakespeare once owned property and, in later days, John Wesley had a religious experience which led to the founding of Methodism.

Yet Aldersgate does not declare its history readily, dominated now by the Barbican and Golden Lane Estates. Although Crescent House still harbours a string of independent shops which tell their own modest story of the family businesses that have lined this street for centuries – as Contributing Photographer Patricia Niven & I found out when we went calling recently.

John Horwood, Greengrocer

“My dad Harry, his old shop used to be opposite Barbican Underground station,” explained John, “He got moved out in 1964, when they were building the Barbican, and he opened up here in Crescent House in 1965 – but William, my grandfather, he had a shop before that in Goswell Rd.”

John was standing amidst a fine array of high-quality fruit and vegetables that testify to the three generations of experience which lie behind him and also to his nightly visits to Covent Garden Market, topping up the stock daily to keep everything fresh. Mystified why people visit the supermarkets that surround him to buy inferior produce at higher prices, John is proud that he has kept faith in the trade he grew up in. It is a matter of honour for him. Consequently, John has loyal customers who once visited his father’s shop and still buy their vegetables from John regularly today, including several retired nurses from St Bart’s Hospital who live locally – one of whom, Nancy, is ninety-six.

“Five nights a week, I get up at quarter past one and and I am at the market by quarter to two, then I get back here around five thirty and. after preparation, I am ready to open at eight,” he admitted to me proudly, “In the past, this shop had five or six people in it but now there’s just me.”

John’s greengrocer’s shop is one of the most appealing I have visited, not for the overtly demonstrative nature of his displays but because everything is chosen and arranged with such care and attention. “I attempt to find the best and I have a big range of fruit,” he assured me with twinkly eyes and quiet enthusiasm, ” I have artichokes and chicory at present, which are very popular with the Italian travel agents across the road.”

These days, John supplements his business by selling a splendid variety of plants alongside clay flowerpots, watering cans and compost, fulfilling the demand from residents of surrounding flats who cultivate window boxes and pot plants upon their sills. So, if you are in Aldersgate, I urge you to seek out John Horwood, a dignified professional and the last of the gentleman grocers in this corner of London.

Marc, Peter, Betty, Paul & Simon Benscher, three generations in hardware

If you were of the Do-It -Yourself frame of mind and you walked into City Hardware in Aldersgate, then you might have an experience of religious intensity – comparable with that of John Wesley three centuries ago – in response to the mind-boggling range of ironmongery that may be obtained here, supplied by the Benscher family.

Simon Benscher who runs the company with his brother Paul told me they have four hundred corporate clients, and his son Marc fitted all the locks at the Olympics – which is mighty impressive for a business started by their parents Peter & Betty in 1965, selling china, glass and fancy goods from a single shop in the same parade. Originally, Peter & Betty were publicans in Poplar who were sick of getting up at four in the morning and wanted a quieter life.

“Simon joined the business from school but I worked in retail in the West End for fifteen years before I started working for the family,” explained Paul, who spends his days behind the counter while his brother Simon handles the paperwork. “He’s office based, I’m counter based,” admitted Paul, outlining the demarcation of responsibility and acting careworn in an exaggerated fashion when his brother appeared waving an invoice. “We’re just a classic Jewish matriarchal family,” Simon announced, by means of explanation, as Paul telephoned his wife, Sonia, who speaks five languages, for an impromptu translation on behalf of a customer with no English. “I do enjoy serving the public,” Simon assured me, “I’ve served everyone from Princess Anne down.”

The two enterprising brothers took over premises close to their parents’ shop and never looked back. And fifty years after they set up their own shop, Peter & Betty are still involved in the family business.“They turn up twice a week and tell us what we’re doing wrong!” confided Simon affectionately.

Paul Benscher

Simon Benscher

Photographs copyright © Patricia Niven

You may also like to take a look at

Patricia Niven’s Golden Oldies

7 Responses leave one →
  1. April 22, 2014

    Nice to see that this corner of London is peopled with real people in lovely shops, and has not lost its ‘Human touch’! Hope they will prosper for years to come! Valerie

  2. Annie permalink
    April 22, 2014

    I love Aldersgate and am only sorry that there is so little of it left. A combination of German bombers and post-war development has wiped most of it. Always feel cheery walking along it though. I like to think of Shakespeare walking the same route to Silver Street and how happy he would have been to find such fine artichokes!

  3. April 22, 2014

    A healthy and very practical report…!

    Love & Peace
    ACHIM

  4. April 22, 2014

    Excellent. I use both shops every week. As ever you tell me more about the people I encounter in one post that I have achieved in 7 years of living round the corner.

  5. Sarah Perry permalink
    April 22, 2014

    Two greengrocers in my neighborhood. I make it a point to shop there whenever I am in their part of the world.

  6. Mo06 permalink
    April 26, 2014

    I used to live in the Barbican and I shopped at this green grocers, always friendly service, there used to be a lady working there in around 2002-4, she always wore high heels and complained about the cold.

    I also bought a luggage trolley from the hardwhere shop, still got it too.

    Thanks for this.

  7. May 15, 2015

    I walked here today and saw this Greengrocers and was amazed to find it. No Greengrocers here now in Enfield apart from the market stalls. I loved the shopfront. Looks like the orginal from when the parade was built. Still has its CLE telephone code up there. I’m going to visit again soon and buy some plants. They were very reasonably priced.

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