PICTURES of the much-loved Jacks shop in Colchester have been sent in by reader, Patrick Denney.

Mr Denney's first two pictures, taken around 2004, show Jacks as most people will remember - with numerous items hanging from the front of the shop and people stopping to look inside the store's packed window displays.

The hardware store shut down in 2013 after 67 years in St Nicholas Street.

It is now being turned into a new shop and seven flats.

Mr Denney's third picture shows the shop in a previous era, when it was Bateman & Wyncoll Tailors and Outfitters. The picture was taken from an original Colchester Guide from 1908.

Mr Denney said: "Both the modern pictures show heavy objects such as dustbins, tin baths and wheelbarrows hanging just a few feet above the heads of unsuspecting passers-by.

"But then nobody worried too much about health and safety issues.  

"This has come much more to the fore in recent years when virtually everything is considered to be a risk to our health and safety.

"I noticed that in recent times even Jacks had stopped hanging heavy objects above their shop front."

Despite undergoing a huge transformation, the familiar front of the old Jacks shop will remain the same.

  • Do you have any old pictures of Jacks you would like to share? Email gazette.letters@nqe.com