Kirkgate, Waltham; shops and enamel signs c1920.

A real photo postcard by Doncaster Rotophoto Co. Ltd. (Danum Series). The company was only in business for a couple of years, or so, either side of 1920.

The shop on the right is W. Frederick Markham’s in High Street (Grocer & Draper or Dealer). The wonderful enamel signs are for: Sunlight Soap – £1,000 guarantee of purity (one on each shop) Cadbury’s Chocolate (on both shops) Van Houtens’s Cocoa (‘Best and goes farthest’) Quaker Oats Brooke Bonds’ Tea (on both shops) Tower Tea Brasso Polish Hudson’s Soap (x 2) Another sign mentions cycles The Grimsby Telegraph placard headline is ‘School Children’

I’m indebted to Alan Fletcher for this additional information:

This must be one of the most photographed streets in Waltham. It, perhaps, lends itself to it. Four of the main buildings remain i.e. the ones opposite each other in the foreground. On the left was formerly Harrison’s stores and Paul Kirby’s Antiques and then Unipart. Across on the right, a jewellers, formerly Markhams store then an electrical shop and also a bakers. Deep left a private house, the Buffam’s when I was a lad. Directly opposite the Brackenberry’s, is now the Tilted Barrel. The low building on the left prior to the bend was Ireland’s fish and chips, opposite a ladies hair dressers. Buck Beck ran at the side of them winding its way through the Ings and on past Toll Bar then on to Cleethorpes. Tates had the double fronted shop on the left as an off licence prior to it being demolished. Their new premises was built slightly further back to allow for car parking.