Derelict London Shops
Derelict London Shops: Donald Clarke writing for the Irish Times sums up the situation:
"In the 1980s you could still visit a city in Britain or Ireland and expect to see unfamiliar shops.
Depressingly few of your purchases will have been made in the sort of shop you see in Dickens adaptations. You know the type. They’ve got names like Mr Pundlechook’s Novelty Emporium and Sudbury and Sudbury’s Victuallers. Each right angle in the multi-paned window glistens with picturesque snow. A cheery, rubicund man wraps the purchases in brown paper and (without triggering any calls to social services) pinches every available baby on his or her plump cheek.
The few places that do still meet this description tend to be vanity projects run by the idle mistresses of dissolute millionaires. How has that vulgar shop selling dog soap stayed in business? Don’t ask, darling.
Anyway, too much actual shopping – as opposed to the virtual online sort – takes place in one class of chain store or another. A Bucket o’ Sox from Marks and Spencer, a vat of sherry from Tesco, one of the late Mr Jobs’s tablets from PC World – the retail empires’ grip is becoming ever tighter and ever more unyielding. All this happened relatively recently.
In the 1980s you could still visit a city in Britain or Ireland and reasonably expect to see a variety of unfamiliar shops - the sorts of places where shiny-headed men, tape measures draped ceremonially over shoulders, were permanently on hand to estimate inside legs or assess hat sizes. Actual waitresses served grey, astringent coffee in moderately elegant cafes.
Such is the dulling of the high street that whole towns now seem cloned from a dreary specimen kept in an evil genius’s hidden lair. In 2004, the New Economics Foundation, a British think tank, published a report entitled Clone Town Britain. According to this terrifying document, nearly half the towns in the UK can be classed as clones. Travel to such a place and, likely as not, you can buy your razor from Boots, your coffee from Starbucks and your newspaper from WH Smith. Starbucks’ faux hippie coffee store – music by generic bores such as the supernaturally soporific Jack Johnson – now allows Spanish students to drink the same consistently average product in every city they invade.
A degree of drab, tolerable uniformity is available to every citizen of the western world. Even Karl Marx didn’t see that coming."
"In the 1980s you could still visit a city in Britain or Ireland and expect to see unfamiliar shops.
Depressingly few of your purchases will have been made in the sort of shop you see in Dickens adaptations. You know the type. They’ve got names like Mr Pundlechook’s Novelty Emporium and Sudbury and Sudbury’s Victuallers. Each right angle in the multi-paned window glistens with picturesque snow. A cheery, rubicund man wraps the purchases in brown paper and (without triggering any calls to social services) pinches every available baby on his or her plump cheek.
The few places that do still meet this description tend to be vanity projects run by the idle mistresses of dissolute millionaires. How has that vulgar shop selling dog soap stayed in business? Don’t ask, darling.
Anyway, too much actual shopping – as opposed to the virtual online sort – takes place in one class of chain store or another. A Bucket o’ Sox from Marks and Spencer, a vat of sherry from Tesco, one of the late Mr Jobs’s tablets from PC World – the retail empires’ grip is becoming ever tighter and ever more unyielding. All this happened relatively recently.
In the 1980s you could still visit a city in Britain or Ireland and reasonably expect to see a variety of unfamiliar shops - the sorts of places where shiny-headed men, tape measures draped ceremonially over shoulders, were permanently on hand to estimate inside legs or assess hat sizes. Actual waitresses served grey, astringent coffee in moderately elegant cafes.
Such is the dulling of the high street that whole towns now seem cloned from a dreary specimen kept in an evil genius’s hidden lair. In 2004, the New Economics Foundation, a British think tank, published a report entitled Clone Town Britain. According to this terrifying document, nearly half the towns in the UK can be classed as clones. Travel to such a place and, likely as not, you can buy your razor from Boots, your coffee from Starbucks and your newspaper from WH Smith. Starbucks’ faux hippie coffee store – music by generic bores such as the supernaturally soporific Jack Johnson – now allows Spanish students to drink the same consistently average product in every city they invade.
A degree of drab, tolerable uniformity is available to every citizen of the western world. Even Karl Marx didn’t see that coming."
Allders - North End, Croydon CR0 1UB (2023)
Allders Department Store,Croydon
The original store was established in 1862 in Croydon by Joshua Allder. This facade was added in 1926. Later this parent store was developed into a chain of department stores across the country. By the turn of the millennium, the flagship store in Croydon was the third-largest department store in the UK. The chain was broken up and sold after it went into administration in 2005, although the Croydon store continued trading until 2012. Later that year the Croydon building reopened as Croydon Village Outlet.
In 2019, Croydon Council took possession of the site as part of the proposed redevelopment of the Centrale and Whitgift Centre shopping malls. Businesses and franchises within the Village Outlet had to move or close altogether.According to a report on MyLondon workers turned up to find the locks changed one morning without warning.
Latest plans for the building are to turn it into an immersive theatre experience headed up by the creator of Secret Cinema though this has been delayed.
In 2019, Croydon Council took possession of the site as part of the proposed redevelopment of the Centrale and Whitgift Centre shopping malls. Businesses and franchises within the Village Outlet had to move or close altogether.According to a report on MyLondon workers turned up to find the locks changed one morning without warning.
Latest plans for the building are to turn it into an immersive theatre experience headed up by the creator of Secret Cinema though this has been delayed.
2023: Pauletta Sportswear - Cleveland St, Fitzrovia, W1. Launderette sign removed, revealing this with Euston telephone number that was used until the early 1960s
Percy Ingle Family Bakers - Bethnal Green, E2 and Canning Town, E16
Ingles Family Bakers - Bethnal Green, E2
We all like a Greggs, but my personal preference was Percy Ingles for a bit of an old-fashioned ambience without the high prices of modern-day artisan hipster bakers.
Like his father and grandfather, Percy started his working life in the family bakers in Hackney along with his 3 brothers. In 1954 Percy started his own business with his first shop in Clarence Rd, Hackney, building the company to 40 shops by the 1990s and in 2000 handed control to his son Derek who opened a few extra shops bringing the total to 50 outlets in (mainly) East London and Essex. He passed the running on to his sons Paul and Michael in 2010. The bakery was in Leyton.
To mark its 65th birthday, the business rebranded as Ingles at some of its stores. In 2020, the bakers announced closure of all its stores after 66 years. Reasons for closure given to the press included steep increases in running costs including rents, rates, wages and utilities. Despite increasing turnovers, the company had recently been operating at a loss, and perhaps the Covid lockdown was a final straw. Maybe other reasons too according to an ex-employee....
On the positive side, we still have Wenzels, a bakers established in 1975. They have over 60 stores (though only north of the River and in Essex and Herts) going strong, and they plan to open another 20 stores
Like his father and grandfather, Percy started his working life in the family bakers in Hackney along with his 3 brothers. In 1954 Percy started his own business with his first shop in Clarence Rd, Hackney, building the company to 40 shops by the 1990s and in 2000 handed control to his son Derek who opened a few extra shops bringing the total to 50 outlets in (mainly) East London and Essex. He passed the running on to his sons Paul and Michael in 2010. The bakery was in Leyton.
To mark its 65th birthday, the business rebranded as Ingles at some of its stores. In 2020, the bakers announced closure of all its stores after 66 years. Reasons for closure given to the press included steep increases in running costs including rents, rates, wages and utilities. Despite increasing turnovers, the company had recently been operating at a loss, and perhaps the Covid lockdown was a final straw. Maybe other reasons too according to an ex-employee....
On the positive side, we still have Wenzels, a bakers established in 1975. They have over 60 stores (though only north of the River and in Essex and Herts) going strong, and they plan to open another 20 stores
Well Walk Pottery - Hampstead, NW3
Well Walk Pottery - Hampstead, NW3
In the 1940s and early 1950s this distinctive corner shop was a general grocery store called Sidney Spall & Sons. In 1957 David Magarshack, a successful translator of the Russian classics for Penguin, who had emigrated from Russia in 1920 bought the shop and his wife turned the ground floor into a pottery to nurture their son's love of ceramics. The son, Chris Magarshack continued to live above the pottery until he passed away in early 2018. He taught pottery to many locals and he was considered one of Hampstead's influential post war creatives.
The pottery has been sold to become a children’s bookshop and cafe with a 50 seater performance space in the basement hosting visiting puppetry and children’s productions.
The pottery has been sold to become a children’s bookshop and cafe with a 50 seater performance space in the basement hosting visiting puppetry and children’s productions.
Well Walk Pottery - Hampstead, NW3
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Well Walk Pottery - Hampstead, NW3
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Richmond, TW10 - J. Clarke & Sons' Dairies
Thankfully not derelict, just vacant. This Grade 2 listed shop on Hill Rise was constructed in the early 18th century and was originally the Sudbrook Farm Dairy dating back to 1852 and taken over by Josiah Clarke whose family business gradually expanded into a local chain of shops. Their decorative tiles can still be seen inside the shop. In 1917 they merged with rivals F & H E Hornby to became Hornby Clarke Ltd who traded until 1960 when they were taken over by Express Dairies.
The shop has been a succession of businesses over the recent years including a hairdressers, a fabric retailer, Italian coffee shop and a desert shop specialising in tiramisu. Hopefully the next business will be a long running as the old dairy.
The shop has been a succession of businesses over the recent years including a hairdressers, a fabric retailer, Italian coffee shop and a desert shop specialising in tiramisu. Hopefully the next business will be a long running as the old dairy.
Stepney E1/Limehouse E14 Border - Commercial Road/Whitehorse Road Derelict Shops
Many of these shops on this parade along the Commercial Road (Limehouse) and round the corner to Whitehorse Rd (Whitehorse) have been derelict for years. Only a minicab office (Commercial Cars - the black and White building) continues to trade but that is due to move out any day now. The deteriorating buildings have been squatted for many years and some internal walls demolished to connect up the buildings but in March 2018 the squatters were finally evicted as preparation begins to demolish the buildings to build new flats.
JJ Brothers Fishmongers, Limehouse
Decaying parade of shops along the Commercial Road in Limehouse, E14
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Jamie writes to Paul at Derelict London: "Oh dear! it is so strange to see what was once such a vibrant little shop, all closed up and in bad state of disrepair, mum and me would get off the routemaster no 15 or 23 bus at the stop right outside Les's fishshop/stall on our way home from school and work, and have a chat and the opportunity to buy just about every fish you could possibly imagine.You would stand shoulder to shoulder with other customers along the front of the shop at the bottom of the fish display, we moved into the area 1976, and Les was running the show then, he was a hilariously quick witted and cheerful bloke, I can picture him standing there in his white coat and apron (not always wearing a white hat)people not only bought fish from Les,but also went for a 10min comedy stand-up routine from him over that side side, while everyone was this side,seperated by the cold staring eyes of his latest livlihood,My mother was his greatest fan, and once to top all the belly laughs we had from him and his fishy tales of fish, his brother in law Dave who was equally as funny as Les was standing behind the display, looking big powerful and assertive and ready to go, he took our order down on his little notebook(paper-one) and semi-disappeared from our view, my mother already laughing at that, laughed extremely hard when he showed us his upturned milk crate, he stood on, he was only half visible and then stood up on the crate and wow instant leadership and pillar of the community mixed with a tall and confident body language ,but quickly and suddenly vanished alltogher,1 sec later a dishevelled bloke,wearing a now wonky straw hat and soaking wet uniform appeared nose first from the top of the display, slowly and then a yell of NO OH NO NO, his fall from crate had also tipped the full to the brim with live eels tank over, and before everyone's eyes they disappeared one by one in single file right down the drainage hole in the floor inside the shop, with him desperately trying to catch em by their tail end, every body outside was not sure whether to lol or not ,so had it away on their feet ,to a bit further down the road where they could not be heard laughing at the poor mans plight, funny and lovely memories of days past, I think he shut down about 1990-or 1992,we never saw him again, such a funny good natured bloke he was..!"
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Merton SW19
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Croydon CR0
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Forest Hill SE23
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Golborne Rd, W10
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Golborne Rd, W10
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Bethnal Green E2
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Bethnal Green E2
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Clapton E5
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Wealdstone
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Holloway
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New Southgate
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Manor Park E12.
The old signage reveals clues of previous businesses here : - travel, mortgages and hairdressers
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Historic London Shop in Paddington
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Knightsbridge SW1 - Wilton Place to William Street
Spaghetti House, Knightsbridge
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The whole of this stretch of the road is occupied by a range of shops and flats built in the early 1900s to replace old houses owned by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners (successors to the Dean and Chapter of Westminster Abbey).
In 1975 the attempted armed robbery of the Spaghetti House restaurant at Nos 77–79 led to a six-day siege of the building. This was an attempted armed robbery where managers of the chain had assembled to pay in the week's takings of approximately £13,000. When the armed robbery did not go to plan, nine Italian staff members were taken hostage, and moved into the basement.The gunmen, claiming to represent the Black Liberation Army, a Black Panther splinter group, demanded safe passage and an aircraft out of the country to Jamaica. The police refused and the demoralised robbers and their captives emerged unharmed after 6 days.During the sieze there was a bizarre moment when Who drummer turned up outside in an open top Rolls Royce to promote his new solo album in front of the assembled press. Spaghetti House has now closed this branch after 46 years' trading here. Along with the other shops and flats in the building, the business has been obliged to relinquish its lease after landlord Cheval Property Holding announced that it would redevelop the whole block. The listed façade of the building in red brick and stone dressing and the roof overlap with chimneys is to be retained and the complete internal structure will be rebuilt with the basement deepened by one additional level - lets hope any rivulets of the buried River Westbourne pose any problems here....The new scheme will provide retail at street level with office space and 15 luxury apartments at levels 1-5. |
Forest Gate, E7 - JG Harding Ltd Gold Crest Handmade Lampshades
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Zodiac Records - Wandsworth, SW18
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This independant record shop situated on the one way system of the South Circular Road in Wandsworth has fascinated people for years. It has run by a guy who previously owned a record shop in Putney who moved here (I believe, in the early 1970s) though he only ever opened on a Saturday selling both vinly and cassette tapes though latterly moving with the times by selling CDs. He sold via mail order too.
I never remember the shop having any window display and always seemed to be boarded up even when open on a Saturday. Just an open doorway proved that it was trading that day. The sign states open 11am - 6pm but whenever I walked by in the early 2000s on a Saturday it was not always open and seemed to be open for a short periods during the day. I went in to have a look out of sheer curiosity in 2005 or 2006 and the inside of the shop was quite dimly lit with photocopied CD sleeves filling the racks. Having a short attention span as we were on our way to the pub (The Royal Oak r.i.p.) my mate prised me away and we were gone within a minute or two. The doors closed for good a couple of years later and is becoming in an increasingly derelict condition. Nothing is known about the current owner of the property. The garage to the left of the shop is in a derelict condition too and I climbed up to look through a gap in the gable only to find piles of discarded wood. As I was getting down, a lady who resides in the modern flats behind asked if I was from the council as she wanted to complain about the rat infestation in the area due to this garage - apparently passers by discard their takeaways through the gap. According to Charlie who emailed this website, Zodiac Records Wandsworth was bought in 2009 for £245k and planning permission was granted in 2013 to demolish and create a new building with glass front - offices. |
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George Moore Menswear - Bowes Park, N22Here is an update on one of the first shops ever featured on this website when I noticed it ten years ago and I have watched it slowly deteriorate over the years. This menswear shop has a fully stocked window display but it looks like the shop simply closed one day several years ago and unexpectedly didn't open the next day. Gary Cook writes to Derelict London:"the gentleman concerned is George D Moore, he is still alive and kicking but only opens once or twice a month, this is due to some kind of council tax rebate; if he keeps stock in the window he gets some sort of discount as he still lives upstairs. I remember as a child going to the local chippy about 10 doors down and on my way back eating my 6d (2 1/2 pence) worth of chips, I would stand and stare at his motorised revolving cufflink stand that was always in the front window with the cheap stones reflecting in the shop lights,its not there any more, it must have given up the ghost, however he has not, he must be about 75- 80 now , a mad nostalgic friend of mine always trys to buy a shirt or a pair of underpants to give him some trade but is always turned away, so much for supporting your local store eh!. Any way great site and keep up the great work, this is one of the nets great and very interesting nostalgic sites." Interesting comments from Gary but actually, George Moore was the original propreitor from 1942 and his son,Brian took over in the late 1960s when his dad passed away. Trade slowed down and Brian retired around 1999 and he simply just left all the stock in the window.A gesture of defiance or just sentimentality? He lived in the property until recently and the the mould is really setting in on the fading window display along with a few spider webs and the roof is in poor condition. The window above the shop was boarded up after the original window and its frame fell out onto the street. The style of the goods in the window suggest that they are much older than from 1999. The shop raises quite a few emotions in the area. Some love that its a museum piece and others who I came across when working in the area in 2006 said the shop looked awful and the owner has no regard for his once impressive building and its bringing the tone of the neighbourhood down. The shop has recently been taken over by ex-Killing Joke keyboard player Nick Holywell-Walker who is planning restoration and deciding what to do with the building (and it's window display). The main sign now looks like its been cleaned up and shows the original pre George Moore sign for a shop called Richards.
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The locally infamous rotting underpants display
George Moore shopfront at 99 Myddleton Road Bowes Park in North London. By the way, this road is named after Hugh Myddelton, the driving force behind the construction of the New River which runs thought the area.
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VICTORIA, SW1 - PAGES OF FUN BOOKSHOP
As covered elsewhere on this website there is extensive demolition and reconstruction work at Victoria is in relation to the tube station rebuild and redevelopment in the vicinity. In this arcade on Terminue Place is this recently closed down bookshop. A few books remain in the 1970s style window display. Apparently within the shop was an area separated by cowboy style saloon doors into an adult magazine area.
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THE MITCHAM WATCH AND CLOCK SERVICE - STREATHAM VALE SW16
Old school watch and clock shop been closed down for a few years. Now sold with permission to convert to residential use.
CLONE TOWNS
The New Economics Foundation coined the term 'clone town' to describe a phenomenon which is transforming British high streets. Real local shops have been replaced by swathes of identikit chain stores that seem to spread like economic weeds, making high streets up and down the country virtually indistinguishable from one another. Retail spaces once filled with a thriving mix of independent butchers, newsagents, tobacconists, pubs, bookshops, greengrocers and family-owned general stores are becoming filled with faceless supermarket retailers, fast-food chains, and global fashion outlets. Many town centres that have undergone substantial regeneration have lost their sense of place and the distinctive facades of their high streets under the march of the glass, steel, and concrete blandness of chain stores built for the demands of inflexible business models that provide the ideal degree of sterility to house a string of big, clone town retailers.
WEST KENSINGTON - The Decline of the Launderette
According to NALI, the National Association of the Launderette Industry, numbers of launderettes in the UK peaked at 12,500 in the early 80s but have since have dwindled to just 3,000.
The rise of the domestic machine coincided with the washers in launderettes becoming too expensive to repair, marking the start of their decline in British towns. A few still remain as not everyone has access to a domestic washing machine and those that do still make the occasional trip to the launderette to wash their duvet which wont fit into a domestic machine.
By the way, another West London launderette - Central Wash in Queensway is Britain's first self-service coin-operated launderette, which opened in 1949 and still survives today.
WALWORTH - Manor Place Shops
These Victorian buildings buildings are a rare example of pre-war architecture in the immediate vicinity though the buildings are not protected and not in a conservation area and could be demolished without permission. The council are still deciding whether to allow demolition or to retain the terrace and convert it into residential use. Some of the units have been empty for years and have been previously squatted although the council have now removed bathrooms and staircases to avoid a reoccurence of this. A fire also caused damage to some of the interiors. A neighbour told me that some Eastern European squatters offered the Council rent money to remain there but this was turned down.
KILBURN HIGH ROAD - But could be anywhere in the UK. The familiar face of the High Street....
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The same goes for this shopping mall in ARCHWAY:
WOOLWICH SE18 - PUBLIC MARKET
Opened in 1932 as an open-air 70 stall market market. In 1936 a steel framed roof using "Lamella Patent construction" was added - popularly used for German aircraft hangars it is only supported at the four sides resulting in no supporting pillars to cause obstruction & the first of its type to be built in the London area. Passageways underneath the market served as air raid shelters during WW2.
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PUTNEY - Disused Shop
Basements of these buildings leads down to the little known "Putney Vaults" which tunnel under the main road and lead to the Thames waterfront.
Matt Barr writes: "I read your fantastic site tonight and found it through searching the vaults Putney. Just to clarify the cast iron shop front in the photographs is actually 4-6 Putney high st and very handsome and rare indeed.There are 2 vaults leading under the road to the river accessed via the basement of this unit ,soon to be occupied by a restaurant.
Number 2 is the smaller shop next door which was an Indian restaurant appr 25 years ago and vacant/derelict until 18 months ago when we refurbished the ground floor and basement as Putney Pies and then 1 year ago after lying unused for 150 years we opened the vault under neath as a bar restaurant all going very well and just thought I would supply an update."
Matt Barr writes: "I read your fantastic site tonight and found it through searching the vaults Putney. Just to clarify the cast iron shop front in the photographs is actually 4-6 Putney high st and very handsome and rare indeed.There are 2 vaults leading under the road to the river accessed via the basement of this unit ,soon to be occupied by a restaurant.
Number 2 is the smaller shop next door which was an Indian restaurant appr 25 years ago and vacant/derelict until 18 months ago when we refurbished the ground floor and basement as Putney Pies and then 1 year ago after lying unused for 150 years we opened the vault under neath as a bar restaurant all going very well and just thought I would supply an update."
NEW CROSS - Tobacco Roll
This is VERY rare and probably the only one left in London (apart from one in the Museum of London). When many people were illiterate the way to let them know what your shop was selling the answer was a shop-sign the striped barber's pole, the pawnbroker's three balls and many tobacconists would display the tobacco roll.
"The Social History of Smoking" (1869) by George Apperson says:
The "Tobacco Roll," was one of the commonest of early tobacconists' signs, and was in constant use for a couple of centuries.
One would have thought that a representation of the tobacco plant itself would have been a more natural and comprehensive sign than one particular preparation of the herb, yet representations of the plant were rare, while those of the compressed tobacco known as pudding or roll in the form of a "Tobacco Roll," were very frequently used as signs.
Before the end of the seventeenth century, however, the signs were ceasing to have any necessary association with the trade carried on under them, and tobacconists are found with shop-signs which had no reference in any way to tobacco.
Cheers to the guy that I met after my talk at Lewisham Literary Festival who gave me the heads up on this rare find. This building has since been demolished but the tobacco roll has been stored away for safe keeping.
Decaying Shops on the Commercial Road in Limehouse - but for how much longer?
EAST DULWICH SE22 - DULWICH GARDEN CENTRE
This family business closed just after Christmas 2012 after 30 years of trading. Most of the site has been demolished and will be replaced by a library (double the size of the current one over the road), a shop unit & 20 flats.
Derelict London Shops - South Thames Gallery
KENNEDYS SAUSAGES of South London
The much loved South East London sausage shops.
The company, had been run by the same family for 130 years, had nine stores across SE London closed at the end of 2007.As well as sausages, the company was known for its Christmas puddings, sausage rolls, meat pies, puff pastry etc. It will be sadly missed. Despite having a fantastic reputation and loyal customers the company could not afford the overheads and competition from the corporates.
"Judging by the queue just before it closed shoppers took their money from Northern Rock walked round the corner and invested in sausages!" (Quote from the local paper)
The company, had been run by the same family for 130 years, had nine stores across SE London closed at the end of 2007.As well as sausages, the company was known for its Christmas puddings, sausage rolls, meat pies, puff pastry etc. It will be sadly missed. Despite having a fantastic reputation and loyal customers the company could not afford the overheads and competition from the corporates.
"Judging by the queue just before it closed shoppers took their money from Northern Rock walked round the corner and invested in sausages!" (Quote from the local paper)
HIGH HOLBORN - Shervingtons
The history of this tobacconists goes back to 1864 in a shop in St Swithins Lane in the City. It moved to the present location in High Holborn in 1920, and the shop in those days was called Brumfits. It remained that name until 1992 when it was bought by Merton and Falcon who changed it to Shervingtons." The building was used as an illustration on pouches and tins of Old Holborn Tobacco
Shervingtons was one stop shop for the discerning tobacco connoiseur with a charming old-school feel.
CLAPHAM OLD TOWN - Traditional Family Butchers
HOLBORN - Oddbins Off License
With the big supermarkets greatly increasing their range and quality of wines - at the same time as opening smaller convenience outlets - Oddbins started to be dwindle.
Bought in 2008 by Simon Baile, the son of a previous owner, Oddbins limped on with its number of outlets falling to 85 from 250 at its historic peak.
Oddbins avoided going bust like rivals Threshers and Wine Rack, but without sufficient investment to turn around the business, its losses mounted and in April 2011 it was forced to go into administration, owing HM Revenue & Customs £8.6m.
Recently Oddbins and 37 of its stores were bought for an undisclosed sum by by multi-millionaire investor Raj Chatha who plans to turn Oddbins into a niche wine seller that is completely different to the supermarkets. This store in Holborn was not one of the lucky ones to be resurrected....
NEW CROSS - Danse Macabre (aka Vintage) Clothing Shop
This shop sold mainly vintage clothing plus some pieces by up and coming jewelry designers. There was also space for exhibitions. The shop is now gone and the whole row of shops now looks pretty much derelict with maybe a bit of squatting going on. The block is owned by Goldsmiths College and the we await its fate.
The streetart to the side of the building is by the well known Begium artist Roa who made a rare trip south of the river as much of his London work is based around the Brick Lane area.
The streetart to the side of the building is by the well known Begium artist Roa who made a rare trip south of the river as much of his London work is based around the Brick Lane area.
ALL OVER LONDON & the UK - Woolworths
The whole of the UK mourned the loss of Woolworths which went out of business just before its 100 year anniversary in this country. It sold a bit of everything from pick n mix sweets & cds to children's clothes & gardening tools. It became a dependable jack of all trades but master of none and while a lot of people browsed the stores in latter years nobody actually spent much money in there. Business only bucked up again when the much talked about closing down countdown sale took place.Saddles with debts of over £300m the 800 stores across the country closed down a week or two either side of Xmas 2008 leaving 30,000 loyal workers without jobs.
This isn't just the end of a chain store. It is the final chapter in a shopping way of life, because nothing will quite take the place of Woolies on our high streets.
BROMLEY - Leicester Building Society
A reminder of the long gone Leicester Building Society who merged with the Alliance in 1985 to form the Alliance & Leicester Building Society. Alliance & Leicester was acquired in May 2010 by Santander UK and all branches now carry the Santander name although this branch in Bromley is long gone.
Derelict London Shops - North Thames Gallery
WOOLWICH - The Old Coop Department Store
The 1930s Co-Op building in Powis Street has been earmarked for demolition by the Council, who want to redevelop the whole "Woolwich Triangle" are with a hotel, shops & housing.
Rev. Sue Scottley ( www.welovewoolwich.co.uk ) writes: "Most of the site is empty Victorian shops which have been left to rot for some years, and have taken the opportunity with glee, but the Co-Op building is a striking art deco style department store with a tower and is a one of three large 1930s buildings at that end of town. The other two are safe, being occupied by a church and a bingo hall, indeed the bingo hall was open during the London Open House weekends because it's so beautiful and well-preserved. So even though that end of town could well be described as our "Art Deco quarter" the Council insists on wanting to demolish the Co-Op. I've started petitions online and in town, and I'm getting quite a lot of support. . I live across the road from the rotting Victoriana, and am disgusted and aghast with the Council that seems determined to write off my end of town a hopeless dump, even though my side of the street is thriving and has no vacant shops! I really don't see why they can't refurbish and redevelop rather than demolish the whole "Triangle"."
and here are some of the other nearby derelict shops in the Woolwich triangle:
HOUNSLOW - Safeway Supermarket
Safeway were one of the UK's largest supermarket chains but were taken over by Morrisons a few years ago. Morrisons simply renamed most of the old shops although they decided not to convert this one in Hounslow (some leasehold issues apparently). The interior of this old Safeway store was used as a film set for the interior of Somerfields in Hot Fuzz starring Simon Pegg.
PADDINGTON GREEN - Deans Audio
This electrical shop appears to be abandoned - there is "brand new" stock in the window but it appears to have been there for years untouched and the price tags have faded and the pollution of the Edgware Rd has added an extra grime to the window. The owner obviously hasn't bothered opening up since his Sainsbury windfall......
I found this article in the Observer: "Businessman Michael Dean has received £3m and is in line for up to £7m more. He may be Britain's luckiest small businessman for he was in the right place when Sainsbury's property development team came knocking. The supermarket decided it had to speculate to accumulate, and Dean's property was the gamble it took. It was prepared to bet almost £10m on a run-down, four-storey corner shop with flats above in the belief that it would unlock access to central London's last superstore development. As a public planning inquiry showed, it may prove to have been an expensive flutter. "
BERMONDSEY - Grange Road Shops
HAYMARKET - Burberrys
Thomas Burberry opened the first Burberry store on Haymarket, Piccadilly, in 1891. The premises only a few years ago were converted (at a cost of millions) from a shop into its head offices and a showroom but recently the fashion label relocated into a new development in Westminster. This building now remains empty.
Best-sellers of the brand include Burberry's £750 Manor Handbag, which was carried by model Kate Moss in a high-profile advertising campaign.
Best-sellers of the brand include Burberry's £750 Manor Handbag, which was carried by model Kate Moss in a high-profile advertising campaign.
BROMLEY - Travel Agents
Holidaymakers are turning their backs on the traditional high-street travel agent in favour of booking trips online.
WIMBLEDON - MFI
MFI was the UK's largest furniture retailer that went bust at the end of 2008 citing falling demand ,cash-flow problems and the withdrawal of credit. At the start of 2008 they had 192 stores and a workforce of more than 2500 people. MFI was founded in the 1960s and became synonymous with the growing trend for buying flatpack furniture.
SOHO
This little triangle of shops has been been home to sex shops,brothels, etc for decades and the buildings fell into neglect and now Westminster Council wish to have this prime location beside the Charing Cross Road cleaned up. Back in the early 90's I remember coming out of a West End nightclub at 4am and for some reason we got to talking to a vagrant who ended up taking us to a late night drinking den which was situated above a dodgy minicab office in one of these buildings. The steep stairs creaked and the walls smelt of damp until you walked into a barage of smoke in what seemed similar to someone's living room.The "bar" was a tiny hatch in the wall and the seats were occupied by an assortment of clocked off streetgirls, pimps, dealers & seedy old businessmen playing cards.Of course we didnt care, we just wanted a drink and were quite happy but with hindsight the place was dodgy and felt compelled never to return. A little while later the Evening Standard reported on a major armed drug raid on the premises as it was apparently a gangland stronghold.
GREENWICH - Ladieswear Shop
Gallery of many more Derelict London Shops
HIGHGATE, N6 - LONDON COOPERATIVE
This building had various uses until recently undergoing conversion resulting in the old tilework being exposed and the name London Co-operative Society visible
The London Co-operative Society was a consumer co-operative formed in 1920 by the amalgamation of other London societies.The LCS played a large part in the national co-operative movement. By 1952, the LCS and its associated co-op organisations had over 550 establishments of sales and services, varying from large department stores to small grocery shops. These establishments consisted of grocers, butchers, fruit, vegetable and flower sellers, coal depots, furniture sellers, drapers, tailors, footwear sellers, chemists, laundries, estate agencies, funeral services and even guesthouses.
The Society was amalgamated with Co-operative Retail Services in 1981 which in 2000 merged with the larger Co-operative Wholesale Society, to form the Co-operative Group (CWS) Ltd which still has more than 4000 stores & branches across the UK.
The London Co-operative Society was a consumer co-operative formed in 1920 by the amalgamation of other London societies.The LCS played a large part in the national co-operative movement. By 1952, the LCS and its associated co-op organisations had over 550 establishments of sales and services, varying from large department stores to small grocery shops. These establishments consisted of grocers, butchers, fruit, vegetable and flower sellers, coal depots, furniture sellers, drapers, tailors, footwear sellers, chemists, laundries, estate agencies, funeral services and even guesthouses.
The Society was amalgamated with Co-operative Retail Services in 1981 which in 2000 merged with the larger Co-operative Wholesale Society, to form the Co-operative Group (CWS) Ltd which still has more than 4000 stores & branches across the UK.
