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VW The remains of the little cottage at number 37, you can see is the last example of what would have been typical of many along Main Street. This cottage was home to long-time Mornington resi- dents, the Young family. This is where Alf Sexton started his barber’s business before Tom Male built the new shops next to his butchers.
The little laneway led down to a popular billiard room. You might say that this was the mens section of town. The billiard room later became an auction room where two of the long-established Morning- ton businesses, estate agents Jacobs and Lowe and as an auctioneer, Bob Smith Carpets started out.
As you continue down Main Street, you will see six shop fronts, numbers 27 – 35, which were built in the 1930s, like those you saw further up the street. They still have their set back entrances, some with ornate ceilings and brass window surrounds. On the first shop front you can still see a beautiful stained glass feature.
A variety of businesses moved in and out of this block of shops over time. Sanders the chemist, who operated from the shop on the corner of Queen Street, also sold ice creams in the summer time. The low window sills were at a convenient sitting height. An invitation which many people, coming up from the beach on a hot day, probably accepted. He eventually put iron spikes on the sills, presum- ably to discourage this practice!
Many of Mornington’s older citizens recall that one shop in particular was of interest to many. As Mr. J. Male is said to have recalled:
KW Wanda the fortune-teller lady took over Akers shop. She was a lady of doubtful reputation, who always wore black with nothing much underneath. She liked to stand in the doorway to show off her silhouette. Her shop window was always covered over by black curtains.
As you come to Queen Street, you may like to make a short detour to the left to see St. Peter’s Church which was built in 1861. The beautiful stained glass windows are well worth a look.
The next stop on Main Street is the Mechanics Institute building. There is a huge bollard outside. When the City of Westminster was refurbishing the banks of the Thames, some of these bollards were sent out to Australia. This one found its way to Mornington.