The photograph is dated 1913 and in it Charles Eason and his wife Sallie are seen standing in the doorway.

The premises on Crown Hill were originally a Tailor & Drapers shop but by 1870 James Wright was trading as a Grocer & Draper.

In 1886 Charles Eason, who had recently married, arrived in Ashdon and moved into the shop where he continued to trade until he retired when his son Richard took over and remained until 1935.

Eason’s shop was open weekdays 8am-8pm. They sold everything except milk which was always purchased direct from one of a number of farms in the village that had a dairy.

The plant pots above the shop front, which were a feature for many years, were actually lard pots which had been painted and reused.

The shop and Post Office ceased trading in 2018

The museum has a fine collection of tea pots which it still uses if you come down for afternoon tea. I wonder if any of them were ever in the Eason’s shop window?