Historic funeral business John Nodes has got the Ladbroke Grove community talking, thanks to its window display of photos of the area dating back to the late 1800s.
To mark Local and Community History Month, long-serving Funeral Director Robin-Taylor Jones and Funeral Arranger Hayley Mullins created the fascinating display including long-gone local landmarks.
Robin said: “Our own branch in Ladbroke Grove used to be a haberdashers shop, and we still have all the original cupboards: those with large drawers which held the materials, plus those that held the cottons. Our building hasn’t changed, it is still very original.
“But North Kensington has changed tremendously. Our display shows two churches which are no longer here – one was bombed in the War and subsequently pulled down.
“There was a local electrical shop, now a vegetarian café, and the old White Knight Garage, which is now a laundry. A lot of the businesses used to be family run, but now there are a lot of upmarket coffee shops, as well as fashionable clothes shops on the adjacent Portobello Road.
“Even Ladbroke Grove tube station has changed, the entrance is now on the opposite side. But, although a lot of the large houses have now been converted to flats, there are still many of the original families living in the smaller streets.”
Robin, who has worked at John Nodes Funeral Service for 17 years, said there had been a fantastic response to the window display. The branch is now working with local history enthusiasts to set up a forum to capture people’s memories of North Kensington.
John Nodes Funeral Service also has branches in Harlesden, Kensal Rise, and Cricklewood and has served communities in the area since 1828.
