Comments on: Anthony Cairns’ Small Shops https://spitalfieldslife.com/2019/02/27/anthony-cairns-east-end-shops/ In the midst of life I woke to find myself living in an old house beside Brick Lane in the East End of London Sat, 10 Dec 2022 18:06:12 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Trish Morris https://spitalfieldslife.com/2019/02/27/anthony-cairns-east-end-shops/#comment-1494006 Sat, 10 Dec 2022 18:06:12 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=172662#comment-1494006 My great grandfather ran a pub in Oswin St , it was called The Little Wonder. I think it was owned by the Birtwell family.

]]> By: Colin Thomas https://spitalfieldslife.com/2019/02/27/anthony-cairns-east-end-shops/#comment-1270064 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 14:08:23 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=172662#comment-1270064 I used to go into M.J. Evans, Warren St, W1 in the early 80’s when I worked at Matthew Hall Engineering in Tottenham Court Road. I used to think it was like stepping back in time when I went in; not much on display for sale and I wondered how it survived. Such a beautiful shop front.

]]> By: Jane Beckett https://spitalfieldslife.com/2019/02/27/anthony-cairns-east-end-shops/#comment-1265906 Thu, 28 Feb 2019 17:22:28 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=172662#comment-1265906 I often went into MJ Evans on Warren street – he was still p- just- a diary, and Welsh and sold butter and I think some vegetables…
Thanks for photo
JB

]]> By: Annie https://spitalfieldslife.com/2019/02/27/anthony-cairns-east-end-shops/#comment-1265863 Thu, 28 Feb 2019 09:28:20 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=172662#comment-1265863 Very interesting photographs.
The buildings in Northwold Road (the Stoke Newington end) are still there, the tall building at the back on the right hand side was a Victorian school which has been converted into flats.
The single storey buildings at the front have been converted into tiny shops, one of which was the legendary ‘Sellfridges’ ( second hand refrigerators!) for a number of years.

]]> By: Gary Arber https://spitalfieldslife.com/2019/02/27/anthony-cairns-east-end-shops/#comment-1265651 Wed, 27 Feb 2019 18:02:35 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=172662#comment-1265651 I saw an example of NAPSOPA power once. I was in a large machine room when a delivery man brought in a new trolley. He was just going to pull it through the shop to deliver it when he was told that only a NAPSOPA man could pull a trolley through the shop so he waited until one came and followed him through to get his delivery note signed.
Gary

]]> By: Amanda https://spitalfieldslife.com/2019/02/27/anthony-cairns-east-end-shops/#comment-1265614 Wed, 27 Feb 2019 15:19:08 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=172662#comment-1265614 Lovely to read everyone’s comments here with their own history and nostalgic info for us to learn more.
l find within the comments snippets l had long forgotten which is gratifying.

We’ve always been famous for our angled “corner” shops (built on street corners!) but the last couple of photographic posts made me realise just how many “corner” pubs were built too.

Horsedrawn beer delivery by drays may have played a part in entrances & pavement cellars having ease of access in the case of corner pubs.

l surmise this original ‘corner’ architecture was a deliberate concept to attract patrons from all directions of the community?

]]> By: Jill Wilson https://spitalfieldslife.com/2019/02/27/anthony-cairns-east-end-shops/#comment-1265612 Wed, 27 Feb 2019 15:15:45 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=172662#comment-1265612 These photos make me want to have the sounds and smells as well – the sounds of boats on the Thames, horses hooves, children ‘playing out’, gossiping neighbours, and cheerful chappie banter; and the smells of smoke from the coal fires, horse manure, damp, and plain home cooking (probably involving cabbage!)
Better or worse than the constant sound of traffic, and the smell of exhaust fumes??

]]> By: ken green https://spitalfieldslife.com/2019/02/27/anthony-cairns-east-end-shops/#comment-1265584 Wed, 27 Feb 2019 12:50:59 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=172662#comment-1265584 And nice to see on Google maps that Evans in Conway St is still there

]]> By: Paul Loften https://spitalfieldslife.com/2019/02/27/anthony-cairns-east-end-shops/#comment-1265582 Wed, 27 Feb 2019 12:47:15 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=172662#comment-1265582 Being a born and bred Londoner who knows many of these roads I have to be honest and say when I look at the photos they evoke a lot of mixed feelings. I suppose that is the intention . Their down at heel state and applied grainy appearance leaves me with sense of desolation . I grew up in postwar London and played on bomb sites as a child so remember it as it was then with the corner shop but also the devastation, greyness and lack of colour and style in everything around me ,specially in East London.

]]> By: Sam Roberts https://spitalfieldslife.com/2019/02/27/anthony-cairns-east-end-shops/#comment-1265561 Wed, 27 Feb 2019 11:23:40 +0000 http://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=172662#comment-1265561 Third photo (captioned ‘Unknown shop, Mile End, E12’) is located at 137 Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 0EY. See photos before and after the loss of the Gillette/Criterion ghostsigns here: http://www.ghostsigns.co.uk/2009/11/gillettecriterion-rip/

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