Castle Cary, Somerset: Winds of Change; Familiar Names

Yesterday I went to Castle Cary, my old hometown, to meet my brother at the George Inn. We reminisced a while, and I thought about the old Cary shops and businesses which were once so familiar. The two shops I miss most are The Book Nook on Woodcock Street where, as a youngster, I would sometimes buy (very cheaply), old leather-bound books and envelopes with Victorian postage stamps or seals, many with Penny Browns or Penny Blues; the old gentleman who kept the tiny shop would pin them up in the window. The other shop was Mrs Whitehorne's Black and White sweet shop in Fore Street.

I noticed that the branch of the National Westminster bank has closed. What happened to Spearmans, the Waggon and Horses, Parkers and Squibbs Garage? In some cases I do know the answers. At least The George Inn seems relatively unchanged.

Here are some of the advertisements of Castle Cary businesses from the 1920s (well before my time!) and early 1970s.