Based on childhood recollections
of shops in Edmonton, north London in Edwardian times.
The corn chandler sold animal food:- bran, corn, maize and other meal and
grains. Each type was in its own large wooden container fixed against the wall,
and there was a scoop to ladle out whatever customers ordered into individual
paper bags. The shop had its own unique smell, mainly because of the chicken
feed.
A Victorian or Edwardian birdcage, photographed at the Museum of
Nottingham Life.
The corn chandler's shop was well-used because many families kept chickens
and rabbits for food, even though their gardens were small. There was also a
need for seed for birds kept as pets in cages and for the sand in their trays.
Dog's drinking bowl, which normally contained water and a lump of rock
sulphur. Photographed in Blists Hill Victorian Town.
The shop also sold something that I haven't seen for years: rock sulphur.
It was sold for dogs' drinking bowls as it was supposed to make them calmer
and more comfortable. I don't know whether it worked.
It was not uncommon to see dogs' drinking containers outside shops. They
were put up by Hudson's Soap and they contained a lump of rock sulphur.
The shop also sold garden goods, like fly papers which were about two feet
long and 4 inches wide. Some women hung them indoors from their gas brackets
to attract and kill flies.
This website Join me in the 1900s is a contribution to the social history of everyday life in early to mid 20th century Britain, seen through personal recollections and illustrations, with the emphasis on what it was like to live in those times. It is © Pat Cryer.
