Apex Corner 1944 1955

My name is Ron Sargeant and I lived in Worcester Crescent from 1939 until 1964 I can add a few more shops to your list. On the far end to the left as you view ths photo was a café by the name of the Blinking Owl. and next door to that was Uncle Arthurs Gents Barbars But I also think that there
was a second hand car showroom on the very end.. I believe that before Tescos the main food shop was a branch of Sainsburys. Pretty sure that this was next door to Sylvesters. I bought my first big bicycle from Noman Davis and I believe that this was the last shop on the right. Just to the left of where the photo was taken was a blue police box and the air raid warning siren. The only
bus services were the 113 from Oxford Street down to Edgware
and the 52 from Borehamwood to Victoria. Apex corner
was also served by two green line routes the 712 and 713
I remember going blackberry picking with my mother on the land opposite the shops by the bus stop before any building
was there and the road, a turning from Uphill Road, was only
rough and not made up. The bus journey from Apex corner to the Broadway was 1d for adults and a halfpenny for me. The
A1 and A41 were not dual carriageways and there used to be
a sign post slap in the middle of the roundabout and I well remember the traffic chaos caused twhen the sign post
was ACCIDENTLY moved round in approximately 1949

.

Further to my writing of 2014 I have continued to research Mill Hill of the immediate post-war years. .I have filled some of the gaps in the Apex Shops, still a couple of unknowns or vaguely remembered. Plus a paragraph on the start of the demise of them as a comprehensive local shopping area.

Between 1941 and 1956, we lived in Laleham Avenue, on the northern boundary of Mill Hill, which is an outer northern suburb of London. The local shopping centre was at Apex Corner about 800m away, and there was a further 1km to a bigger shopping area at Mill Hill Broadway. The shops at Apex were adequate to supply all the day-to-day needs. My mother would shop there every few days. The family made occasional trips to Mill Hill Broadway when we added shopping to visits to the dentist, library, dry cleaners, cinema and swimming pool.
Shops at Apex Corner, 1940s-1950s. Entries in italics not confirmed by accessible public records or my clear personal recollections.
Watford Way
Old New
601 631 Blinking Owl Café/Tea room
603 633 Arthur Robins Barber
605 635 Unknown name Toys, Knitting wool
607 637 Unknown name Drapery, Sub PO
609 639 Express Dairy Grocer
611 641 Derek Clarke Chemist
613 643a* Harry Lewis Tabacconist
615 645 William Thorpe Real Estate
617 647 Tesco Grocer
619 649 Richie Butcher
621 651 Boots Chemist
623 653 Apex Wine & Spirit Beer, Wine, Spirits
625 655 Sainsburys Grocer
627 657 Meyers Greengrocer
629 659 Sylvesters Newsagent
631 661 Apex Café Ice Cream, Snacks, Jute Box
633 663 Vincents Hardware
635 665 Norman Davis Toys, Electrical
667 Apex Garage Petrol station

West of Salvage Lane, Apex Parade
5 Copper Kettle Cakes
4 Copper Kettle Café/Tea room
3 Charles Ladies Hairdresser
2 Bendix Lauderette Was a greengrocer in the 1940s
1 Unknown Oct 2025
1a R. Butcher Confectionery, Tobacconist

*Sourced from Mill Hill Historical Society Facebook page
James Creighton
Harry Lewis Ltd. Tobacconist 643a Watford Way. William Thorpe Estate Agent, 645 Watford Way.
James Creighton
Info from the 1968 Orange Barnet Phone Book.
Listed as 613 Kelly's 1936

During the 1940s, these shops were well-stocked, staffed, and patronised. Most families in the surrounding areas did not have a car, and the mother did not work. Households without refrigerators were common, so shopping was frequent, making loads manageable and allowing perishable products to stay fresh. In the late. In the late 1950s, a block with 7 more shops was added at the eastern end. This period was at the end of my time living in the area, and I have little memory of what they were. However, they account for the renumbering of the street addresses.
The advent of a family car in about 1950 changed our shopping habits as it did for many other families. The first real supermarket to open in our area was Express Dairy in Station Road, Edgware. We were able to buy and transport a week's shopping in a single shop. Suddenly, we rarely visited the Apex Corner shops.