Skip to content

Village Shop

Village Shop

Travel back to the 1940s and see how local people shopped.

Before the supermarket, people living in rural communities relied on their village shop for provisions. Here you could buy everything from mustard to buttons to gardening tools.

 

Discover a treasure trove of products that would have been on the shelves in the village shop. You can spot a currant cleaning machine, a baker’s cart and a coffee grinding machine, looking right at home beside humbugs, medicine and gloves.

Do you recognise any of the vintage products, packaging or signs? Many of these brands are still sold in supermarkets today.

A black wooden cabinet with a glass front. Inside there are a number of yellow boxes and tins with the words 'Coleman's Mustard'
A green metal coffee mill with two big cogs and handle for turning.
A slightly rusted green tin. The label states 'Lyle's Golden Syrup'.
Boy holding a bunch of metal nails.
A display counter in a museum display of a 1940s village shop

Village Shop Highlights

A hand held bakers cart with the words 'Victoria Bakery' painted on the side.

The Maskell Baker’s cart on display in the shop would have been pushed by a baker, delivering freshly baked loaves of bread.

A black wooden cabinet with a glass front. Inside there are a number of yellow boxes and tins with the words 'Coleman's Mustard'

This Victorian display case advertising Colman’s Mustard contains both mustard powder and other notable Colman’s products. Some of them are still available today.

A wooden board with a painted image of a cow saying 'Hi Milkman!' and pointing to how much milk the family would like.

This board would have been left out for the milkman. It allowed the family to indicate how much milk that the family wanted that day.

Explore Denny Abbey and The Farmland Museum

What else will you see on your visit?

Return to Discover