Commerce in Meifford

Apart from the shops at the far end of the High Street, there are a small number of essential business premises.

Alongside the Meifford Hotel is shop front of Parsons & Co. the feed and general merchants, providing essential produce for the local farmers. Just opposite the Goods Office are the premises of J. Griffiths, pictured above, who provide storage facilities and delivery service, for pretty much anything that's needed! I'm not sure their warehousing looks all that secure (or safe).

Just down from the Goat Inn is Addicot Wine Merchants, although I am assured that they do also stock beer and spirits, and conveniently supply the Goat Inn with most of their requirements!

Addicot wines -

Next to the blacksmith you will find Roberts Book Store. They keep a wide selection of books (this the 1930's though), but I believe it's been a struggle to get the locals interested, with little free time for such frivolities!

Roberts Books -

Reality...

Parsons & Co. was one of the first buildings in Meifford, constructed as a pair with the Meifford Hotel. I tried a new technique on the walls of Parsons, choosing to use Scalescenes paper to cover the walls, which was then weathered using dirty 'washes'. It seems to work pretty well and have since used the same process on other buildings.

Another view of Parsons & Addicots -

Griffiths, is built on a wooden framework, much as the full size building would have been, including cladding the structure with corrugated 'iron' sheets. It makes for an interesting model.

All of the shop fronts are built up from wood strip, in situ, including the windows. Glazing bars have been cut from veneer to keep them pretty much to scale - the whole lot being glazed following painting. Prior to painting I give everything a coat of shellac, which gives it some strength and also fills the grain and can be sanded.

Confession - I don't really like working with plastic card, other than the very useful micro-strip, generally sticking to foam board and card construction. I find it tends to outlive plastic structures and in fact have a couple of buildings made well over 50 years ago, showing no signs of warping or other damage.