Kendal, New Shambles 1914

Photo ref: 67400

Ewen Kerr opened a secondhand bookshop in New Sambles, sometime during the early years of World War II. I remember selling him some of my children's books (I now much regret that I did not keep them; I was only 17 at the time) and buying a splendidly, decoratively bound copy of Agness Zimmermann's edition of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas. It cost, I think, 2s.6d. (c.12.5 p.) and I still have it. Later Ewen's son took the business over & moved to another Kendal location, then to Cartmel.

The boy in the hat is my grandfather, and the girl is his sister. The shop that they are standing outside belonged to their grandfather, a well travelled gentleman born in 1832. The view is remarkably unchanged in 2008!