Shufflebotham's Stores

The new coffee shop that has opened on the corner of Alcester Road and Woodbridge Road, Cafephilia, has a large photographic reproduction along one wall. It shows Shufflebotham's Stores which used to occupy the same premises. It's perhaps one of the best historic photos that I have seen of old Moseley. It shows the grocery and provision store extended well into Woodbridge Road.

Mr Shufflebotham was obviously proud of his fleet of delivery vehicles, which are parked up outside the store to be included in the photo. There are even two grocer's boys on their bikes complete with wicker baskets on the front. There is one curious vehicle which appears to have a model house on the back which must have been used as a mobile advert. I was sad to see that a lovely cupola atop the building had been lost at some point - perhaps during the war? I know that a house only a few yards up the road was destroyed in a bombing raid probably due to it's vicinity to the railway line.