The premises at 226 Blackfen Road (at the corner of Sycamore Avenue) has been a newsagent for almost its whole history. Most recently named ‘The Card Shop’, it closed earlier this year and is now being renovated.

H. Taylor Dining Rooms opened in 1931/2 when the parade of shops was built on Blackfen Road from Days Lane up to Sycamore Avenue. This was a pivotal moment in Blackfen’s history, as the farmland was sold up to developers for vast estates of houses to be built and, of course, shops were needed to serve the needs of new residents.

By 1933, the premises was called Taylor’s Dining Rooms and Taylor’s Newsagent, but by  1937 it had become just Taylor’s Newsagent. It was still there in 1944 and into the 1950s. The newsagent was run by Bob and Maureen in the 1960s (does anyone remember them?), later becoming known as ‘The Card Shop’. It is now being renovated by Affix Windows for a new showroom, and so starts a new era in the premises’ history.

And we have been treated to a rare glimpse into the shop’s history when the old shop sign was revealed!