“History of Shops” is a new research project about the shops and businesses of Herne Hill, London SE24.

As the project builds during 2024 and beyond, in-depth descriptions of many local shops and their proprietors since the 19th century, with historic photographs and other images, will become available on this website. Customers will be able to scan a QR code at each participating shop, or browse this website, to find out about its history.

Copyright notice: if you wish to reuse or repost any of the texts or images on this website, please contact us first (see below).

Feedback is welcome through our Contact Us form.

297 Railton Road

This shop is currently home to The Flower Lady. Today it is a flower shop, but it was for many years a coal merchant’s office. Whether the building standing on this site today is the very same that stood there in 1880, the first mention in a directory, is open to question. It is clear…