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| © Martin Hulbert |
Is there anything guaranteed to make the pulse quicken faster than the sight of an old newsagents, with the prospect of a spinner rack inside containing new American comics?
When I grew up, all newsagents looked like this photo from 1974, taken by Martin Hulbert and posted on the Memories of Bygone Portsmouth Facebook group. The shop in question was in St James Street, Portsmouth (close to the Dockyard), and is one of 100+ newsagents in Portsmouth in that period. Strangely, I cannot remember ever visiting the newsagents in the photo, an area redeveloped shortly after this photo was taken.
Where have the newsagents gone? When did they stop looking like the shop in the photo?
For a bit of time travel, take a look at this video from December 16th 1969, courtesy of BBC Archive. It's a clip from Tomorrow's World featuring James Burke. Freeze the video around the 40-second mark and look at the new comics in the rack on the wall. Takes you back, eh? I can make out both an ATOM and Captain Marvel.
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| James Burke - Tomorrow's World © BBC Archive |
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| © BBC Archive - see Comics on the Wall |
Here's the link to the video https://twitter.com/BBCArchive/status/1074333330269704193
