Comments on: The Shops of Old London https://spitalfieldslife.com/2020/06/16/the-shops-of-old-london-x/ In the midst of life I woke to find myself living in an old house beside Brick Lane in the East End of London Wed, 23 Jun 2021 12:26:38 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 By: Norah Brown https://spitalfieldslife.com/2020/06/16/the-shops-of-old-london-x/#comment-1383906 Wed, 23 Jun 2021 12:26:38 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=182106#comment-1383906 Thank you for the unexpected picture of St Bartholomew the Less. Having just viewed the lovely interior of the church on Wikipedia, the commercialised exterior came as a shock.
My interest comes from the second marriage of my g-grandmother in 1882 which took place there; I do hope that the church entrance presented a more salubrious appearance at that time.

The picture of the church of St Ethelburga with an opticians shop in front is an eyeopener (no pun intended).

I would like to print out these two pictures please, also PC Turrell’s night view of Middle Temple.

Shoreditch Life is a new discovery for me, and a delight. So well written, interesting and informative; this puts flesh on my ‘A Survey of London’ by Antonia Fraser.
Thank you again.

]]> By: Jonathon Green https://spitalfieldslife.com/2020/06/16/the-shops-of-old-london-x/#comment-1342458 Sat, 20 Jun 2020 08:07:04 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=182106#comment-1342458 At the time of the photo Wych St and its neighbour Holywell Street had been the 19th century’s centre of printed pornography. For anyone in search of further info, I wrote about them here:
http://thedabbler.co.uk/2011/11/the-slang-guide-to-london-holywell-street/

]]> By: Dick Mathews https://spitalfieldslife.com/2020/06/16/the-shops-of-old-london-x/#comment-1342367 Thu, 18 Jun 2020 19:41:49 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=182106#comment-1342367 The pawnbrokers in Seven Sisters Rd was still there in the late 50s / early 60s when I lived in the area.

]]> By: Cyndra VanDonge https://spitalfieldslife.com/2020/06/16/the-shops-of-old-london-x/#comment-1342314 Wed, 17 Jun 2020 23:03:59 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=182106#comment-1342314 Thank You,
These pictures were just amazing!

]]> By: Achim https://spitalfieldslife.com/2020/06/16/the-shops-of-old-london-x/#comment-1342276 Wed, 17 Jun 2020 12:58:05 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=182106#comment-1342276 Wonderful documents from London Town! 🙂

Love & Peace
ACHIM

]]> By: Judi Jones https://spitalfieldslife.com/2020/06/16/the-shops-of-old-london-x/#comment-1342263 Wed, 17 Jun 2020 10:30:56 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=182106#comment-1342263 Thank you for a taking us on a fabulous shopping spree GA!

Seeing those wonderful shops makes you realise how Shopping Malls and Retail Parks can never replace the soul of the high streets, sadly.

I want to rewind and remove malls and retail parks and replace with high streets bursting with people and individual shops full of character.

I shall dream on . . . .

]]> By: Pamela Traves https://spitalfieldslife.com/2020/06/16/the-shops-of-old-london-x/#comment-1342204 Tue, 16 Jun 2020 20:14:14 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=182106#comment-1342204 Beautiful Vintage Pictures!! They are Amazing!!????????

]]> By: Teresa https://spitalfieldslife.com/2020/06/16/the-shops-of-old-london-x/#comment-1342190 Tue, 16 Jun 2020 14:55:53 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=182106#comment-1342190 Such amazing pictures – thanks for the tour! My great-great-grandfather, Daniel Spong, was a grocer in Little Earl Street, 7 Dials, in the 1860s…

]]> By: Jill Wilson https://spitalfieldslife.com/2020/06/16/the-shops-of-old-london-x/#comment-1342189 Tue, 16 Jun 2020 14:50:33 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=182106#comment-1342189 This is my kind of shopping trip too! Lots to think about…

My eye was especially caught by the Pencils sign but it was probably only a wholesale supplier to other outlets rather than a pencil shop – shame!!

I was also struck by the modish Art Deco facades of the Fashion Shoe shop, Swears and Wells and the Ford Showroom – they must have seemed very radical at the time.

And also interesting that by 1920 all the traffic seemed to be cars – perhaps the horse drawn deliveries were done earlier in the day?

Whatever – thanks GA for a very enjoyable shopping trip!

]]> By: Pimlico Pete https://spitalfieldslife.com/2020/06/16/the-shops-of-old-london-x/#comment-1342187 Tue, 16 Jun 2020 13:48:07 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=182106#comment-1342187 The Woolworth photo shows their branch at 311 Oxford Street opposite John Lewis. The building’s elevation is still there to admire.

It would be breaking the spell created by this collection of images to say what now occupies 311 but I can recommend their socks.

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