‘I’ve been collecting for 30 years’ – meet the owner of London’s new vintage camera museum
You can feel Ben’s passion for cameras the moment you step through the door. He leads me into a back room, where a colleague carefully holds up a small object. Without hesitation, Ben pulls out a magnifying loupe, inspects it, and immediately identifies the piece. Ben takes genuine pleasure in showcasing some of the truly […]
How things have changed – Carshalton High Street in 2008
*Historical* It was 17 years ago that the traditional high street was beginning to change, and these photos show a turning point. The independent shoe shop had recently closed, but the greengrocers and butchers were still hanging on. Do you wish it was like it again, or do you remember any of these places? It’s […]
That unusual building on Wallington crossroads
*Historical* This distinctive purpose-built gas showroom (now the British Heart Foundation) is on a busy junction in Wallington on the corner of Woodcote Road and Stanley Park Road. Gas was big business when this showroom opened sometime between the late 1920s and early 1930s. It’s a building reminiscent of warmer climes (architectural style is most […]
Carshalton’s Beer-themed 1930s Ghost Sign
This ghost sign is promoting something to do with one of Carshalton’s favourite pastimes – drinking beer of course. It once clearly read “Free Off Licence Hammerton Oatmeal Stout” It’s dated circa 1935 and is probably original to when the parade of shops on Stanley Park Road was built. A very brief bit of history, […]
Ornate tiles from long-lost shops across Sutton
We’re collecting together in one post, our favourite old shop tiles from across the borough of Sutton, including Carshalton, Wallington and Cheam. We will be updating this with new information as we receive it. Come on a journey with us along miles of tiles… Flowers and bathrooms in Carshalton Firstly, some beautiful old shop tiles […]
Ghost sign revealed in Croydon
United Dairies was formed in 1915, and this looks to be an early sign from that period. Milk was big business at this time, and they had operations across Carshalton, Wallington and Sutton. The building in Stafford Road looks to be circa 1920s in age, and this could be the original sign from when it […]