They’re the backbone, heart and soul of the community, but village stores have had to evolve to survive
WHEN Napoleon described the British as a ‘nation of shopkeepers’, it was all very different. There were no outof-town retail parks, no supermarket home deliveries or post-office closures to threaten the village store’s trade. Today, it’s estimated that as many as 400 village shops close each year. Their plight has even been a storyline on The Archers.
Nonetheless, that phrase still holds good, as certain cornerstones of the community are thriving up and down the country, albeit in a far more dynamic form than the rather dusty, drab emporia we might remember from our childhoods.
That mercantile spirit is popping up in local stores reimagined as a sort of rural concierge service. Pop in for a loaf of bread and you may well find not only artisan as well as sliced varieties, but prescription and parcel drop-off services, dry cleaning and a buzzing cafe.
‘Today, the village store has to be so much more than just selling a can of beans and a bottle of wine,’ confirms Sarah Lee, who runs the Countryside Alliance (CA) Awards. The Village Shop/Post Office category recognises rural shopkeepers who go ‘above and beyond the call of duty’.
They’re doing a brisk trade from Nissen huts, pub car parks and even in the chancel of the parish church. They’re run by the sort of Excellent Women (and men) one finds in Barbara Pym novels, although, these days, they’re more likely to be pondering whether to invest £6,000 in a commercial Gaggia espresso machine than why the bishop has sent them a married curate.
‘In the past few years, opening up a cafe has saved many a village shop,’ Miss Lee reveals. ‘With an ageing population in rural communities, it provides a focal point for people to come together.’
Denne historien er fra August 14, 2019-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra August 14, 2019-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
