Take a walk down the middle of Wandsworth Bridge Road today and you will mainly come across bistros, coffee shops and antique shops. There seemed to be a greater diversity of shops when we were growing up in the area.

In those days there were shops selling shoes, ladies and gents fashions, jewellery, wines and spirits, china, furniture, carpets , pianos, sweets and newspapers. There were haidressers, chemists, bookies, travel agents, builders merchants, electrical goods retailers, bakers, butchers, grocers, greengrocers, a toy shop, record store, undertakers etc. You could buy pie and mash and jellied eels, fresh fish and fish and chips. There was a Co-op store and even a pawnbrokers. As Maureen Mason nee Wale (formerly of Hamble Street) put it; "Wandsworth Bridge Road was where you could get all your shopping. Far different to what it is now."

Here are some more memories;

Fox Fashions

Fox Fashions sold ladies clothes and was situated in the parade of shops between Bovingdon and Sandilands roads in Wandsworth Bridge Road.

"My mother always used to say that if you saw two local women wearing the same dress or suit, which was often the case, it was probably bought from Fox." writes Francis Czucha, whose family lived in Broughton Road.

Derek Sayers, once of Stephendale Road, provides this information about the owners.

"Their surname name was in fact "Faux" and they were Jewish. The shop was certainly there in 1948 because that is when I started to go to school with Sid, the son. After Sid left School in 1954 he trained as a watch repairer and had a shop of his own in Fulham Broadway. His father Abraham must have died about 1959 and Sid told me he took over the fashion shop but could not get the goods because the Indians had cornered the market. Hence he opened a stationers there instead. He ran the shop with his sister and mother for many years. I wrote to Sid. He lives/lived in North London. I have had no reply - either he has moved or died. For the men there was Desmond's Gents Outfitters on the corner of Hazlebury Road and Wandsworth Bridge Road.

Also in the same parade as Fox was Edwards Radio Shop, a photographers business,  laundrette and fish and chips shop. Norma Martin nee Harris lived in Pearscroft Road and remembers James sweet shop on the corner of Sandilands Road which later became a childrens' book shop and is now a Starbucks coffee house (2007). Lee Noakes, once of Sandilands Road, says the sweet shop was known as Jolly's in the early 1950s. Francis czucha used to take his mum's washing to the launderette during the sixties.. "You could leave the washing in a machine and go for a walk and no one would pinch it. You have to remember that few people had washing machines during the 50s and 60s. My parents didn't get one until the 1970s."

Willsim Builders Merchants

Angel

Angel Furniture shop is still in business on the stretch between Ryecroft Road and Studdridge Street. Ron Dines, who grew up in Tynemouth Street, has worked in the shop for nearly 40 years. The shop's current owner is Chris Stone and his father, who owned it before him, named the shop after Angel Town in Brixton. It was previously Elcombe's.

"We used to sell upholstery and carpets but now it's beds and carpets." says Ron. "We still provide a quality service. One of our best customers over the years was a gentleman called Ridley Powell whose home was in Broughton Road."

Before working for Angel Ron worked for the nearby off licence (Westminister Wines), making deliveries on a trade bike during evenings and weekends. He has been married for 33 years, has two grown up children and now commutes from Shepperton each day.

Carol Neagle (nee Wills) also works in the shop and has done so for more than 30 years. Carol was brought up in Settrington Road and still lives in the area.

Two other long established shops along this stretch are Ann May which sells French style antique furniture and the dry cleaners Go Gay near Studdridge Street (both are pictured above in 2007). Gary Bartlett, formerly of Pearscroft Court, remembers Go Gay during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He also mentions a fruit and veg stall outside the dry cleaners run by a lady called Mary Stanton.

Worsleys

"Worsleys sold wool and habberdashery." writes Madelaine Lyons nee Williams. Located next to the Library, it was like a mini department store, and was previously The Reliant and subsequently Pollards. Madelaine has lived in Pearscroft Court and Wandsworth Bridge Road.

 Pie & Mash Shop                                                                                                                           

This was especially popular with families at weekends. Kelser's was located on the stretch between the Public Library and Clancarty Road. Steve State who lived in Barton House near Wandsworth Bridge looked forward to going there but there was one delicacy he was not too keen on;

"Cheap and cheerful food from my recollection although I had pie and mash and licquor (a green gravy) as I didn't fancy the jellied eels!"

Kirby's Wet Fish

" Fresh fish on a sloping slab of ice coated perfection" was how Valerie Heron-Lopez described Kirby's Wet Fish Shop next to Kelser's. Valerie, now married to a Venezuelan,  was the first wife of writer J.P Donleavy and lived in Broughton Road.

Record Shop

"The Golden Disc record shop was along the parade between Clancarty Road and Settrington Road (writes Francis Czucha). I seem to remember it was run by a lady on her own. My first record in 1962 was "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes" by American singer Bobby Vee which I played on our Civic Mono Record Player - box shaped and with an 'arm' which held and then dropped 45 rpm vinyl records one at a time on to the turntable. We had it for years but it became obsolete when stereo came in."

Steve State, some years later, also remembers buying records from this shop. "My first one was Cosy powell/ dance with the devil."

Post Office Hazlebury Road

Post Offices these days sell newspapers, confectionary and even food but the one on the corner of Hazlebury Road sold a few cards and was mainly for the purchase of stamps, sending  parcels and collecting family and old age pensions.  Francis Czucha writes; "The main counter was ahead of you as you entered the shop and an elderly husband and wife couple served from behind an iron grill. I think a rather plump but jolly lady with long hair worked there as an assistant. There was a red public telephone box outside and If it was in use, we sprinted across Wandsworth Bridge Road to the one in front of the Library.

Sue Kettle nee Hallam, once of De Morgan Street, mentions a long shop near Kirby's which sold groceries and was called Hawkins. Kay Heulin (Stephendale Road) remembers a small grocer's shop called  Frosts, in the parade between Broughton Approach and Sandilands Road. Maureen Mason's father Bob Wale (Hamble Street) worked there for years.

The Co-operative Society

You chose your items and then paid for them at a booth where you also received your dividend stamps. A Mayor of Fulham, Phyllis Cooper of Broughton Road worked in the accounts department of the store.

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