General Stores Collection

Van loaded with waste paper from the General Stores at Swindon Works, 1941
Paper salvage was introduced by the Government at the outbreak of war in 1939. It was designed to encourage the recycling of materials to aid the war effort

Swindon Works General Stores, First Aid Section, about 1950
The General Stores at Swindon Works held all sorts of equipment that was needed to run a railway, including first aid supplies

General Stores, c. 1950s
The General Stores were based at Swindon Works. They supplied not only the Works but stations and depots too. The Stores held thousands of items, such as brooms, lamps, soap, furniture and paint

A paper recycling cart outside the General Stores at Swindon Works, 1941
A paper recycling cart outside the General Stores at Swindon Works in 1941. Bound bundles of paperwork and ledgers can be seen piled on the cart ready to be taken away to be pulped

3-4 Gainsborough Road: front elevations, London, 1899 (b / w photo)
1786371 3-4 Gainsborough Road: front elevations, London, 1899 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (19th century); London Metropolitan Archives

Advertisement, The Transvaal, Some More Secretes revealed (engraving)
1605354 Advertisement, The Transvaal, Some More Secretes revealed (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Advertisement, The Transvaal)

Traditional Hardware Shop
A traditional family run ironmongers and general store in Barnes, West London during the 1980s. Date: 1980s

General Store, Seligman, Route 66, Arizona, United States of America, North America

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Step back in time and discover the charm of a General Store, a quintessential symbol of small-town America and Britain. From the Van loaded with waste paper from the General Stores at Swindon Works, 1941, to the traditional hardware shop with its intriguing secrets revealed in an advertisement from The Transvaal, these establishments have long been the heart of their communities. With front elevations dating back to 1899, like the one at 3-4 Gainsborough Road in London, and the iconic General Store in Seligman, Arizona, along Route 66, these stores continue to offer essential goods and a warm welcome to travelers and locals alike. And let's not forget the paper recycling cart outside the Swindon Works General Stores, a testament to their resourcefulness during wartime and beyond.