George Moore Menswear


For anyone living near the Bowes Park area of North London (or any fans of the TV show 'Spaced'), you may recognise the shop above. 99 Myddleton Road, Bowes Park is the address of the fascinating time capsule which is George Moore Menswear.
George Moore ran the shop from the mid 1930's until his death in 1969 when his wife and son took over. When Brian, George's son, decided to retire fourteen years ago rather than sell off the business he simply locked the door of the shop and left. Since then the items in the window (and presumably the shop) have been eaten into by dust, damp and the ravages of time for all to see as they walk past. Brian refers to the shop as 'a museum piece' and still lives in the flat above it.
I believe that there are plans to renovate this area of Bowes Park with a push to preserve the unique shop fronts on Myddleton Road. What happens next will be interesting to see.  

Click HERE to listen to a short interview with Brain Moore on the Bowes & Bounds Connected website


Comments

James Russell said…
Haven't had much time for blog-visiting lately but this is fabulous. I want a tour of the shop, immediately!

Those of us who love to see gentle decay at work do face a conundrum, though. At some point, after all, the shop will either fall down completely or be preserved in whatever form it is then. Once preserved it will stop being an abandoned shop and become a museum, which is something completely different - no longer a personal gesture of defiance in the face of time...
Murgatroyd said…
I felt the same when I heard about this shop too James - let me in to take a closer peek.
Yes, I'm curious as to what happens next with it. I got the impression that Brian Moore wanted to keep the shop as it is despite plans to regenerate the shops fronts elsewhere on the street. Looks like the gentle decay will continue for a while longer...
Ruth Hitchens said…
What a fascinating concept, just to lock the door and watch the dust settle.
Murgatroyd said…
Hi Ruth. Um, tempting isn't it?