In January 2009 I took some pics of the old fish & chip restaurant and fishmongers at the northern end of East Acton Lane near Savoy Circus.
As you can see, the shop frontage was lovely with a hand-painted sign by Brilliant Signs Ltd of W12 (Permenart) and the little panels in the windows had decorative glass panels and ventilation inserts. Along the bottom there were lovely hand-fired green tiles with five fish motifs at regular intervals. For some reason I only took photos of three of them.
The shop was clearly closed for business. Peering in through the window I could see the lovely old seating was still intact. However some kind of renovation was underway there were paint pots on the counter which was covered in a cloth.
I haven't visited the area since and so last weekend took a short detour to go and check out what has become of the place.
But, oh dear, what a disaster – everything shown above has gone. And I mean everything. I didn't get out of the car to take photos because it was just too much.
The google streetview screengrabs, below, show that absolutely nothing is left of the old shop.
How is this allowed to happen? I have tried googling for other images of the old shop but the only pics I can find are my own – there must be some in an archive somewhere...?
Sad face.
I live in East Acton for many years, growing up there. This fish and chip shop did great business on a Friday. It was family run by 2 generations the decor was amazing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this. I spent much time growing up at my grandparents in Trinity Way during the 80s and 90s, visiting this place was a weekly affair. I think the owner kept pigeons out the back, the food was always great and the atmosphere inviting. I miss those days! I can still smell the fish frying now!
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