Gedge's Surgical Shop

Parts of Stoke-on-Trent have barely changed since the 1950s. Like a number of once-important industrial cities, it saw great decline in the second half of the 20th century. Things still struggle even now.

One of the advantages of this depression is not a lot changes, so that a social historian still has lots to work with.
For example, lots of shops may have changed hands and business-type since the 1950s, but the new owners can't even be bothered to change the shop-fronts much. As we see in this photo.
Whatever Gedge's Shop was once, it's now a takeaway, but the landlord clearly doesn't think it worthwhile to remove the old name.

Incidentally, it seems hard to believe that there were once stores that labelled themselves "Surgical and Rubber Shop". I confess that I'm not even sure what such shops stocked!