St Botolph's Colchester – old photos show the street at its best

Even centuries ago, though, the area of St Botolph’s in Colchester held a level of importance, for it was there where the parish church was built before it was largely destroyed by canon fire during a siege by General Fairfax.

Bargain – shoppers walk past a discount store in February 1994 (Image: Newsquest)

Had there been cameras around to capture that in 1648, it would have made for some scrapbook; today, however, the pictures we have of the area show a more gradual change taking place from the 1960s and 1970s.

Commuters – passengers wait on the platform of St Botolph's in April 1991 (Image: Newsquest)

St Botolph’s then, as now, would have been rather noisy owing to the number of vehicles which ran through the town – and given the number and the variety of shops in the area, there would have been plenty more people passing through the area on foot, too.

Gridlock – if you think traffic in Colchester is bad now, it was certainly bad in the 1990s (Image: Newsquest)

But what businesses were they visiting?

Cramphorn Pet and Garden supplies was one such shop, and the recollections of those who know Colchester well go on and on.

Old names – Green Shield Stamps suggests this photo was taken during the 1980s (Image: Newsquest)

Mintz and Davis, Beatles Electrical, Allen’s and Son Butcher – which closed in 2022 – Hatfield’s Jackson’s fruit and veg... the list runs longer than St Botolph’s Street itself.

Retail – going back decades, St Botolph's has always had plenty of shops (Image: Newsquest)

Other businesses shown in the pictures include the Squires Room, and Green Shield Stamps before the business closed down in the early 1990s.

Summer – shoppers enjoy the warm weather in June 1988 (Image: Newsquest)

Bargain stores get something of a bad reputation these days, but they were around back in the 80s and 90s too, with The 50p or £1 Shop shown sandwiched in between Choice and Rocky Sports.

Throwback – St Botolph's in 1978, before the infamous winter of discontent (Image: Newsquest)

Takeaways, too, are sometimes looked down upon, but fish and chip shops formed part of the furniture in St Botolph’s, as did Sphinx Kebab House.

Traditional – this picture from February 1986 shows the clothes shop The Squires Room (Image: Newsquest)

Businesses are helped greatly by the nearby bus and train stations, which provide plenty of customers.

As for the future, St Botolph’s may change radically turn in the years to come if the blueprints laid out in the city centre masterplan are anything to go by.