The final instalment of life in the Seven Dials by Tony Hill…

Because Dad had to be able to drive his lorry to the far corners of Sussex to put injured horses and cows out of their misery, he had a virtually unlimited supplementary petrol ration. This allowed him to be the only Brighton greengrocer who was able to deliver to the big houses around Dyke Road Avenue and the back of Hove, and boosted his trade considerably. You chose your own price in the Dials Vegetable Market. If, for example, he had peas that could be sold at seven pence a pound, he would split the batch into two piles on opposite sides of the shop, one pile labelled Peas 6d lb, the other marked Best Peas 8d lb. Three out of four ladies chose the dearer ones! This made more profit for Dad, saved money for the really poor, of whom there were quite a few, and made the other customers feel they were living well, so everybody was happy. Continue reading The Dials Vegetable Market →