In years past, with open fires and thatched roofs, fire was an ever-present danger. Many buildings along Church Street were lost to fire before improvements in safety in the early 20th century. This month we see a bewildered group of onlookers staring at the smouldering remains of the shop on the corner of Long Lane, which is now the “One-Stop”. The present building was built in 1910 so we might guess this picture is 1909. There was a hand-operated water pump wagon, kept in a garage on the village green for such emergencies, but evidently this was not sufficient to save the shop.
April 2020
