Four Corners of The World

He was correct in saying that Britain was a nation of shopkeepers.

Of course it was not intended as a sentimental testimony nor a compliment on the versatility of the retail sector in a time of war.

It was however wholly misguided because the corner shops in particular were the very foundations of family life in our densely populated towns and cities.

It is sad now to come across what had been a corner shop. The characteristics are still there with the brickwork by which the large display frontage was enclosed standing out in sharp contrast to the remainder of the weathered and soot infused masonry from thousands of domestic hearths.

The scrollwork of the shop front usually survives and perhaps the faint traces of a proudly etched proprietors name can just be discerned in a certain light or from a defiined angle. If converted to a house there is usually a door and window with the appearance of being out of scale and alien to the street frontage.

There is no mistaking the old shop forecourt around which a fence or boundary is attempted but it has been a short cut and right of way for a century and that is a difficult momentum to curtail, like an elephant walk.

The four corners of the junctions of old urban streets would be occupied by shops. Typically, a greengrocers, newsagent/tobacconist, butcher and baker. Their shop lights in the darker seasonal mornings and closing in nights would guide the local population to their places of work or home again. The resonance of the bell atop the heavy panelled doors giving reassurance and comfort to those still under the covers.

The customers would be personally known to the shop keepers and the regular purchases prepared for collection such was the routine and regularity of visits and acquisitions. In hard economic times the proprietors would provide a credit system to be settled on the next pay day and would be understanding of family problems and hardships. This was engendered by the fact that they were also local residents living behind and above the shop.

Small children would be handed the cigarettes, tobacco and roll-ups for their parents or older siblings with no questions asked. This would invariably extend to beer, paraffin for heaters and all manner of what we would regard today as prohibited goods or hazards to the young.

The display windows would appear to be magical in the eyes of the children. Many play and idling hours would be spent around the shop front and the goods on show would become a strong memory well into the adult years so that a mock-up in a streetlife museum evokes strong emotions and nostalgia.

The nicknames of shop keepers would also persist whether reflecting some character trait, temperament or just a rhyme concocted around their christian or surnames. They were a hub for the streets which intersected and helped to make sure that everyones circumstances and business were known, not in a bad or gloating way but out of genuine concern even if whispered as a hearsay or rumour.

Gradually the arrival of the motor car and the development of the High Streets threatened the status and viability of the corner shop. The upwardly mobile local population moved on to the newer housing in the suburbs and strong ties and loyalties to the shops became inevitably diminished.

A few battled on but could not compete with the Discount Stores and large Supermarket chains. The display windows became dull and sparse. Clear glass became shrouded in the self adhesive livery of smaller independent shop chains. Graffitti and litter collected on the previously proudly kept brickwork and forecourt. Conversion to housing soon followed but not so as to eradicate the origins of the commerce and philanthropy that had been conducted there for decades.

Sterilised and impersonal In-Store counters killed off the butcher and baker from the terraced streets. Aisles and aisles of fresh and varied but genetically uniform fruit and veg made the corner shop produce look shabby and ugly. Newspapers and tobacco were being sold just about anywhere.

It is rare now to see any surviving corner shops. If any have lasted they are likely to be operating as a Ladies Hairdressers but as a mere shadow of their former bustling use. Still, even these neighbourhood salons could be at risk if Tesco decide to do cut price haircuts.