Oldest Shop in England
There are a number of contenders for the title of England's oldest shop. Better historians than us have been battling for years to decide which one deserves the title, so rather than try to be definitive, here is the shortlist.
173 High Street, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire has been a shop since it was built and dendrochronological dating revealed the timbers date to before 1300. Since 2000 the shop's site has been undergoing extensive excavation and rennovation.
The Oldest Sweet Shop In England is easier to date. Set in the picturesque Yorkshire Dales village of Pately Bridge , the sweet shop was founded in 1827
Rhubarb and Custards,Aniseed Balls,Candy twists and all those favourites are available from this classic Victorian shop. Its name has obviously changed over the years because now it is simply called "The Oldest Sweep Shop".
The Old Curiosity Shop at 13 Portsmouth Street, Holborn, which dates back to 16th century is probably London's oldest shop. Widely regarded as the inspiration for Charles Dickens' book of the same name, The creaking floorboards and wooden beams of the half-timbered Old Curiosity Shop have seen a number of tradesmen running various retail opperations from within its walls. It has been a dairy, an antique shop and at present they sell shoes here.
Woods of Windsor is probably the oldest perfume shop in the country. It dates back to 1770 and has been selling perfumes, soaps and such for almost 240 years. The yellow painted store can be found beneath the walls of Windsor Castle on Church Street, behind Windsor's Guildhall, where Prince Charles Married Camilla in 2005.